How was it that things always seemed so black and white when you were a kid?
Why did it seem like adults were so confident and knowledgeable?
How did I end up with the impression that at some point you just wake up and know what to do with your responsibilities in life?
Or do other people have it figured out, and I'm just the clueless one?
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Have you ever seen something so....
I.... uh.... .... really? Really????
http://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project
Take a look at the rest of the site too. It frightens me. During all those town hall shouting matches, a common catch phrase was something along the lines of "I want my America back." Um, ok. I'd like common sense back? Perhaps a small dose of logic? I mean, now even the BIBLE is too liberal? Really???? WTF? Is that how it's going to be from now on? You don't agree with something, want people on your side, so you wig them out and change things to say what you want?? REALLY?? I'm pretty sure King James didn't have an American-style-politics- leftist agenda, but apparently, his version is a result of the liberal media. You know, cause that makes sense?!???!
http://conservapedia.com/Conservative_Bible_Project
Take a look at the rest of the site too. It frightens me. During all those town hall shouting matches, a common catch phrase was something along the lines of "I want my America back." Um, ok. I'd like common sense back? Perhaps a small dose of logic? I mean, now even the BIBLE is too liberal? Really???? WTF? Is that how it's going to be from now on? You don't agree with something, want people on your side, so you wig them out and change things to say what you want?? REALLY?? I'm pretty sure King James didn't have an American-style-politics- leftist agenda, but apparently, his version is a result of the liberal media. You know, cause that makes sense?!???!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Take 2
With the encouragement of a blogger that I admire, I've decided - sure! I guess I have a few thoughts and experiences I'd be interested in sharing. So more to come. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
good vibrations
I attended the recent inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. What an amazing experience. Of course, it was exciting to witness history up close and personal. However, what truly amazed me and touched me was how the individuals in attendance at the event acted towards each other - towards complete strangers.
We waited for hours in lines. It was extremely crowded. It was bitterly cold. It was quite confusing to know where you were supposed to go and what was happening next. Just getting to the Mall was a challenge. All factors that would typically inspire people to get frustrated or be pushy and rude. But this was not the case. Not at the Inauguration. Not at the concert the weekend before.
People, complete strangers, were looking out for each other, were helping each other out. We all felt some bond that we had each others' backs. Not simply because we all, in theory, have the same political views and our leader won the race. Far from it. It's like we all felt responsible. We had a reason to care again.
Individuals came from all corners of the country to witness the event. And we somehow were all aware that we all had different reasons for being there. That we all came from different perspectives and experiences. But that didn't matter. Those days at the Capitol, we were all there to be Americans and to celebrate what this country truly means - that every voice counts and every person can make a difference.
Believe me, I know how idyllic and sentimental this all sounds. But after hours of standing in the cold and the absolute confusion that broke out when the gates were finally opened, and yet, the person in line behind you makes sure you get through security first because that's what's fair and right, I don't know, it's easy to believe the best in people again.
A friend I went with asked at one point, "What could possibly explain how unanimously positive everyone is right now? How can you explain that this is even happening - a junior senator winning the highest office?"
My answer is this: there's something about his image and something in his rhetoric that empowers people. He's no god. I don't think people truly see him that way. It's not him everyone is putting their hopes and beliefs in - it's in ourselves. It's been a long time since someone has held us accountable or challenged us to be better and to rise above the adversities we face in life. And I gotta say, it was exhilarating to feel that energy and spirit in a crowd of millions.
So no matter your political beliefs, this is a chance for all of us. To step up and take responsibility. For what we each believe in. To stop blaming whoever is in power for our problems, and instead, take action ourselves. Hopefully looking out for our neighbors in the process. If one man's speech can bring the best out in everyone, imagine what we can do when we actively seek to be the best we can.
We waited for hours in lines. It was extremely crowded. It was bitterly cold. It was quite confusing to know where you were supposed to go and what was happening next. Just getting to the Mall was a challenge. All factors that would typically inspire people to get frustrated or be pushy and rude. But this was not the case. Not at the Inauguration. Not at the concert the weekend before.
People, complete strangers, were looking out for each other, were helping each other out. We all felt some bond that we had each others' backs. Not simply because we all, in theory, have the same political views and our leader won the race. Far from it. It's like we all felt responsible. We had a reason to care again.
Individuals came from all corners of the country to witness the event. And we somehow were all aware that we all had different reasons for being there. That we all came from different perspectives and experiences. But that didn't matter. Those days at the Capitol, we were all there to be Americans and to celebrate what this country truly means - that every voice counts and every person can make a difference.
Believe me, I know how idyllic and sentimental this all sounds. But after hours of standing in the cold and the absolute confusion that broke out when the gates were finally opened, and yet, the person in line behind you makes sure you get through security first because that's what's fair and right, I don't know, it's easy to believe the best in people again.
A friend I went with asked at one point, "What could possibly explain how unanimously positive everyone is right now? How can you explain that this is even happening - a junior senator winning the highest office?"
My answer is this: there's something about his image and something in his rhetoric that empowers people. He's no god. I don't think people truly see him that way. It's not him everyone is putting their hopes and beliefs in - it's in ourselves. It's been a long time since someone has held us accountable or challenged us to be better and to rise above the adversities we face in life. And I gotta say, it was exhilarating to feel that energy and spirit in a crowd of millions.
So no matter your political beliefs, this is a chance for all of us. To step up and take responsibility. For what we each believe in. To stop blaming whoever is in power for our problems, and instead, take action ourselves. Hopefully looking out for our neighbors in the process. If one man's speech can bring the best out in everyone, imagine what we can do when we actively seek to be the best we can.
Monday, January 5, 2009
15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever
After my earlier rant, I thought this would help remind us all that it's still a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever
by Mangesh Hattikudur - May 23, 2007 - 1:52 PM
Back when I was in 7th grade I stood up in front of my English class and delivered a tongue-in-cheek, poorly researched presentation on why I thought Mister Rogers should be the next President. I ate up the first few minutes zipping up my cardigan, and putting on some sneakers, and then I proceeded to mock him roundly. It was a riotous success. Fourteen years later, I’m using this post to repent. The following are 15 things everyone should know about Fred Rogers:
1. Even Koko the Gorilla loved him
Most people have heard of Koko, the Stanford-educated gorilla who could speak about 1000 words in American Sign Language, and understand about 2000 in English. What most people don’t know, however, is that Koko was an avid Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fan. As Esquire reported, when Fred Rogers took a trip out to meet Koko for his show, not only did she immediately wrap her arms around him and embrace him, she did what she’d always seen him do onscreen: she proceeded to take his shoes off!
2. He Made Thieves Think Twice
According to a TV Guide piece on him, Fred Rogers drove a plain old Impala for years. One day, however, the car was stolen from the street near the TV station. When Rogers filed a police report, the story was picked up by every newspaper, radio and media outlet around town. Amazingly, within 48 hours the car was left in the exact spot where it was taken from, with an apology on the dashboard. It read, “If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it.”
3. He Watched His Figure to the Pound!
In covering Rogers’ daily routine (waking up at 5; praying for a few hours for all of his friends and family; studying; writing, making calls and reaching out to every fan who took the time to write him; going for a morning swim; getting on a scale; then really starting his day), writer Tom Junod explained that Mr. Rogers weighed in at exactly 143 pounds every day for the last 30 years of his life. He didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, didn’t eat the flesh of any animals, and was extremely disciplined in his daily routine. And while I’m not sure if any of that was because he’d mostly grown up a chubby, single child, Junod points out that Rogers found beauty in the number 143. According to the piece, Rogers came “to see that number as a gift… because, as he says, “the number 143 means ‘I love you.’ It takes one letter to say ‘I’ and four letters to say ‘love’ and three letters to say ‘you.’ One hundred and forty-three.”
4. He Saved Both Public Television and the VCR
Strange but true. When the government wanted to cut Public Television funds in 1969, the relatively unknown Mister Rogers went to Washington. Almost straight out of a Capra film, his 5-6 minute testimony on how TV had the potential to give kids hope and create more productive citizens was so simple but passionate that even the most gruff politicians were charmed. While the budget should have been cut, the funding instead jumped from $9 to $22 million. Rogers also spoke to Congress, and swayed senators into voting to allow VCR’s to record television shows from the home. It was a cantankerous debate at the time, but his argument was that recording a program like his allowed working parents to sit down with their children and watch shows as a family.
5. He Might Have Been the Most Tolerant American Ever
Mister Rogers seems to have been almost exactly the same off-screen as he was onscreen. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, and a man of tremendous faith, Mister Rogers preached tolerance first. Whenever he was asked to castigate non-Christians or gays for their differing beliefs, he would instead face them and say, with sincerity, “God loves you just the way you are.” Often this provoked ire from fundamentalists.
6. He Was Genuinely Curious about Others
Mister Rogers was known as one of the toughest interviews because he’d often befriend reporters, asking them tons of questions, taking pictures of them, compiling an album for them at the end of their time together, and calling them after to check in on them and hear about their families. He wasn’t concerned with himself, and genuinely loved hearing the life stories of others. Amazingly, it wasn’t just with reporters. Once, on a fancy trip up to a PBS exec’s house, he heard the limo driver was going to wait outside for 2 hours, so he insisted the driver come in and join them (which flustered the host). On the way back, Rogers sat up front, and when he learned that they were passing the driver’s home on the way, he asked if they could stop in to meet his family. According to the driver, it was one of the best nights of his life—the house supposedly lit up when Rogers arrived, and he played jazz piano and bantered with them late into the night. Further, like with the reporters, Rogers sent him notes and kept in touch with the driver for the rest of his life.
7. He was Color-blind
Literally. He couldn’t see the color blue. Of course, he was also figuratively color-blind, as you probably guessed. As were his parents who took in a black foster child when Rogers was growing up.
8. He Could Make a Subway Car full of Strangers Sing
Once while rushing to a New York meeting, there were no cabs available, so Rogers and one of his colleagues hopped on the subway. Esquire reported that the car was filled with people, and they assumed they wouldn’t be noticed. But when the crowd spotted Rogers, they all simultaneously burst into song, chanting “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” The result made Rogers smile wide.
A few other things:
9. He got into TV because he hated TV.
The first time he turned one on, he saw people angrily throwing pies in each other’s faces. He immediately vowed to use the medium for better than that. Over the years he covered topics as varied as why kids shouldn’t be scared of a haircut, or the bathroom drain (because you won’t fit!), to divorce and war.
10. He was an Ivy League Dropout.
Rogers moved from Dartmouth to Rollins College to pursue his studies in music.
11. He composed all the songs on the show, and over 200 tunes.
12. He was a perfectionist, and disliked ad libbing.
He felt he owed it to children to make sure every word on his show was thought out.
13. Michael Keaton got his start on the show as an assistant– helping puppeteer and operate the trolley.
14. Several characters on the show are named for his family.
Queen Sara is named after Rogers’ wife, and the postman Mr. McFeely is named for his maternal grandfather who always talked to him like an adult, and reminded young Fred that he made every day special just by being himself. Sound familiar? It was the same way Mister Rogers closed every show.
15. The sweaters.
Every one of the cardigans he wore on the show had been hand-knit by his mother.
I can’t sign off with out citing: Tom Junod’s wonderful profile of Fred Rogers and his obituary for him. They are two of the most lovely pieces I’ve (re)read in a very long time. Our researcher Kara Kovalchik also deserves credit for digging them up on an internet archive located here.
15 Reasons Mister Rogers Was the Best Neighbor Ever
by Mangesh Hattikudur - May 23, 2007 - 1:52 PM
Back when I was in 7th grade I stood up in front of my English class and delivered a tongue-in-cheek, poorly researched presentation on why I thought Mister Rogers should be the next President. I ate up the first few minutes zipping up my cardigan, and putting on some sneakers, and then I proceeded to mock him roundly. It was a riotous success. Fourteen years later, I’m using this post to repent. The following are 15 things everyone should know about Fred Rogers:
1. Even Koko the Gorilla loved him
Most people have heard of Koko, the Stanford-educated gorilla who could speak about 1000 words in American Sign Language, and understand about 2000 in English. What most people don’t know, however, is that Koko was an avid Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fan. As Esquire reported, when Fred Rogers took a trip out to meet Koko for his show, not only did she immediately wrap her arms around him and embrace him, she did what she’d always seen him do onscreen: she proceeded to take his shoes off!
2. He Made Thieves Think Twice
According to a TV Guide piece on him, Fred Rogers drove a plain old Impala for years. One day, however, the car was stolen from the street near the TV station. When Rogers filed a police report, the story was picked up by every newspaper, radio and media outlet around town. Amazingly, within 48 hours the car was left in the exact spot where it was taken from, with an apology on the dashboard. It read, “If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it.”
3. He Watched His Figure to the Pound!
In covering Rogers’ daily routine (waking up at 5; praying for a few hours for all of his friends and family; studying; writing, making calls and reaching out to every fan who took the time to write him; going for a morning swim; getting on a scale; then really starting his day), writer Tom Junod explained that Mr. Rogers weighed in at exactly 143 pounds every day for the last 30 years of his life. He didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, didn’t eat the flesh of any animals, and was extremely disciplined in his daily routine. And while I’m not sure if any of that was because he’d mostly grown up a chubby, single child, Junod points out that Rogers found beauty in the number 143. According to the piece, Rogers came “to see that number as a gift… because, as he says, “the number 143 means ‘I love you.’ It takes one letter to say ‘I’ and four letters to say ‘love’ and three letters to say ‘you.’ One hundred and forty-three.”
4. He Saved Both Public Television and the VCR
Strange but true. When the government wanted to cut Public Television funds in 1969, the relatively unknown Mister Rogers went to Washington. Almost straight out of a Capra film, his 5-6 minute testimony on how TV had the potential to give kids hope and create more productive citizens was so simple but passionate that even the most gruff politicians were charmed. While the budget should have been cut, the funding instead jumped from $9 to $22 million. Rogers also spoke to Congress, and swayed senators into voting to allow VCR’s to record television shows from the home. It was a cantankerous debate at the time, but his argument was that recording a program like his allowed working parents to sit down with their children and watch shows as a family.
5. He Might Have Been the Most Tolerant American Ever
Mister Rogers seems to have been almost exactly the same off-screen as he was onscreen. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, and a man of tremendous faith, Mister Rogers preached tolerance first. Whenever he was asked to castigate non-Christians or gays for their differing beliefs, he would instead face them and say, with sincerity, “God loves you just the way you are.” Often this provoked ire from fundamentalists.
6. He Was Genuinely Curious about Others
Mister Rogers was known as one of the toughest interviews because he’d often befriend reporters, asking them tons of questions, taking pictures of them, compiling an album for them at the end of their time together, and calling them after to check in on them and hear about their families. He wasn’t concerned with himself, and genuinely loved hearing the life stories of others. Amazingly, it wasn’t just with reporters. Once, on a fancy trip up to a PBS exec’s house, he heard the limo driver was going to wait outside for 2 hours, so he insisted the driver come in and join them (which flustered the host). On the way back, Rogers sat up front, and when he learned that they were passing the driver’s home on the way, he asked if they could stop in to meet his family. According to the driver, it was one of the best nights of his life—the house supposedly lit up when Rogers arrived, and he played jazz piano and bantered with them late into the night. Further, like with the reporters, Rogers sent him notes and kept in touch with the driver for the rest of his life.
7. He was Color-blind
Literally. He couldn’t see the color blue. Of course, he was also figuratively color-blind, as you probably guessed. As were his parents who took in a black foster child when Rogers was growing up.
8. He Could Make a Subway Car full of Strangers Sing
Once while rushing to a New York meeting, there were no cabs available, so Rogers and one of his colleagues hopped on the subway. Esquire reported that the car was filled with people, and they assumed they wouldn’t be noticed. But when the crowd spotted Rogers, they all simultaneously burst into song, chanting “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” The result made Rogers smile wide.
A few other things:
9. He got into TV because he hated TV.
The first time he turned one on, he saw people angrily throwing pies in each other’s faces. He immediately vowed to use the medium for better than that. Over the years he covered topics as varied as why kids shouldn’t be scared of a haircut, or the bathroom drain (because you won’t fit!), to divorce and war.
10. He was an Ivy League Dropout.
Rogers moved from Dartmouth to Rollins College to pursue his studies in music.
11. He composed all the songs on the show, and over 200 tunes.
12. He was a perfectionist, and disliked ad libbing.
He felt he owed it to children to make sure every word on his show was thought out.
13. Michael Keaton got his start on the show as an assistant– helping puppeteer and operate the trolley.
14. Several characters on the show are named for his family.
Queen Sara is named after Rogers’ wife, and the postman Mr. McFeely is named for his maternal grandfather who always talked to him like an adult, and reminded young Fred that he made every day special just by being himself. Sound familiar? It was the same way Mister Rogers closed every show.
15. The sweaters.
Every one of the cardigans he wore on the show had been hand-knit by his mother.
I can’t sign off with out citing: Tom Junod’s wonderful profile of Fred Rogers and his obituary for him. They are two of the most lovely pieces I’ve (re)read in a very long time. Our researcher Kara Kovalchik also deserves credit for digging them up on an internet archive located here.
Feeling Better
My life has been stressful as of late. A relative of mine whom I'm very close to has had pretty serious medical issues. Really, this has been going on for several months, but only in the last month, has the severity of the condition kicked into high gear. I share this not to exploit what's been going on in my family, but more to share my thoughts on the state of healthcare in this nation. I can sum it up in two words: it sucks. I'm not going to claim that I know all of the answers. I don't think that there is any one person out there that can fix the system. But I do know that something needs to change. Isn't there some statistic floating out there that the U.S. spends the most on healthcare but doesn't come close to the best service and care for patients? Doesn't this tell us something? From my experience, health insurance is to blame. Their prices are exorbitant. The policies are endlessly confusing about what is actually covered, who gets stuck paying what, who you can see when you need care, and when you qualify for care. And then to get a human being to answer a question and give you help through that muck, well, it's not surprising that customer support is limited. It's not right to deal with that when you're sick.
The whole point of health insurance is for the things that we can't foresee happening. It doesn't seem fair to pick and choose what is covered and what's not, what doctors can do and not do for their patients. For example, when an individual is choosing a plan/policy, they may opt for one with limited rehabilitation benefits to try to save money. Understandable. But when that poor guy ends up getting his head bashed in during an accident, after his 2 day stay in the hospital, the guy is screwed! The crappy policy he picked only covers a week or two of rehab care. If he needs more therapy, which is often the case, it has to come out of his pocket. Or take a student who has to drop below full time status due to health reasons - he will most likely lose his health insurance, and as if that's not bad enough, if he tries to get new coverage, he won't be accepted because it was a "pre-existing condition." Or look at people dealing with chronic diseases like diabetes or needing long-term treatments for cancer - those individuals (or their families) end up in a constant phone and paperwork battle with the health insurance companies to have the medical care expenses covered. The companies seem to be set up to find any loophole they can to get out of covering expenses. And this goes for poor, middle-class, and rich alike.
That's why I hated McCain's health care tax refund. In theory, that idea gives the money, and thus power, to us the consumers to choose the plans and insurance companies ourselves. But seriously, what non-crappy options are out there? What company is truly set up so that a person who has paid into the insurance pool gets any and all of the services they may need at a reasonable price? And without having to fight tooth and nail for it? That criticism being shared, I'm also not sure about Obama's national plan option. I mean, look at medicare and medicaid - parts of those plans are actually great. No really! They fund some fantastic services. But other aspects of those programs are so bogged down in red tape and regulations that I'm not sure it's better. However, I do feel that if his idea actually comes to fruition, at the very least, the presence of another option might shake up the industry. The consumers will have another option breaking down goliath companies that seem to be only concerned with the bottom line. You know, it's pretty disgusting to me that we've turned healthcare into an industry in the first place.
To me, this is an issue that must be addressed not just from an economic/monetary perspective. These are people we love needing our help. It could be you or me one day requiring a stay in the hospital, a surgery, or a prescription medication. Don't we all deserve the chance to heal and be well? In the long run, wouldn't our country work better if individuals didn't have to stress about medical bills the same way? If they didn't have to worry about seeing a doctor? I mean, stress is known to exacerbate or even cause poor health. Then if our workforce has less stress and better health, wouldn't all industries benefit? Do these thoughts make me sound kind of socialist? You know, on this issue, I'm 100% ok with that.
The whole point of health insurance is for the things that we can't foresee happening. It doesn't seem fair to pick and choose what is covered and what's not, what doctors can do and not do for their patients. For example, when an individual is choosing a plan/policy, they may opt for one with limited rehabilitation benefits to try to save money. Understandable. But when that poor guy ends up getting his head bashed in during an accident, after his 2 day stay in the hospital, the guy is screwed! The crappy policy he picked only covers a week or two of rehab care. If he needs more therapy, which is often the case, it has to come out of his pocket. Or take a student who has to drop below full time status due to health reasons - he will most likely lose his health insurance, and as if that's not bad enough, if he tries to get new coverage, he won't be accepted because it was a "pre-existing condition." Or look at people dealing with chronic diseases like diabetes or needing long-term treatments for cancer - those individuals (or their families) end up in a constant phone and paperwork battle with the health insurance companies to have the medical care expenses covered. The companies seem to be set up to find any loophole they can to get out of covering expenses. And this goes for poor, middle-class, and rich alike.
That's why I hated McCain's health care tax refund. In theory, that idea gives the money, and thus power, to us the consumers to choose the plans and insurance companies ourselves. But seriously, what non-crappy options are out there? What company is truly set up so that a person who has paid into the insurance pool gets any and all of the services they may need at a reasonable price? And without having to fight tooth and nail for it? That criticism being shared, I'm also not sure about Obama's national plan option. I mean, look at medicare and medicaid - parts of those plans are actually great. No really! They fund some fantastic services. But other aspects of those programs are so bogged down in red tape and regulations that I'm not sure it's better. However, I do feel that if his idea actually comes to fruition, at the very least, the presence of another option might shake up the industry. The consumers will have another option breaking down goliath companies that seem to be only concerned with the bottom line. You know, it's pretty disgusting to me that we've turned healthcare into an industry in the first place.
To me, this is an issue that must be addressed not just from an economic/monetary perspective. These are people we love needing our help. It could be you or me one day requiring a stay in the hospital, a surgery, or a prescription medication. Don't we all deserve the chance to heal and be well? In the long run, wouldn't our country work better if individuals didn't have to stress about medical bills the same way? If they didn't have to worry about seeing a doctor? I mean, stress is known to exacerbate or even cause poor health. Then if our workforce has less stress and better health, wouldn't all industries benefit? Do these thoughts make me sound kind of socialist? You know, on this issue, I'm 100% ok with that.
Monday, August 25, 2008
I love my country
I love my country. I'm proud of it. I'm thankful that I can call myself an American. It's been quite a while since I've felt that. No, I'm not sharing this sentiment because of all the pride from watching the Olympics. Not because a certain candidate that I'm partial to has picked a solid running mate. Not even because I just moved to our nation's capital. (Though all of these points are pretty awesome). What made me feel a swell of pride and gratitude is a group of about a half-dozen individuals standing across the street chanting and waving signs at the huge gated building next door to my building. That group is protesting because they have something they believe in and something that they need to say. I don't even have to tell you what they're protesting for that to be a beautiful and amazing phenomenon. But what makes it even more beautiful and amazing is that there are only so many places these individuals can even go to be able to have such a voice. They're supporters of Georgia, and they're protesting the Russian Federation embassy. Point blank, I know and understand very little about the situation over there, so I'm not trying to get into those politics. I'm just pointing out how wonderful and lucky we are to live in a place where a group of 10 can safely and peaceably express their opinions to a goliath. They can't do that in their own country. They sure can't do that within Russia. Yet here they stand. And here they've stood every evening since the occupation. It's our country's ideals that give them this voice. And it's those ideals that I hope our country can return to once again.
I know on a practical level, our country is a world leader because of our economic strength. Or our military prowess. Or our technological advances. But I feel like the real reason so many around the world look to our nation and have interest in our politics is because of what we represent. Hope. This place is living proof that hope for something better can result in change for the better. That people can have different ideas or different opinions and still find success. That individuals work hard when they can work to fulfill their dreams. That no one person or group has it all right. And that working together, we all see improvements in the world. It's a huge responsibility, but generally, I think we fulfill it well. And I'm immensely honored to be a part of it.
I know on a practical level, our country is a world leader because of our economic strength. Or our military prowess. Or our technological advances. But I feel like the real reason so many around the world look to our nation and have interest in our politics is because of what we represent. Hope. This place is living proof that hope for something better can result in change for the better. That people can have different ideas or different opinions and still find success. That individuals work hard when they can work to fulfill their dreams. That no one person or group has it all right. And that working together, we all see improvements in the world. It's a huge responsibility, but generally, I think we fulfill it well. And I'm immensely honored to be a part of it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)