Many people are predicting that the final days of this campaign are going to come down to which candidate can get the most negative message across about the other one. I have seen many people post comments wanting Barack Obama to get just as nasty in his attacks as McCain has been in the last weeks. I would like everyone to take a step back and remember why many of us initially became supporters of Barack Obama. The following fable pretty much outlines for me why I want to live in an America with Barack Obama as president.
Feeding Your Inner Wolf
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside everyone of us.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, conceit, sorrow, hatred, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, inferiority, lies, pride, lust, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Currently: Our Nation's Inner Wolf
It seems to me that under the Bush administration, this country has definitely been feeding the "Evil" inner wolf. And look where it has got us. Now, I'm sure many of the die-hard right-wingers would dismiss the qualities of the "Good" inner wolf as signs of weakness, especially when it comes to international relations. And, I'll admit -- I'm known in my cirlces as the ultimate Pollyana, a do-gooder who always tries to find the best in people. Many would tell you I'm just downright naive. So be it, that's me. But because of this, I will admit that I'm probably not the best candidate to become president of the United States -- i.e. I'm not tough enough. Naitivity and lack of toughness are charges that have also been leveled at Barack Obama. I would like to refute those charges. When I first became interested in Obama as a possible candidate for POTUS, I read his book, "The Audacity of Hope" and later read "Dreams from my Father." It was that book that gave me real insight to many of the experiences that shaped his values and outlook.
Obama's Inner Wolf
I think we could all agree that Obama's message of Hope and Change for this country could be construed as a way to start feeding our "Good" inner wolf. But does this mean Obama has a naive view of the world? I think not, and I cite as an example this story from his book "Dreams from my Father." I know we're not supposed to mention that Obama spent three years of his childhood in Indonesia (makes him too "exotic"), but reading his memoir about that time is most interesting. It's also not prudent to remind you that during this time he had a Muslim stepfather, Lolo, but I guess I'll risk it to tell this story.
Obama as a young child in a foreign land was having a tough time with neighborhood bullies in Indonesia. In talking with his stepfather about getting beat up, Obama asked Lolo if he had ever seen a man killed?
Excerpt from the book:
"Yes," he said.
"Was it bloody?"
"Yes."
I thought for a moment. "Why was the man killed? The one you saw?"
"Because he was weak."
"That's all?"
LoLo shrugged and rolled his pant leg back down. "That's usually enough. Men take advantage of weakness in other men. They're just like countries in that way. The strong man takes the weak man's land. He makes the weak man work in his fields. If the weak man's woman is pretty, the strong man will take her." He paused to take another sip of water, then asked, "Which would you rather be?"
I didn't answer, and Lolo squinted up at the sky. "Better to be strong," he said finally, rising to his feet. "If you can't be strong, be clever and make peace with someone who's strong. But always better to be strong yourself. Always."
I site this example to tell you one of the reasons I came to support Obama for our president. I embrace Obama's message of Hope and Change, i.e. feeding the "Good" inner wolf. But also important to me is that Obama understands that the world can be a cruel and unfair place. He has learned from life experiences and from inner insights what it means to be strong and firm in the face of "Evil".
I want a president who not only feeds his "Good" inner wolf (and by example showing us all how to do the same), but also knows how to fight the "Evil" inner wolf.
Let's Elect Barack Obama our next President of the United States!!!