It's Not About You

Those who know me know that those opening words in Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life, hold quite a bit of meaning for me. In my own personal experience, they represent a recurring lesson that I long resisted. They serve as a daily reminder to remain focused on what really matters.

Earlier posts have alluded to my growing fascination with the Democratic candidate for President, Barack Obama. I’m certain that last night’s convention speech cemented any lingering doubts I may have harbored. That surprises even me, though it probably shouldn’t, and is sure to alienate many of my closer associates who know me as a conservative Republican.

I don’t think anyone disputes that Barack Obama is a powerfully eloquent speaker. What many conclude though is that it is just fancy talk…and perhaps that will turn out to be true if and when he gets elected and fails to deliver. I’ll concede that. I’ll also concede that many of his initiatives give me pause because I’m not sure if he’ll be able to pay for them. What I won’t concede is that this country needs to be redirected…on multiple fronts. Historically, we occasionally encounter crossroads. Like Mr. Obama, I believe we are at one. I hope he is the one who can lead us to where we need to arrive.

His fancy talk resonates with me. Not because I am lulled by its promises. I believe great initiatives begin with that kind of talk, in fact, they require it. In my own experiences of trying to motivate people to be better than they believe they can be (myself included), to achieve the seemingly unachievable, to make a difference, to simply not accept what every other fiber of their being is telling them cannot be done, the essence of success can only be embodied in that kind of fancy talk. Achieving begins by doing, and doing begins by believing. Knowing the obstacles and eliminating the doubts is not the same as pretending they don’t exist. I believe solutions and improvements always exist, even when they might not necessarily be apparent. Because something is behind a wall, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Finding the way over, under, around or through the wall is the challenge. It can always be done with the right belief, determination, and perseverance.

I’m sure many of you watched Mr. Obama’s speech, as I did. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94087570
I’ve provided a link to the transcript and recommend reading it again even if you saw it, paying particular attention to the latter half of it. Some of the passages that stick out for me and illustrate what I’ve written above are:

“Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility – that’s the essence of America’s promise.”

“What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose – our sense of higher purpose. And that’s what we have to restore.”

“I know there are those that dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that’s to be expected. Because if you don’t have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don’t have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

You make a big election about small things.

And you know what – it’s worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn’t work, all it’s promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it’s best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.

I get it. … But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don’t understand is that this election has never been about me. It’s been about you.”

I offer my view not so much to influence your vote but to hopefully get you to consider alternatives to what you may have accepted as unchangeable. If you want better, than you have to demand it. Even more important, you have to believe it can be achieved and then actually participate in the efforts to achieve it.

Fancy talk? Absolutely. But I also believe. And I’m prepared to do my part in achieving an even better America.