Hope is not a strategy (although “unconditional love” might be).

Our home school history curriculum was predetermined today. We watched the inauguration along with millions of others. I want to assure you that my comments in this blog are not a political statement. In fact, if you don’t know me, I am hoping that when you finish reading this, you will not know my political affiliation. It is irrelevant to this discussion.

I began writing this blog last night, before the historic event, because with all the negativity in the country, I wanted to really think about what to say to my children during the ceremony this morning. Obama won the election on his “ticket of hope”, although hope alone does not a strategy make. The challenges of this next presidency will require a serious shift in thoughts and actions by the policy makers and the American people. As the founders of our country faced almost insurmountable challenges, so too, are we venturing into uncharted waters. There are many parallels and many differences.

In our leadership class this week, we are beginning our study of “unconditional love” towards self and the greater good. Last night, I pondered the question of how the events of this inauguration relate to the concept of unconditional love. We hear (ad nauseum) from politicians on both sides, a cry to “put partisanship aside”. I wonder if they are a bit “off” on this strategy. Maybe the principle of unconditional love, (while it sounds a little “fluffy” for a country as powerful as ours), might be a better strategy.

I came to my conclusion by rehearsing what to tell my children must now take place in order to create real, positive and lasting change in our country. We discussed this today after the inauguration. We played out both sides and considered what must happen on a spiritual and practical level in order to move the country forward.

If Obama was your man, it will do the country no service to spend the next four to eight years staring into the wake of the past. Assigning blame to the Bush administration will only serve to chip away at any positive progress that could be made. The past is to be acknowledged, but we cannot afford to “live there”. We are not our past. We are who we are becoming as individuals and as a nation. I was thankful today to hear these words from President Obama…“we are all suffering from our collective failures to make hard choices”. My interpretation of this statement was that he is willing to assign collective responsibility to the current state of affairs and move beyond, for we are all co-creators of this crisis. I hope that will be the case.

If McCain was your man, it does the country no service to sabotage, withhold, or to begrudge the new President. There are no “justified resentments” and we must remain open-minded to all possibilities and while being attached to nothing. I paraphrase a famous quote… “The same level of thinking that got us where we are today, will not take us to where we need to be tomorrow”. I believe sending out unconditional love, support, and maintaining a state of open-mindedness are the best practices to adopt. I commend the Bush family for making this their priority during the transition of power. It was admirable!

It was truly an historic event today--one that our country will memorialize forever. It meant something different to almost everyone. As Americans, we must stand firmly in the present, reverent to the past, and committed to creating our ideal future.

We must use our heads AND our hearts to manifest our destiny!