God Bless America

Today is a historical day not only in American history but also in the world history. The 44th President of United States - Barack Obama, the first black American President!! I am not a politics follower but even I made the effort to sneak out of work at lunch today to watch the inauguration. The inauguration started off with an opening prayer which in my point of view was the most touching part. I especially like the part that goes "[God] Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world"and the prayer ended in saying the "Lord's prayer"



I don't know Barack Obama and what he has done before he became the president of USA, as I said, I don't follow politics and especially not the American politics. Yet, I feel touched seeing him becoming the first black American President. Can you imagine the number of black kids out there looking up to him and the hope Obama presents to these kids? Just imagine, parents telling their kids "if a black African immigrant can climb his way up to become the most powerful man on earth, you can also do it too kid, there's hope!"



I especially like Obama, not knowing what he has done or will do, base on the fact that he came from middle/ lower class family and worked his way up. He wasn't born into a "Presidential" family like George Bush, he worked hard to come to this day. He has seen people across different classes face different challenges, he doesn't take things for granted, he knows humility. I like the part of his speech that says

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

How we all need these awakening words, not just Americans. Honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism, these values are so hard to find nowadays. Are we not of a generation full of "fast tracking", "work smart, not work hard", "if someone else can do it, let them do it", "let money work for us, we don't need to work hard, that's old school".... etc. It's such sad phenomenon yet so overwhelmingly popular, it's hard to fight and stand firm on your own values. As a parent, I worry for my kids. Try as hard as I might, I cannot be sure that these "old school" values can be taught well to my children that when temptations come, they will still stand firm on these "old school" values. Even I am not sure I myself can stand firm when tempted. How glad and touched I was when I heard Obama spoke those words!! May God Bless Obama, Bless America and Bless the rest of the world through this newly inaugurated President.