The Tyranny of Hopelessness

I had a hard time deciding what to write about today. I was frustrated by President Obama’s speeches last week that seemed to sell out the American people. It shouldn’t have surprised me. His autobiography states:

“To avoid being mistaken for a sellout, I chose my friends carefully. The more politically active black students. The foreign students. The Chicanos. The Marxist professors and structural feminists and punk-rock performance poets. We smoked cigarettes and wore leather jackets. At night, in the dorms, we discussed neocolonialism, Franz Fanon, Eurocentrism, and patriarchy. When we ground out our cigarettes in the hallway carpet or set our stereos so loud that the walls began to shake, we were resisting bourgeois society's stifling constraints. We weren't indifferent or careless or insecure. We were alienated.”

But I had hoped that as President of the United States, he would be proud enough to defend his country rather than pandering to the European anti-Americanism. I was sorely disappointed and left feeling betrayed.

I was also very disturbed, along with the rest of the country, by the events of this weekend. There have been three massacres in three days. In one of them, the perpetrator was the father of the victims. I simply do not understand how things like this are possible. I do not even want to think about the situation yesterday with North Korea's missiles.

As I thought over the current events, I revisited my promise to make my messages positive and empowering. So here’s today’s message: It’s very easy to see the bad things that are happening and loose perspective on what really matters. Each of the murderers, and even President Obama, is just one person. Their capacity to do evil is no greater than your capacity to do good. Of course, the effects of your actions will probably not be broadcast across the world media, but it will be noted and it will make a difference.

Every day this week, I am going to share a story of someone who has made a difference to me. I can’t promise to leave out my traditional political commentary, but it will be as positive as I can make it. I would love to hear some of your stories as well. The fight we are engaged in is a fight, so it will sometimes be discouraging. But I know what amazing people we have on our side.

Okay...Okay...It was all very serious for a while. But! You must watch this video. Seriously! VERY FUNNY STUFF!