agents of change?

As the election cycle nears ever closer to that fateful day in november, politicos and patriots across the nation are reeling with excitement over their candidate picks for the 2008 presidential race. Lawyers, Senators, farmers, bankers and CEOs are all discussing who will be the best for America and who will likely succeed in taking over the White House in January. The race has boiled down (though not without some getting severely burned - Hillary) to two candidates, Senators John S. McCain and Barack H. Obama. Not dissimilar in their quest for the 1600 Pennsylvania return address label, the pair are ultimately polar opposites from their personalities to their visions for the future. America will have to choose and choose wisely, as one of these two competitors will hold the highest office in the land for the next four years.

Mr. Obama has unapologetically cast himself as an agent of change during the course of his campaign, touting himself as the hope for the future and envisioning a new direction for America. Though he has never expounded on the specifics of his rhetoric, the public seems to have accepted his self proclaimed aura, giving him the pulpit he needs to propel his political agenda. Unfortunately for the hungry American public, vagueness is starving them from gaining any substantive insight into the life and intentions of the Senator from Illinois. Thoughtful questions seem to be continuously deflected, citing bigotry as reason not to answer. Interestingly the press gives this behavior a pass, seeming quite unshaken by the bold move to leave questions unanswered. If no explanations are offered and inquiries are ignored, how will citizens know the candidate?

Just days ago, Obama supporters teeming with excitement awaited a message revealing the identity of his running mate. When the news finally came through in the early hours of a non-business day, one could hear a pin drop as America held its breath--only to be categorically unimpressed with the results. Another Senator, aged and hailing from an insignificant state (as far as electoral votes are concerned) was announced as the partner in the agents of change campaign. Not only was this race already chock full of Senators (career politicians), but it was already full enough of elderly statesmen to put it kindly. So nothing new, nothing different, no element of change was introduced to the insatiable American public. Rather, a disheartening message rang loud and clear about the young Senator Obama: “I might be young and inexperienced, but this Washington lifer will balance me out!”

This strategy worked for George W. Bush in 2000, but then again he did have gubernatorial experience and a laundry list of statewide accomplishments under his belt when he promoted Cheney as his helping hand in foreign diplomacy. Still, the move worked and America twice elected the enigmatic Bush, awarding him both the highest and the lowest approval ratings in history. Bush was not the first candidate to employ such a method. John F. Kennedy chose the elder LBJ as his running mate, giving the Kennedy camp years of state and national congressional experience. He chose wisely, easily picking up younger voters himself while gently courting the skeptical older generations. JFK, with little experience, managed to easily take the White House in what was one of the most memorable political victories in US history.

Generally, the Obama campaign has been anticlimactic. Even his win over Hillary did not garner the expected thunderous roar of excitement from anxious Americans. Newspeople are showing signs of Obama fatigue, tired of talking up an increasingly unoriginal campaign. If Senator Obama expects to woo American voters into the euphoria of his vision he must take a risk and give the public that pinnacle moment in which they realize they have been changed--transformed by the message of hope. He must elicit a climax, bringing people to the point where they need him, believing in their hearts that he is their man, their savior. Clearly the platform of change and hope catapulted Obama to unimaginable political heights, but now the honeymoon is over. Unforgiving American politics will not yield to the unconfident or the stubborn and now Obama must prove that he is neither, risking everything to be different--to be the bringer of change and hope in the future.

holding on

Recently I was catching up on my dearest Beatrice's blog where I always find something of interest, whether it be how to spell manolo blahniks or how to deal with raising two small children. Needless to say I frequently learn something I never thought I would when I enter into her unique world. I digress. My writing has once again strayed from the original point of this paragraph, which occurs quite often in my composition, causing nettlesome rewrites and ginormous revision. I suppose this is why I should follow the classic administrative assistant’s rule of striking all but the first sentence of each paragraph in any communication, so as to promote pithiness and clarity.

Back to Bee. My compatriot has a way with words which I suppose is why she has a way with people. Eloquently, she entreated me to conjure up my innermost predications concerning therapy, which is of particular interest to me as I am pursuing professional counseling as an occupation. As I read her words I had no choice but to agree with her that we all, out of practicality or desperation, should or will accomplish our own personal therapy in one way or another when conventional methods are unattainable. There is much to explore in that statement, but that is not my focus here.

As many (or most) therapists will admit, doing counseling is in its own way therapeutic. We counselors help others in a way that matches our nature. Our souls are cured as we attempt to pour into another, swelling at times with satisfaction from our loving hands. This helping profession, our own zen garden, is powerfully transforming, moving lost people toward healing and setting them on a path to psychological and spiritual health. So how do I know that I am not simply wasting thousands of dollars pursuing a career which will only comfort my troubled heart?

Like Bee says, when one cannot obtain professional therapy (whether from finances or other more terrifying reasons), he or she should strive to stave off insanity with simple diversions which are soothing in their own way. For some it is television. For others it is alcohol. For me, it is possible that education is my therapy. My solid reminder that I am not insane and that somehow my mind is still producing worth as confirmed by scholarly professors. I have spent nearly all of my life enrolled in an educational institution and I cannot imagine the day when this circumstance will cease to be. Unfortunately such bliss will come to an end and then where will I be?

I am delighted by Bee’s suggestion to grab whatever there is to hold on to in times of peril. This is a basic survival concept which many professionals fail to acknowledge in favor of some convoluted practice which will substantiate their research foci. Much of my life has been spent reaching for that shoot dangling above the quicksand. Eventually I had to take a greater risk and stretch for something bigger which ultimately plucked me from my demise. Keeping my head above water was no healing herb, but it did allow me to survive until the day of my rescue. Holding on is not easy, but if we expect to conquer doom it is the only feasible solution, as temporary as it may be.

Thanks again to Beatrice for causing me to think.

O

This past weekend was one of the greatest of my life. Someone who I love very much made it clear to me that the future is only a whisper away. Never have I presumed to think that I would be lucky enough to encounter true love, much less marriage and a family. But these things are possible. They are not hidden away, reserved only for those who have earned it.

True companionship is found in one’s unrelenting willingness to accept another, regardless of his faults. I have learned this through my own experience of being continually received by my love. No questions asked, I am embraced fully and in a heartbeat I am swept away into filial bliss. Greater happiness is unimaginable, as my love and I are exploring new roads together.

Predicting the future is fruitless, as a formidable plan is often broken by the rules of love and life. I know, however, that some bonds of friendship and love will remain indefinitely unbroken, and these are the ties that bind me to a life full of joy. A my ship sets sail I will travel with another; on the open water will our journey take us, leading us ever onward to the glorious unknown.