Time To Put Away Childish Things

By D.T. Holt

I’ve witnessed many of those moments in history that cause us to remember where we were or the circumstances of our lives when they occurred. Richard Nixon’s resignation of the Presidency in 1974, John Hinkley Jr.’s attempt to assassinate Ronald Reagan in 1981, the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster of 1986 or more recently the impeachment of Bill Clinton and Hurricane Katrina all spring to mind. The element that all of these events have in common is that they were inherently negative moments in the history of our nation. Watching Barack Obama take the oath of office and become the 44th President of the United States, I was overwhelmed by the historical significance of the moment and overjoyed to realize that this too is a moment that will be an indelible mark in my life. Only this time, the event is positive.

There are those, mostly pundits on the far right, who seek to downplay the historical significance and positive nature of the Inauguration. Unable to put aside their political differences long enough to celebrate the image of an African/American being sworn in to the highest office in the land, they are left with nothing but bitter resentment for an election lost and a nation seemingly at odds with their political ideology. I am not expecting conservatives to forgo their ideals and embrace Obama’s political agenda, in fact I would lose respect for them if they did, but to ignore this moment or worse yet to pretend that it’s significance is being overstated to further the agenda of the so-called “liberal media” is to ignore how far we have come as a people, a nation and a democracy.

It has been less than 50 years since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. Less than 50 years have passed since the Voting Rights act of 1965 brought millions of disenfranchised black Americans equal voting rights in the South. It has been less than 60 years since Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka brought an end to the “separate but equal,” racially based segregation of our public schools. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a mere 40 years ago. It is not possible to overstate the significance of how far we have come in a relatively short span of time. To suggest that the focus of the media on the sheer magnitude of this event is somehow politically motivated is to pretend that racism no longer exists in America.

None of this is to suggest that we all should have voted for Obama because of his race or skin color. His success or failure as a President will rightly be based upon the merits of his accomplishments and he will not be a great or even good president because of the historical significance of his having been elected. Those who have pointed out that he is a relatively inexperienced newcomer on the national scene and has yet to prove himself are correct in their assessment. President Obama has before him the task of earning his place among the important leaders in our country’s history and his achievements as a community organizer, Senator and Presidential candidate do not automatically make him a great President any more than does his race.

I do believe that President Barack Obama will be a great President but not because of some knee jerk reaction to the importance of his achievements thus far. It is because he is the first leader in my memory who uses words like “us” and “we” far more often than “I” or “me.” He neither has nor pretends to have all of the answers but his single minded focus on uniting our country behind the ideal of forming that more perfect union that the Preamble of our Constitution so eloquently calls for makes him the type of leader that we need in this time of fractured politics and angry rhetoric. We have approached our government as a spectator sport and let our differences paralyze us for far too long. It’s time to move forward and, as President Obama quoted from the Bible, “put away childish things.”

“On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation. But in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”

From the Inaugural Address of President Barak Obama, January 20, 2009