Is it another obsession? I don't think so. I just want to know more about this polarizing figure who gave people hope much like the way Obama has given people hope this year.
Hope seems to be in short supply. I look at pictures like this from the 1930's and realize that those poverty striken people from the depression are a lot like what I see in my life now.
Sure, we all have electronics coming out of our ears. We have nice furniture, and blankets on our beds. We can still shop the sales at stores and be dressed in fashion. But how many Americans are wondering how they will pay their heating bills this year? Look at the people applying for unemployment these last few months - so many that the states are running out of money.
I personally look at my grocery list and try to get only the basics - tortillas, bread, milk, salsa, eggs, noodles, apples. I've begun to shop for clothes at used clothing stores more and more and more. I'm still spending money trying to get ready for Christmas, but from my christmas cards to my gifts I'm making it all.
I may have nice things, but I have a lot of the same worries. Can i keep my house? Will we stay warm? Am I going to be fired from my job? How can I afford the medications I *have* to take this month?
I can let everything else go but I want to keep my dog, my journals and my art work. I would give everything up from my computer to my house to my car if I can just keep the center of my world (my dog) and my artwork/writing. Everything else is just things, but those three elements help me to stay grounded in who I am personally as a separate entity in this world.
Despite looking forward to the inaugeration of President-elect Obama, I find myself being a little cynical at the same time. I know nothing is going to be fixed over night. That would be like waking up tomorrow and seeing gold dripping off of trees - not likely to happen.
But at the same time of knowing nothing will change so quickly, I also know one must continue to cultivate hope well-watered with the virtue of patience in order to see change happen. Optimism is sometimes hard for me to hang onto, when I see the world going to hell in a handbasket with a snowball named kitten. But I shall continue to try, as I do want to see a better day before I die.
~*~
Juan Romero - An iconic image of a young man besides a fallen hero. Remembered.
One more article that drew my heart into my throat.
