Moral Courage

Few men are willing to brave
the disapproval of their fellows,
the censure of their colleagues,
and the wrath of their society.

Moral courage is a rarer commodity than
bravery in battle or great intelligence.

Yet, it is the one essential, vital quality
for those who seek to change the world
which yield most painfully to change.

~Robert F. Kennedy
1966 speech

Of Note: Individual moral courage is a humble act that may not make the headlines. It is often apolitical and asymmetrical and doesn't always provide a story that impresses the presses. But a movement of moral courage is afoot. An observer can tell that change is happening at many different levels led by courageous visionaries, who often sacrifice their reputations to put forward truth. Even more impressive, however, is the beginning of an even larger surge--that of massed moral courage. I dare say that Bobby Kennedy would not even recognize today's world where a free populace has elected a black President. Or a place where corporations are vying to be the greenest. Or a place where many of the richest people on the planet are giving away their wealth to the poorest. Massed moral courage is power. Get its energy going in the same direction, and the world could change overnight.

Today's Weather Report: At 50 some degrees Fahrenheit, spring has officially arrived! Someone forgot to tell our frozen lake, however. My husband said you could probably still walk across it although he's not about to try. In past years, the lake has been open water by now. It looks like all those sub-sub-zero winter days are having their effect even now. See that little deer in the photo above? It's not real but a good fake, especially at a distance. Marie took this mellow shot at the Dallas Arboretum a few weeks ago. Down in Texas they never have to worry about frozen lakes.

Watch For Change Snippet: I've been watching this presidency as it unfolds and noticed a trend. Seemed that the masses were being manipulated intentionally. As it turns out, I was right. TIME magazine ran a recent article "How Obama is Using the Science of Change." The subheading read: "It's more than a campaign slogan. Inside the White House's plan to employ behavioral economics to promote its agenda--and fundamentally alter the way Americans live." The military and others have been using these techniques for years, think Hitler. But, finally, someone has figured out how to use mass psychology on a grand scale for potential good. This timely article points out that the administration is full of renowned behavioral scientists from Harvard, Princeton and the University of Chicago, who are intent on inculcating the science of influence into national policy. Based on sound research, they know what gets folks to change, and it's not too hard really--make it clear, easy, popular and, if all else fails, mandatory.

Unsurprisingly, popularity is one of the biggest people movers. If someone else is doing it, so will we. President Obama used that potent psychological change agent much to his advantage during his campaign. It was so simple, but more importantly, effective. Others have noticed. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, for example, is spending millions to develop TV scripts that promote health and education and recently funded the writing of an ER episode that featured the return of George Clooney. The foundation promises to invest even more money influencing popular culture on such stations as MTV and VH1. So should we be fearful of this manipulation? Probably not, because it is nothing new. What is new is that we are hearing about it in the popular press. It just makes the "watching" more interesting to see if knowing we are being influenced makes a difference in the outcome.

Illusion of Knowledge

THE GREATEST OBSTACLE TO
DISCOVERY IS NOT IGNORANCE--
IT IS THE ILLUSION OF KNOWLEDGE.

~Daniel J. Boorstin

Of Note: Mr. Boorstin was a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian. He obviously knew that those who consciously get in the way of true knowledge are more dangerous than the ignorant. The situation is usually dictated by two interconnected forces: politics and money. John Q. Public might be surprised to discover that science, for example, is not particularly interested in the pursuit of Truth. What it comes down to these days is pursuit of dollars usually from the government--directly or indirectly through universities or industry. Either way the result is the same--either tow the party line or funding is withheld. One of the current hot issues is climate change. Like any complex scientific question, a vigorous scientific debate is justified and should be expected with money funding both sides. The opposite is happening, however. Yesterday, a radio news report described many situations when scientists with legitimate disagreements about the current state of the climate were being shunned. What we have then, it seems, is faith-based science bordering on a religion--which is to say we have no science at all.

Today's Weather Report: More beautiful sunshine graces the sky. Couldn't ask for a nicer day in the twenties. According to the local electrician working at the barn, a few inches of snow will fall tonight and tomorrow, and after that we have to brace for another cold snap. 20 below zero Fahrenheit is the predication for the coming weekend! We had hoped the extreme cold was behind us, apparently not. My sister, Marie, snapped this unfurling Datura flower last summer. Isn't it elegant in its symmetrical simplicity?

Watch For Change Snippet: There may be argument that the world would benefit from a open-minded debate on climate change and other scientific matters, but there is no argument that mercury has been poisoning the seas for a long, long time. 6,000 tons of mercury settle in the oceans each year from many sources including chemical production, small scale mining and coal-fired power plants. From the oceans, the mercury climbs the food chain until ultimately reaching humans, where even small amounts can be poisonous. Children are particularly susceptible. Thus, it was refreshing when President Obama reversed the previous administration's opposition to an international legal agreement on mercury. The welcomed change was presented this week at the global conference of environmental ministers in Nairobi, Kenya. The United States will work with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) to help countries reduce their mercury use, clean up contaminated sites and find environmentally sound ways to store mercury.

Super Tuesday Redux

In case you've missed it, we are in the midst of an election year. Because there has been little enlightened on the campaign trail--except Obama's electric elocution--the subject of Presidential hopefuls has not often graced these pages. However, Super Tuesday brought all the political pundits out en masse. As a collective, they gathered too much information about too little, with plenty to keep the 24 hours news merrily circulating. Having said that, these gems did stand out:

1. The fact that we have the first global candidate ever in Barack Obama has enlivened the coverage of this campaign overseas and gotten many more interested in our political process. We noted in a previous blog that Barack has very proud Kenyan relatives. Now his Irish cousins on his mother's side are speaking up as well with a hardy drink at the pub. Barack did not return phone calls to admit or deny these assertions, but I'm sure he wishes they could vote.

2. Speaking of overseas, the Brits have taken a liking to Barack as well, particularly David Cameron, head of Britain's Conservative Party. Yes, that's the CONSERVATIVE party. Mr. Cameron speaks, like we have, of how inspiring are Barack's oratory skills: "I'm enjoying watching Barack Obama. I think he's a brilliant speaker; I think his optimism and sense of hope for the future is inspiring a lot of people. It's great to see." The WSJ goes on to say that "a person close to Mr. Cameron said he is watching the US election 'closely,' and that it is Sen. Obama's meteoric rise that has most impressed him." Him and Hillary both.

2. The Democratic Convention is in Denver this year and to celebrate the event JW Marriott at Cherry Creek is offering two packages commemorating the contenders through August. Listen up, you might not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime offering: "Guests choosing the Hillary Clinton Package start the morning with a speed walk through Cherry Creek North and Denver Country Club neighborhoods. Guests receive a $50 Cherry Creek North gift card and a chocolate treat at turn-down--one of Mrs. Clinton's self-professed guilty pleasures. Prices start at $249 per night, not including tax." We won't ask what one of Bill's guilty pleasures might be, but then he's not running, is he(?)

Now, if you are of the Barack persuasion, here's what the Barack Obama Package has to offer: "Two guest passes to the Denver Athletic Club and dinner at the Prime 121 steakhouse. Then it's back to your room for a viewing of 'Lawrence of Arabia,' one of Mr. Obama's favorite movies. Prices start at $299 per night, not including tax and gratuity." Both obviously include a room, in this case a deluxe model, whatever that means. One might think that for the prices charged and the lame accouterments provided, appearances by the candidates would be in order. In lieu of that, but in distant second place, I suppose the staff could situate an autographed picture of Hillary or Barack on your pillow with the turn-down service. Sweet dreams.

3. On that same note, the Horseshoe Bay Resort in the Texas Hill Country is offering a package to celebrate President's Day later this month as well as the elections. For only $149 a night from February 14th through 19th, you get a one bedroom luxury villa. That's all. But in order to get this discounted rate, there is a catch: to qualify, guests must have the same last name as one of the U.S. Presidents or 2008 Presidential hopefuls. The management must be expecting a run on the place because the offer was just announced yesterday in the WSJ. So, how many Huckabee's do you think will be calling? Or, I was thinking, with all the money Ron Paul has in his campaign fund and no place to spend it, he might just take the resort up on the offer himself. No one could argue that he has the same last name as a 2008 Presidential hopeful.

4. Angela Merkel, the Prime Minister of Germany, took WSJ to task for calling her Ms. instead of Mrs. It is reported that she wanted the same treatment given to Hillary Clinton by the newspaper, which was more than happy to comply. We will have to keep an eye out to see if all reports on Mrs. Clinton call her, well, Mrs. Clinton. Used to be Ms. was hip, but that must have changed when I had my back turned.

5. On the eve of Super Tuesday, the WSJ informed its readers that Mrs. Clinton got emotional again when speaking to female voters at Yale University where she went to law school. While talking about health care, she is quoted as saying, "Well, I said I would not tear up. Already we're not exactly on that path." The next day the Yale Daily News endorsed her opponent. I guess sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

6. In the better late than never category, President Bush announced his administration's intentions to save 480 trees by e-publishing the 4-volume, 2,000 page, $3 trillion federal budget. It will be available free on line for the first time. According to the OMB and reported in WSJ, "The change is expected to drive down demand for hard copies, sparing an estimated 20 tons of paper, or 480 trees, and saving tax payers about $1 million over five years." (Actually, giving credit where credit is due, this administration has been adamant in requiring a change-over to electronic submission of material relating to it. So, for those readers who think nothing good has come out of DC in the last 8 years, this enlightened initiative has received little fanfare but has pushed the government into the 21st century electronically and probably saved millions of trees in the process.)

And finally, before we leave this covey of politicians behind, I would like to send them a few words of advice: take the high road, OK? Self-deprecating humor is so much more flattering than ad hominem diatribes about the other guy or gal, as the case may be. Besides that, the world may be getting to be a better place to live, as recounted in The Economist on January 26th:

"The number of very poor people in the world is falling fast. Some 135 million people emerged from destitution between 1999 and 2004 a 'stunning' sign of progress that owes much to the growing control of people in developing nations have over their own fertility. There have been huge gains in access to public services such as clean water and corresponding improvements in child-mortality rates. These advances can also be attributed to economic growth, which has been spread fairly evenly across the globe. There are twice the number of fast-growing countries today than there were from 1980 to 2000. Living standards are getting a boost from another development--a decline in wars and in deaths from violence. While terrible violence persists in such places as Sudan, Congo and in parts of the Middle East, the overall toll is dropping" (WSJ, 1-26/27-08.)

The magazine concludes that the pervading sense of doom is overwrought. So, candidates listen up. Negativity has a price, particularly when used to illustrate views that are less than truthful for political gain. Stay positive and truthful. So far, we have exactly one candidate who even comes close to that. Would anyone like to join him?

Of note: Marie Huffman contributed the beautiful sunset picture at the beginning of this blog. Thank you!

Today's Weather Report: 20 degrees and lightly snowing in the morning even with the sun shining. The sun was glorious to see. Terrible tornadoes ripped through the South last evening and Racine expects 18 inches of snow today.

Sunday Confessions on Monday, Part III

Last night when I should have been sleeping, I was pulled into watching a special on George W. Bush--yes, our President. I didn't want to stay up and watch, but was drawn to look again at this man many love to hate. Actually, I was kind of mesmerized by the whole thing (maybe it was the aftermath of a day in the all too elusive northern Wisconsin sun.) Here sat a man who surprisingly was very comfortable in his own skin, even having made decisions that have put many lives in harm's way. Given all the tough decisions he has had to make and the fact he looks twenty years older, the President still described his life as joyous. That was his choice of words, joyous. Now, that was amazing to hear.

I have to confess, I've always liked George W, much to the chagrin of many around me. But lately, as the spotlight has been drawn to future Presidential hopefuls, I haven't thought much about the man. Frankly, he seemed to have lost his edge in his second term. See, as a rebel in my own family, I never found it hard to relate to what many would call the dark side of the President--he was a risk-taker, knew what he wanted, and pursued it with a vengeance--my kind of man. No one would ever call him a wimp. But, on the other hand, George W, as a man of unwaivering values and principles, was a refreshing contrast to his immediate predecessor. In the hot spot that all our Presidents are placed, the dark and light sides are glaringly visible, and it appears that the audience takes great delight in denouncing or negatively speculating with utter abandon. It is as if the judging audience has no dark and light sides of their own, or at least ones to which they want to admit. But I digress, back to my confessions. . .

I never could see in George W the malignant arrogance and swagger that invited so much antipathy from others; rather, I found those characteristics rather charming in a Texan sort of way. Texans can be an independent breed, and he has been a prime exemplar of that don't-get-in-my-way attitude. Having grown up in Texas, this genre of politicians was not out of the ordinary. The fact he wore his religion on his sleeve was a bit off-putting, but, hey, I've seen worse. I was raised as a Catholic in Texas where Southern Baptists and other evangelicals don't apologized for their proselytizing, nor will they ever. To them it is the fastest ticket to heaven. At least, unlike the terrorists, they are not take innocents with them on the ride.

But last night even with all that admiration in the past, I tried ever so hard to be an Observer, even if only in training, and see if I could stay neutral about the man while viewing his pros and cons from a distance. Frankly, I was unsuccessful. The folksy portrayal left me liking him even more. Who couldn't like someone who takes no "small balls moves." Never heard that phrase before, but it fits the sitting President well, don't you think? Who couldn't like someone who over and over again says he believes that liberty is God given to every man, woman and child on the planet, and judges all of his political actions against it. This idealism is reminiscent of that emanating from the speeches of Barack Obama, that have been glowingly covered in this blog. He too speaks of freedom and liberty and hope. Although many would consider putting the two men in the same sentence heresy, there is really no reason for that. Good men come in many flavors, and I'm not talking about race.

In the end, President Bush said he would let history be the judge of his actions and cared little about his present low approval ratings. He often referred to Lincoln, who as a war time President was not terribly popular. An anecdote from the Special was telling: the President said that the Gettysburg Address, one of the greatest freedom documents of all time, was derided by the press during Lincoln's lifetime. Whats more, Lincoln went to his untimely death without a clue that the Gettysburg Address would be one of his famous legacies. Because of his felt kinship with the 16th President, the 43rd spends much time in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House gathering inspiration and fortitude. Those interested in numerology might find it interesting that 16 and 43 each equal 7. According to many, 7 is the numerical basis of the universe and this could prove to be an auspicious sign for Bush. Or maybe not.

So how will history judge this beleaguered President? At the end of the TV special, a thought came to me about creating a time capsule of this TV special plus a few other memorabilia of the time period to store away for 20 years. By then, we should know whether historians have judged the President a success, as I would speculate, or a failure, as many others would guess.

If any readers would like to add to this time capsule, please feel free to contribute. I will close the capsule on February 27, 2008--my birthday--with instructions for its opening on February 27, 2028. If I am not around on the physical plane that day, know that I'll be watching from a distance (Observers don't change their stripes on the other side.) If that is the case and whatever the outcome, I will ask that my descendants have a glass of wine and toast that crazy lady who actually liked George W. Bush--and she wasn't even a Republican, only an Observer-in-training.

Note: The Fox News Special, George W. Bush, Fighting to the Finish can be purchased from Amazon.com for anyone with a burning desire to see and hear history in the making.

Ponderings

The nuns in grade school would be proud that I have finally mastered the dictionary. As a matter of fact, the word missal has become a part of me, like an appendage, and I troll it whenever a new word pops up. Sometimes even an old word is dissected and information is gleaned about its origins. Three years of Latin in high school certainly has given me a leg up on tracking down the core meaning of words. . .and Jim's Latin dictionary doesn't hurt either. Yes, Jim owns a Latin Dictionary and a couple of German ones, too. You could say we are both word junkies.

Because of my passion for words and creating new words when the right one isn't available, it has become necessary to create a whole new dictionary. After all, there's no reason that Webster should continue to have a corner on the market. Thus, Susan's Brand New Word Dictionary is being created right now, right here on this blog. Here's the first entry:

ponderings (n.) (1) seemingly random seed ideas or thoughts that may or may not be ultimately true or useful and may spur action, or not as the case may be; (2) the waves created when a rock is thrown into a pool of water.

Used in a sentence (the nuns would insist): Saturday night I hunkered down with two WSJ's and a TIME in anticipation of uncovering those ponderings that have not been elevated to trends, but are worth watching, none-the-less. Ponderings are more fun, in a sense, because the reader can consider the matter with as many brain cells as available at the moment. There is no push to think too deeply--but, that is OK too, if desired. The freedom of contemplating, or not contemplating, ponderings opens the brain and let's the sun shine in.

Pondering One: A new word is emerging that is an offshoot of the green movement--biomimicry, literally "imitating life." What it means practically is taking those great fractal shapes--you know the ones from whirling sunflower seeds, sea urchins, serrated owl's wings--and creating household items that are appealing to the eye and, in fact, many times improve the performance of an already existing product. A good example is a new building in Zimbabwe that looks like a termite mound in order to vent heat better. Other newly emerging words are biomorphism (resembling a living organism, a tooth stool that resembles a molar,) biophila (love of living things, a wall made of plants) and biotechnology (technology based on biology, biodegradable plastic based on bacteria.) Someone with a better sense of humor than I could most likely make up other pithy words along these lines. Feel free to send me those for posting in the New Word Dictionary. In a year or two's time, we could have quite a collection.

Pondering Two: The latest best pick-up spot is the Home Depot. Why? The Home Depot has introduced a "Do It Herself" class to teach woman how to do such things as using a stud finder. Men have figured this out and dally in the isles following the classes. (Beats meeting in the bars, don't you think?) The WSJ further reports that the Girl Scouts now offer a Ms. Fix-It Badge for "members eager to learn how to wire a lamp or fix a leaky toilet." I think the real reason is that these young women have been conversing with the older gals in the "Do It Herself" classes and want to get a head start. It's never too early to learn the skill of using power tools wisely, wouldn't you agree?

Pondering Three: The Swedes are the kings of pirated technology. I thought that crown went to the Chinese, but no, it's those smart Scandinavians who have too much time on their hands during those long, cold winters. However, at the insistence of the US, Swedish authorities recently raided the offices of the greatest perpetrator, an outfit called The Pirate Bay, and are hauling them into court. The pirates are not worried. They believe that pirating cannot be legally stopped because it's so widespread, but have taken measures to move their servers out of Sweden, just in case. A majority of Swedes believe that pirating is fair game and an inevitable outcome of the World Wide Web. So, will the current rule of law prevail, or will a new rule emerge that includes sharing without cost?

Pondering Four: Scientists have figured out a way to create stem-cell lines without killing an embryo. How do they do that? These smarties take out one cell of an embryo's first eight to create the stem-cells, which can be theoretically remanufactured into any kind of cell imaginable. However, the scientists don't know if this extraction process damages the remaining seven-celled embryo in any way. Seems to me that they ought to settle that question before announcing this as a big breakthrough, or we'll be right back to where we started. Or am I missing something?

Pondering Five: Poachers may be out of the abalone business because they have taken most of the catch. These criminals are pretty smart guys; the more they take, the higher the price goes, and the more they take. Humans are pretty wiley animals themselves, however, and have devised methods to subvert the subverters. In the case of abalone, the tasty crustaceans are now being farm raised all over the world--and are more tender and taste better than their poached counterparts. Thus, the price of abalone has dropped precipitously, leaving the poachers holding the bag. The abalone may now get a chance to regenerate in the wild without the criminal pilfering. Could this model be extrapolated to other criminal activities, such as diamond trafficking or drug dealing? Maybe the lighted use of the mind--coupled with good old fashioned capitalist ingenuity--could prevail over activities meant to hoard wealth into the coffers of a chosen few in ways that circumvent the law.

Pondering Six: Kofi Annan, the past Secretary General of the UN, will be the next mediator to try his hand at fixing the Kenyan election mess. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who I mentioned on this blog last week, has had little luck in the matter. Nor has Barack Obama, who is half Kenyan and was called in by Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice to intervene. Nor has anyone else even though the political pressure to do so has been great. Maybe they will all fail in this round. Turns out, that although the current President espoused democracy and was supposedly a shining African example of such, economic inequality ran deep and cut along tribal lines (42 tribes = 42 lines.) Therefore, a allegedly stolen election exploded the democracy myth and the country went up in flames with it. What is the answer for Kenya and the rest of Africa? Jeffrey Sacks thinks he has some ideas, and they rest on accountability and real economic improvement for the masses. When I read his book, it didn't seem like rocket science. Only thing is, the ins will have to give up on their insatiable greed and share the fruits of the labor with the outs. Just makes sense to me, how about you? To read more about Sacks' ideas, turn to his book The End of Poverty: The Economic Possibilities of Our Time. If that doesn't sate your appetite, try The Mystery Of Capital by Hernando DeSoto or Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen, a Nobel Laureate in Economics. That should seed your own ponderings for a long time to come--at least on this subject.

Pondering Seven: You might think I have a thing for Barack, and I do in a way. He is undoubtedly the most interesting politician we have had to look at in some time, probably in my lifetime of 50+ years. Mind you, my observations will not necessarily translate into a vote, but looking at the changes his popularity creates is fodder for all sort of ponderings. This current one, number seven, reflects some pundit's comments that go like this: with the ascendancy of Barack to his place in history--even if it is just giving Hillary a run for her money, folks like the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton will no longer be able to capitalize on their proxy victim roles. Although that may speak truthfully about a purely American phenomenon, I would add that Barack's example could give hope to blacks worldwide. This thought came to me after seeing an interview of Barack's uncle from his humble home in Kenya. The reporter asked the uncle how Barack's presidential race made him feel. The man used the words "pride" and "honor to the family" but his beaming face said it all. How many times have we had a Presidential race when foreign-born relatives are watching the outcome with as much expectancy as the rest of us? How many times have these relatives been black? Thus, Barack, whether he wins the Democratic nomination or not, has changed our grandkid's history books for good. They will now read that America went from segregation to a run for the Presidency without using the race card in the short span of fifty years. What is fact now could not even have been imagined a year ago and that speaks volumes about the evolution of the United States.

And finally, Pondering Eight: Diapers-Go-Green was an announcement in this week's TIME magazine (1-21-08, p. 57.) My two kids were raised on clothe diapers, the ones that had to be swished in the toilet, so I read this with interest. Certainly, modern moms would not go back to that obnoxious toilet routine, I thought. Well, I was right and wrong. Modern moms may give up the 27.4 billion disposable diapers that get transported annually to landfills, but they will now be serviced by diaper companies or new improved clothe diapers. These new contrivances have pockets for disposable pads and elastic bands around the legs to keep in the wet and goo, just like the environmentally unfriendly models. My question, what will be next? Tampons, after all women used to use clothe, or toilet paper? Cloth, anyone?

This line of speculation could head straight to the toilet fast, so we will say, "Good evening, and it will be on to more enlightened topics when we return."

If Consciousness Could Talk

Much has been written about the subject of consciousness lately. Indeed, this blog has already covered it a time or two when reporting on the findings in the groundbreaking book The Intention Experiment, by Lynne McTaggart. Some even believe that in the next twenty years, the soul will be put forth as fact by the scientific community, though that is hard to comprehend at this time.

Arnold Ward in an article entitled "Connected Consciousness" (The Beacon magazine, January - March 2008) explains in layman's terms what a mystic scientist might say about the matter.

"Visualize, if you will, that first instance of the beginning of the universe. The Big Bang of the astronomer is the release of a wave of consciousness which is, in its essence, a stream of particles of energy, the quantum world of the present-day physicist. . .When that first emanation of consciousness began, it contained within itself many layers from the extremely high vibration of the purest form down through the layers to the lowest vibration. "

Couple this thought with Ward's quote from David Wilcock's book Science as Oneness:

"Indeed, this new 'physics of the 21st century' tells us that the very building blocks of mass, the atoms and molecules themselves, are not particles at all. Instead, they are ultimately nothing more than spherical whirlpools of energy in this flowing river of aether. And the aether itself provides the most tangible, scientific way to define, explain and even engineer the Mind of God."

And what do we have, but a possible scientific definition of consciousness that may lead us one day to acknowledging the soul as a fact. On that day, if Consciousness were an entity and could talk, it might declare:

"Ah, you mortals, it is not looking but seeing that counts. I have been here all along waiting for the day you recognize my existence--not for my own sake, mind you, but yours. Indeed, I am the Mind of God, aka the Soul, and have guided you from time immemorial and welcome your entrance into Reality. Congratulations to the scientists who have long been ahead of religion in uncovering my Being! This is a great day for humanity!"

A great day indeed and one worth watching for with our eyes wide open.

On another note, I thought that the current political scene in the United States would not be fodder for this blog on enlightened change because up until last week, the situation seemed stagnant, adversarial and quite unenlightening. With great surprise, then, did Barack Obama present an acceptance speech following his win of the Iowa caucus that caused goosebumps to run down my spine. For whatever reason, I felt that this was a defining moment in history. David Brooks writing for the New York Times said the following day:

"This is a huge moment. It's one of those times when a movement that seemed ethereal and idealistic became a reality and took on political substance. Obama has achieved something remarkable. At first blush, his speeches are abstract, secular sermons of personal uplift--filled with disquisitions on the nature of hope and the contours of change. . ."

And what did Barack say of change during his campaign in Iowa? Little of substance, I thought. Thus, many, myself included, relegated him to the category of nice guy, but a young idealist not yet ready to lead the country. My attitude changed after listening to his moving acceptance speech. I can now understand why Iowans came out in huge numbers to caucus for the man. While the speech is too long to include here in its entirety, I would encourage the reader to read the speech at www.barackobama.com. With the advent of this transcendent speech, we may be seeing the beginning of a surprising enlightened trend of national healing, and, yes, maybe even unity:

"You know, you said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose. But on this January night--at this defining moment in history--you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. . .In lines that stretched around schools and churches; in small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come."

If that's the kind of change this idealist is looking to bring, he may indeed carry the day in November. Why? Because the crises created by the separatists in Washington and elsewhere have possibly produced an opening for lighted change. We will see if the time is right for the emergence of a new national attitude of cooperation and collaboration led by a potential inspired visionary. A wise man once said:

"Let love be the keynote in all relationships, for the power which must salvage the world is the precipitation of love and how shall that find its way onto the physical plane save through the group whose ears are attuned to its imminent emergence, and through the lives of those in the group who are irradiated by love itself?" (The Externalization of the Hierarchy, A. Bailey, pp. 333-34.)

Thus, if Barack's motives are pure, he may indeed get the chance to prove himself as an enlightened world leader. We will watch with great interest.