PROMISE REALIZED

Due in no small part to the actions of our government, the moral and ideological stock of the United States of America has fallen greatly in the eyes of the rest of the world. The slogans of democracy ring hollow when uttered by people whose actions are incongruent with their words. In the past two days, however, events have occurred that cannot help but restore some of that lost luster to the American dream. Regardless of your partisan loyalties, the nomination last night of Barack Obama to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for the Presidency of the United States is a historic and unprecedented milestone in the annals of freedom.

As someone who immigrated to this country drawn by the promise of opportunity and personal liberty, I can appreciate better than some the impact Senator Obama’s selection is likely to have on the rest of the world. Having witnessed as recently as 1968 in public buildings the reality of separate water fountains labeled “colored” and “white” in a major American city, I cannot help but be impressed at how far we have come in making the promise of equal opportunity believable. Obviously, we still have a long way to go before that promise is fully realized, but the events we have all witnessed cannot help but provide hope not only to our own citizens, but also to those of the rest of the world. You only needed to watch the faces of those who crowded into that Denver football stadium to see the power and effect Obama’s nomination and stirring acceptance speech had on the audience, many of whom came to the convention supporting other candidates. It’s heartening to see large numbers of young people in their teens and twenties talking excitedly about politics and a national election. I have not witnessed this since the 60’s.

Today, John McCain has chosen a young woman to be his vice presidential candidate. Even if you cynically dismiss this choice as a shrewd political move to enlist the support of those women who previously championed Hilary Clinton, it nonetheless represents yet another landmark in the struggle of women to achieve equal opportunity in politics as well as the workplace. The existence of role models in influencing the choices and aspirations of our young men and women cannot be overstated.

People in our country are desperate for hope of a government that will place the needs and desires of its constituents above petty political games and personal gain. They are so thirsting for leadership, integrity and intelligence in those chosen to lead that they are actually once again considering putting aside their well-worn cynicism and disinterest in the machinery of government, and are trying to make a choice between two very different candidates, both of whom are promising a change from the way things have been. Let the lowest rungs of hell be reserved for those who betray this promise, and let the beacon of hope for all those who yearn for a better life fueled by equal opportunity grow ever brighter.

OLYMPIC DREAMS

I don’t know about you, but I’m glad the Olympics are getting ready for their grand finale. After the opening ceremonies, I’m not sure what spectacle the Chinese will create to outdo that at which we still marvel – perhaps have everyone in China stand on each other’s shoulders and juggle the planets – I just don’t know. What I do know is that I need a lot more sleep than I have been getting. All right, you say, you probably wouldn’t have stayed up past midnight to watch women’s beach volleyball if the players were wearing sweat suits, and I couldn’t totally disagree. And perhaps I watched too much of the gymnastic competition, for today when a man slipped on a water spill in the hallway, I found myself criticizing the lack of toe point during the airborne portion of his unplanned summersault.

There is undeniable beauty and grace in the efforts of these fine-tuned athletes to defy gravity, to soar with the ease of creatures of air rather than the lumbering of earth bound mortals, to move through water as though we belonged to the realm of Neptune, to glide across the earth with the swiftness of gazelles. I can’t even fathom the single-minded dedication to sport, to the elusive, and for almost all, never achieved title of “world’s best.” I’ve known two Olympic gold medal winners personally, and when I asked each, “Was it worth it?” the answer was always a resounding “Yes!” However, I never had the chance to ask the same question of anyone who trained as hard and as long, and not only did not win a medal, but never even made the team. Ultimately, the only fair competition is the one we have with ourselves. Have I improved from who I was yesterday? Have I done my best, reached my peak potential? Yet, we are hard wired to be competitive, for being so offers survival advantage, so I suspect if the Olympics hadn’t already been invented, someone would be sure the come up with the concept sooner than later.

I wish NBC’s coverage would have been a little more even handed, and we were given the opportunity to see other great athletes in events besides the ones where our own stood a competitive chance of winning. I also wish that someone who has just had their Olympic dreams crushed by a small misstep, or just by a better competitor, would respond to the leering commentator thrusting a mike in his or her face and asking. “How does it feel to lose everything you worked so hard to achieve?” respond by quietly strangling the person with the microphone cord to the cheers of the watching audience.

Finally, am I the only one who finds irony in keeping a medal count by country when winning athletes for the United States were born and raised in Russia, China, Romania, Germany, and when winning athletes from other countries lived and trained in the United States? I suspect that nationalism is far too strong to allow the performance of an athlete to stand on its own, but it’s a nice dream to have. Perhaps, even an Olympic dream.

The days of summer are flying by with the speed of wind-driven clouds. My son and his wife are spending their last weekend here before they fly back to their lives in Paris. We’re grateful for the wonderful times we had together, but like many parents, I’m already thinking of the void their absence will leave behind. At times like these, I understand better than I ever could before the longing in my family’s voice every time I left home.

My wife is an orthodontist, so it is not surprising that, because of its title, the following poem caught my eye. It serves as reminder of something I learned a long time ago: words, once said, can never be taken back. It’s better to walk away from an argument for ten minutes, allowing hot emotions to cool a bit, before hurtful things fly out of your mouth that can be forgiven, but never forgotten.

TMJ

Reflecting regrettably on

My last words with you,

I am reminded by

The clicking in my jaw,

How great pain can be

Inflicted by such a small thing,

How so much of happiness

Can hinge on the motion

Of mandible and tongue,

How so much of joy can

Depend upon seemingly

Insignificant articulation…

Whether bone or word.

C. Scott Williams