I understand, the stakes couldn't be higher. After all, the future of America, even the world, is on the line this November. The contrasts are stark and the differences couldn't be clearer. Americans have a choice and there is the fear that, once again, they will make the wrong choice. I understand. What I don't understand is how that translates into gloom and doom for some of us, rather than the urge to fight like hell.
It is time to confidently stride into that battle, not to become complacent, nor to waver in the face of heated opposition. Time is growing short. They want us to fear, but I say we fight. We knew they would grasp power tightly and never yield without ferocity. We represent the end of their privileged reign. They will be rabid, vicious, to the bitter end and the last gasp they will strike out at the threat to their power. The true believers will be even more desperate. Senator Obama anticipated this.
A lifetime of adversity has taught me one surety; if you give up, it really is over. There's no way to recover from that. But if you dig in, if you fight for all you are worth, if you are tenacious, if you get back up when you are knocked down, if you stand up when you are tired, if you keep on keeping on, ultimately, you get a better result than you might have expected. At least you know you gave it all you had and can hold your head high. I believe that Senator Obama knows this too.
Adversity: 1. adverse fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress: A friend will show his or her true colors in times of adversity.
2. an adverse or unfortunate event or circumstance: You will meet many adversities in life.
You cannot tell me that Senator Obama has not felt the weight of adversity, the feeling, at times, that he cannot win. This is a bi-racial man born in 1961 in America. He is intimately acquainted with adversity. He is still standing, he is still fighting, with calm dignity and grace. The man has had his character, his race, his spouse, his children, his parents, his commitment, his work, and his entire life called into question and made the butt of slurs. He has stood alone in the face of a wave of hate, mimicry, and cacophony of voices calling for him to be brought down. And if he has faltered, we have not seen it. He has stood resolute and asked only that if we believe in his work, we stand beside him. I see the abuse this man has suffered and then I see that beaming smile. I have no doubts that he has endured moments of despair, tears, even a desire to walk away, but he sets them aside and fights onward, no matter how enormous the odds. That is the character of this man and one of the reasons I admire him so.
Dignity: bearing, conduct, or speech indicative of self-respect or appreciation of the formality or gravity of an occasion or situation.
I do not believe he does these things solely for himself or his family. He has risen from the hard-scrabble life so many Americans are suffering by his own efforts. He has secured the financial future of his own family with his best-selling books and a sterling education. I see his efforts to improve his community, his nation, and I know he endures these slights for those of us not so blessed. He wants America to realize and become her better self, for his children, for all of us. If he can withstand this onslaught for us, retaining that warm, gracious smile, remaining fiercely devoted to his principles, cannot we do the same on his behalf?
Character: 3. moral or ethical quality: a man of fine, honorable character.
4. qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity: It takes character to face up to a bully.
I'm sure Sen. Obama has had moments of rage and wanted to defend his precious family by screaming boldly, perhaps obscenely, at their maligners. The momentary satisfaction would cost him dearly and he is wise enough to employ restraint. I'm confident that he has felt frustration, grief, and fury in the face of the obscene cruelties and racism that have been thrust at them. Yet the character of this man is such that he labors forward and fights upward. What a role model for our children, for his supporters, for us! As they come at us with all the sleazy tricks, the smears, the cut-throat tactics and slams, I prefer we emulate this man's character and smile calmly, holding the truth as our shield, and struggle upward against this tide of ignorance, indifference, and chicanary. Let us follow the model of our standard bearer, the dignity, the grace, the character, lest we break against the tide, or worse, become akin to the swill which we are fighting against. He asks no more of us than he is willing to give of himself. He asks only that if we agree with his goals, that we stand beside him, fight for what we deserve, while they heap the revilement and cruelty upon the Obamas.
Tenacious: holding together; cohesive; not easily pulled asunder; tough.
So please, don't despair, volunteer with the campaign, go to his web site and get involved, donate, talk to at least one person a day armed with the facts, but fight. Employ your calm dignity, be tenacious, resourceful, beat down despair in the face of hate, follow the man's example. Wrap yourself in the mantle of the man's character and fight like hell. We are worth it. We are armed with the truth, the facts, and we are on the side of justice. Our future is worth it.
Resolute: firmly resolved or determined; set in purpose.
The stakes are too high to do anything else. Our economy is tattered. Our neighbors and families are losing their homes, their jobs, their health. Our children are dying on battlefields. Our planet is writhing in toxins of our making. Torture. Habeas corpus. Our Constitution. Our global reputation. These are but a few of the components of the crisis we are finding ourselves enmeshed in. Senator Obama thinks they are worth fighting for. I do too. Do you?