Spirit in the Village

Creating Work Life Balance - Part 1 - Global Balance

Posted by Kevin Boon. Follow me on Twitter.

There are a growing number of thinkers, leaders and visionaries who are looking for ways to improve the quality of life for people around the world. As the first in a series of articles on work life balance one might wonder why I put global balance at the beginning. My reason is simple; creating balance at a global level lets us see the bigger picture. If we see the bigger picture then our ability to create balance in other areas becomes easier.

Global Balance looks at issues that affect us on a planetary level from the environment, population growth, prosperity, trade & financial systems, poverty, education, healthcare as well as peace and security.

There are three main factors that make global balance a real possibility in the 21st century:

1. Leadership, Vision and People with a Desire to make a Difference

Without leadership and vision creating global balance is impossible.

Let me give you an example.

America: The Global Leader

American leadership over the last 50+ years has created the foundation for the worlds prosperity through open markets, technology and healthcare innovations, education, global communications as well as democracy and freedom. America’s leaders going as far back as Eisenhower and Roosevelt (Video) have historically held in high regard their responsibility to provide global leadership.

America: The Lost Years 2001-2008

George W. Bush broke that rule because after 9-11 he built an America that closed its doors and turned its back on the rest of world. America began a policy of bluntly putting American interests first and politely (or impolitely) told other nations that global cooperation was not important.

Many Americans soon realized George W. did not have their best interests in mind either and was not a leader (video). He treated wounded soldiers poorly, let social systems suffer, taxed everybody but the rich and deregulated business to a point where the system eventually collapsed. His focus was to improve the lives of the wealthy and use his political and military power to beat the world into submission.

George Bush lost sight of America’s role as a global leader and made America the enemy of progress and change.

George W. Bush: The Catalist of Change

In hindsight George W. Bush was the best thing for the world because other countries had become too negligent and reliant and expected America to do all the heavy lifting. More countries today want to be part of that larger global discussion and are more willing to step up to the plate with action.

With a new American administration many are relieved that Barack Obama not only has an American vision but a global vision to build and create more cooperation within the world.

2. Technology, Communication & Communities

Technology in the 21st century enables us to educate, organize, build awareness and find the financial and non-financial resources necessary to make changes at fundamental levels. There are tens of thousands of websites committed to making changes on major global issues like the environment, social justice, alleviating poverty and disease, creating peace, promoting religious understanding, improving trade, education and creating opportunities for people around the world.

Technology provides the infrastructure that allows us to create global balance.

3. Organization, Resources & Action

Leadership and technology enable us to communicate, educate, create the political will and come up with solutions necessary to improve lives. The next step is action. This is where nations, states, local governments, communities, organizations, NGOs and individuals provide boots on the ground and make the changes necessary to improve lives. I'll talk about how this being done in future posts.

I'll leave you with a video from Ted.com from Bjorn Lomborg on setting global priorities.

Michelle Obama at the G20 Conference - How to Build Self Esteem 101

Posted by Kevin Boon. Follow me on Twitter.

How do you build self esteem in children? I'm sure these young women in London will remember Michelle Obama's speech for the rest of their lives.

Being Smart is Cool

Here are some quotes from Michelle Obama:

"By getting a good education you too can control your own destiny"

"The reason why I'm standing here is because of education"

"Being smart was cooler than anything in the world"

"You too can realize your dreams and then your job is to reach back and help someone just like you do the same thing"

"Your success will be determined by your own fortitude, your own confidence, your own individual hard work"

"Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women. Part of that wealth includes an outstanding education"

Here's the second part to this video where she is mobbed by the students. It would be nice to see the full video.

WOW! Inspiring words from an inspiring woman.

Basic Principles: Meditation and our Ego

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In the first 3 parts on the Basic Principles of Meditation I have spoken about the core of Meditation and how it relates to our thoughts, breath and emotions. Today I want to talk about the ego. Once you understand the ego and how it impacts your life you’ll be able to approach your life from a whole new perspective.

What is the Ego?

The ego is the collection of all your thoughts, opinions, beliefs and emotions that you use to create and establish your identity. For example, your career and job title is an identity that you’ve established. Race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, political affiliation and religion are all identities. We identify ourselves as man or woman, a parent, brother, sister, plumber, electrician, photographer, CEO, etc… We take on roles in our lives and we act in accordance with those roles.

The ego is also the “I AM” part of you that establishes your identity. So if you say to yourself I’m good looking, I’m funny, I’m a professional, I’m depressed, I’m angry, I’m pissed off!; these are identities and part of the ego. We establish these identities and then form the belief; this is who I am. The danger of locking ourselves into a role or identity is that we become stuck and this can limit our ability to grow or make positive change in our lives.

In the last post on emotions I introduced the concept of learning to be the observer of your thoughts and emotions. We can also become the observer of our ego.

When you begin to observe your ego you start to witness the roles and identities that you create for yourself. One that comes up often is the role of political affiliation. It’s always interesting to watch a flag waving, Obama loving Democrat sit in the same room with a card carrying Republican and member of the NRA. Both are so engrained in their identity (ego) that it makes them sick to their stomach to have to sit in the same room. Usually the conversation starts as a statement that absolutely insults or irritates the other, the other person responds and before you know it you have two people lashing out taking cheap shots, trying to get the upper hand and justifying why their view is right.

No wonder nothing ever gets done in Government. Forget government we have those battles daily in our media, over the Internet and in our coffee shops. The ego within us likes to take sides.

Pick a topic, race, sexual orientation, religion, nationality and you’ll see that people cling fiercely to their identity and ego. The source of most of the worlds problems are due to our identification with our ego and as Eckhart Tolle says, “…the dysfunction that every human being carries within: the ego.”

How can this apply to your life or meditation practice?

An Exercise

As you go about your daily life (or meditate) start to become aware of the roles or identities that you have either inherited or create in your life. If you say you’re depressed, ask yourself the question, Am I depressed or am I just taking on the role of being depressed right now?

If you’re an American (or whatever nationality) start to observe how you have developed your identity as an American. Look at what you were taught in school, on TV or from friends and family and start to observe your own beliefs. Then ask the question, What would my life look like if I wasn’t an American, what if I was born in China or Singapore or whatever country? Take a few minutes to look outside your own national identity and ask what identity would you have taken on had you been born somewhere else.

These exercises do not make you lose your identity but do enable you to start looking at your ego and the roles and identities you have created.

I’m also going recommend that you read Eckhart Tolle’s book A New Earth to understand the workings of the ego.

Next post in this series will be on Meditation and the Law of Attraction

Barack Obama - Who Ever Thought & New Day - 2 New Songs

For the last 3 years Barack Obama has been visible on my world stage and like many who will witness in person his inauguration on Tuesday I connected to his message, his inspiration, honesty and what you can see (if you look closely) his desire to do what’s right for people and the world.

Over the next 48 hours Barack Obama will be swore in as the 44th President of the United States, bringing with him a real promise to make change not only within the ways of government but in the way America wields it’s influence around the world.

America needs this change.

After Obama won the Presidency in November I wrote a song that reflected my feelings about life and about the changes we go through as we face the unknown.

The song Who Ever Thought starts with a story of woman who decided one day that she no longer wanted to sit at the back of the bus. Her decision to sit at the front of the bus, a simple act for many of us today, resulted in riots and bloodshed and eventually a change (in the segregation laws). At the same time a preacher man came on to the world stage and through his ability to inspire helped to birth a nation into the recognition that all of its citizens are created equal.

Barack Obama is the manifestation of both Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King’s dream of a nation where all are equal. Yes it is true that still have racism, inequality and a society that serves the interests of some better than others, but if you look back on the last 40-50 years we have come a long way.

The challenge of the 21st century will be to take this same message of hope, freedom and equality to not only the citizens of America who still struggle, but to all the citizens of the world. Barack Obama is a good person to start that journey into a new phase of our growth as a global community.

Even with the chaos prevalent in the world today our planet is evolving. We’re growing step-by-step and beginning to recognize that something needs to be done. Something needs to be done about pollution and global warming; something needs to be done to create peace in the Middle East, something needs to be done to help to solve the problem of hiv/aids in Africa and other nations, something needs to be done about healthcare, job security and overall human rights.

Today, Martin Luther King day is the launch of my two new songs, New Day and Who Ever Thought.

These are two versions of the same song one with a more pop feel and the other my attempt at bluesy. The recording quality is not the greatest since I am neither a professional musician or recording artist... I used my home computer, a microphone and some recording software I bought from Best Buy.

• The Story behind the Songs - New Day and Who Ever Thought
• Writing, Recording & My Vision for the Songs
• Chords & Lyrics: (New Day) (Who Ever Thought)

Hope you enjoy…

Listen

Vote

2008 Year in Review - My Top 5 Lists

With the election of the first African-American President and the Global Economic Collapse this has been one of the most interesting years since 9-11 and even 1987 when the Berlin wall fell. Here is my Top 5 List for 2008:

My Top 5

1. The American Election

The election of Barack Obama was significant because it represents a new course for not only America but the world. Although there is still a long way to go with respect to racial or gender equality the world can finally breathe a sigh of relief and say all of us have an opportunity to achieve our dreams.

2. The Global Financial Meltdown

Unlike other economic slowdowns we have seen some of the most powerful Financial Institutions simply collapse and our traditional way of doing business seems at risk. Personally I’m optimistic about the future since many times it takes a real kick in the pants to get us off our complacency. For years we have dragged our feet by not creating fuel efficient cars, letting go of our dependency on oil and executives have just lined up at the money trough, looking at their own pocket books and sending jobs to China.

I’m hopeful that governments & corporations will become more responsible, more responsive to demands in the market place (especially car companies) and that executives will align bonuses with the success of a company.

Little baby steps will be required moving forward but I think it will be important for the voices within the global community to keep everybody honest.

3. The Shoe Throwing Incident

If you listen to the words of the shoe thrower, Muntadar al-Zaidi, the shoes thrown at George Bush where a farewell kiss from those who had been killed, orphaned or widowed in Iraq. This event symbolizes for me all the conflicts that are going on in the world from the Middle East to Somalia, to Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan to Russia & Georgia.

George Bush as a leader has never acknowledged or taken responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have died and millions impacted as a result of his decisions. Whether the conflict is right or wrong today most conflict shows a lack of leadership & moral responsibility.

Only when leaders become conscious of their actions, accountable to their people and use war as the last option will you see a reduction in conflict. I’m hopeful there will be less conflict in 2009.

4. The Beijing Olympics

The Olympics became China’s shining moment and were fantastic. Like other countries China is gradually being forced to look at their human rights records, their laws for workers as well as their own environmental challenges. However 2008 was the year where China officially came onto the world stage.

5. The Rising Awareness of Social Media, Stem Cell Research & the Environment

I’ve put the 3 of these together, partly because I didn’t want to make a top 10 list but secondly I feel these 3 areas are still fairly new but primed for growth in the next few years. Barack Obama’s fundraising and campaigning success in the American election showed the real power of social media. Some of the innovations in stem cell research (without embryos) where very promising. As we move into 2009 the environment just keeps knocking on our door.

Top 5 Personal Events for 2008

1. Personal & Spiritual Growth

This has been an important year for me to develop greater clarity with respect my purpose and discovering the real creative side to who I am.

2. Social Media & Networking – Facebook, Twitter, Soundclick

The whole realm of social media has been a learning process for me and most of this year has been about reading, learning and connecting… I’ve learned so much this year.

3. Music – Songwriting, Recording & Networking

Although I’m definitely an amateur musician I find great satisfaction in creating music. Recently I recorded my first song “Love is Free” and posted on SoundClick. On the acoustic rock chart it went to #66 out of about 17,000 songs which is pretty cool. There are two more songs in the works, “Who Ever Thought” & “Broken Ego” that I hope to release early in 2009. The whole process is exciting.

4. Writing & Blog Development

My blog has been a great forum for me to share ideas and interact with others. I enjoy the writing part although the main issue for me has been time. With the advent of Twitter (and mini blogging) I’m looking forward to continuing on writing with some new ideas for 2009.

5. New Baby on the Way

My wife’s son and his girlfriend are expecting a baby in January, so effectively I’m going to be a Grandfather. :) Now besides being too young and too good looking I’m looking forward to the baby arriving…

Here are some other Top 5 lists:

Top 5 Books:
1. A New Earth – Eckhart Tolle plus 10 week class with Oprah
2. Money & the Law of Attraction – Jerry & Ester Hicks
3. The Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama
4. Influencers: The Power to Change Anything – Patterson, Grenny, Maxfield, McMillan, Switzler
5. The New Rules of Marketing & PR – David Meerman Scott

Top 5 Albums:
1. Neil Young – Live at Massey Hall.
2. Johnny Cash – Live at Folsom Prison – (new to me)
3. Bob Dylan Tell Tale Signs – The Bootleg Series – Volume 8
4. Sheryl Crow – Detours
5. Travelling Wilburys – Volume 1 & 3

Top 5 Web Blogs:
1. Webinknow
2. Problogger
3. How to Change the World
4. Intent Blog
5. The News I Read Today – Beatles Blog (my wife calls me a Beatles groupie)

Top 5 News Sources:
1. BBC News
2. CBC News
3. CNN
4. Huffington Post
5. PopURLs

Top 5 TV Shows:
1. The Hour
2. Larry King Live
3. Gene Simmons Family Jewels
4. Oprah
5. Biography

I’d love to hear your thoughts on events that impacted you in 2008. Coming in January there will be some great new changes to this site. Stay tuned…

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous 2009…

Reflecting on the American Election

Now the American election is over (and there were no surprises) we’re all able to breathe a sigh of relief which will hopefully be about moving into a new phase of national and global leadership. President Obama as the world will get used to referring to him won the race with a focus, passion and an ability to inspire a population that I’ve never seen in a political candidate, at least in my lifetime.

On elections night like millions of other people around the world I watched CNN and followed the results state by state on my laptop. In my whole life I have never been as interested in the election of an American president. Why should I be? I’m Canadian. I don’t live in the US. For some reason I felt this one really counted. For the past 8 years we’ve seen the failed policies of George W. Bush and the reality that in our global village American policy affects us all.

With the Obama effect this election was a drastic change between the politics as usual, mudslinging and the apathy that normally occurs within an election. Obama changed the way a political campaign is run and challenged many of the traditional assumptions and strategies for winning elections. He built his campaign with grassroots support using the web and the power of online communities and brought the younger voter which is our next generation to the table. The younger generation is less concerned with race or gender than the older generations and will change the future face of our society.

While race was one aspect of interest for me as the campaign evolved this became less about race than it was about the man. Had Obama been a typical politician droning party line I would have probably stopped watching. However Obama held my attention throughout the campaign and when his opponents beat up on him it became personal.

On election night, as results were coming in we started to see an Obama victory in the making. It was not however until the west coast polls closed that the results from California, Oregon and Washington State would make it official. When Wolf Blitzer made the prediction, officially saying “President Elect Obama” this is when the emotion became real for me and the election of an African-American President was going to be a reality in my lifetime. That part of me wept with joy for what feel is a very important turning point in our history, not only for Americans but for the world.

When I look at my life I was born in England in the fall of 1964. Massive change was underway: the Beatle’s had just hit big time touring America, Dylan was playing Carnegie Hall and Newport, Kennedy had been assassinated a year before, Martin Luther King was in the middle of creating the case for freedom and equality in America and Gloria Steinem was doing the same for women and equality.

Over my lifetime much has changed. Racial & gender equality have come so far and Obama’s victory from a race perspective is a line that we had to cross to simply prove that we could. Now we have the ability to move forward to a time where race and gender will no longer be issues.

I’m hopeful the Obama experience will have an impact on people not only across America, but throughout the world. Maybe we can learn from Obama’s example that anything is possible? Maybe we can accept people for who they are and stop judging by skin colour or sexual orientation? Maybe we can put an end to religious conflicts? Maybe we can put an end to the need for war? Maybe we can stop hunger? Just maybe we can learn simply to respect each other?

Wishful thinking. Maybe. Maybe Not!

I’ll end with the quote from Obama’s acceptance speech on November 4th about Ann Nixon Cooper from Atlanta. You can see his whole transcript or video.

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

One More Video Before Election Day...

Nothing to say, just watch...

As America Votes a Little Reflection Time

We are moving toward a monumental time in both American and global history. I'm hopeful the events over the next week and over the next few years will change (in a positive way) the way the 21st century unfolds.

As I have watched Barack Obama give speeches, debate the issues and engage with people over the course of this election I have come to develop a great respect for this man. He stands for hope, change and an opportunity for the American people to not only re-build their economy, but he presents an opportunity for America to re-integrate into this world community as a global leader representing the values of peace, prosperity and freedom and democracy.

What would Martin Luther King think of this election campaign and the rise of Barack Obama? I tried to put myself back in that time. What was the hope? The hope was for all people to be treated with dignity and respect and have the fundamental right to live as equals in a society that provides freedom and opportunity for all. Since King's speech back in 1963 most people will agree the journey has been difficult with many ups and downs. Today I would say the hope is not that much different except I feel it goes well beyond race and gender. Today that hope embraces the equality of people within our communities, within our nations and across the planet. That hope also embraces our environment and our global community. Our test in the 21st century will be how we choose to take King's message to the next level.

Martin Luther King - I have a Dream - August 28 1963.

A friend of mine sent me the following photo and the quote.

Rosa sat so Martin could walk.

Martin walked so Obama could run.
Obama runs so our children can fly.

This says it all.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the Environment, George W. Bush & Change

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at a recent conference in Waterloo sponsored by ReThink. Without really knowing much about this man (except for his famous father and uncle) I had no pre-conceived opinions and was simply interested in listening to his message.

Kennedy’s message was about the challenges of environmental politics, corporate & government corruption, education and the decline of the US media to provide an unbiased voice in guiding people to make informed decisions. While he presented these challenges he also proposed solutions and ideas that could revolutionize our ability to create energy from alternative sources and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

American Democracy in Jeopardy
He said American Democracy is actually in jeopardy due to the actions of the past 8 years. He talked of the Bush Administration’s $100 million dollar PR campaign designed to create phony think tanks, suppress environmental initiatives, promote big oil and influence media to the extent that today most Americans believe the environment is really a "fringe" issue and those supporting the cause are alarmist or radical. The same PR campaign was used to convince people that Sadaam Hussein was somehow responsible for the 9-11 attacks. He said much effort has been put into this PR effort to creating doubt around global warming and that if we move too fast we will disrupt the economy or peoples livelihoods. (Note: For anyone not living under a rock I think we could agree that the current financial crisis has showed that the economy is a little disrupted. Maybe we have nothing to lose.)

Similarities between Global Warming and the Slave Trade
He compared today’s cautious approach to the global warming to that of the slave trade in Britain back in the 1800’s. Slavery back then accounted for 25% of the GNP and politicians and business leaders preached caution saying that if you stopped slavery the economy would suffer. The truth is that after years of debate, when slavery was eventually abolished there was an unprecidented economic boom that became the Modern Industrial Revolution. Kennedy says we would see the same type of boom today if we removed the government subsidization of oil companies and if politicians allowed the free market to foster development of environmental technologies. According to Kennedy the vested interests and government policy are holding us back from making real change with the environment.

Kennedy says there are over $1.3 trillion dollars in subsidies that go to the big oil companies and our reliance on foreign oil makes us the beggar to those nations that can and have been hostile to us. He says the Iraq war has cost $4.5 trillion dollars and he believes for the purpose it served the bill should be charged to big oil, not the US taxpayer.

He used examples of countries who have initiated clean environmental technologies making use of solar, geothermal, bio-fuels and other clean technologies. He referenced Iceland, Sweden, Brazil, and California which he said have created new prosperous economies and opportunities as a result of shifting to alternative energies. (Note: the speech was given before the global financial meltdown of which Iceland’s banking system has been devastated however the message demonstrates that many countries are putting effort into solving the problem).

Creating a Smart Power Grid
Kennedy says the Midwest of the US and Canada is the Saudia Arabia of wind power however to take full advantage of wind and other clean technologies the US will need to find a way to upgrade the power grid so that it is more centralized. Today the power grid in the US is decentralized (controled by each state) and is very difficult for new technologies like wind to connect to the grid and re-sell energy. Kennedy talks about re-building a smart grid where you could take your electric car, plug it in at night and then sell the excess power you generate to the grid. If you think of the possibilities a smart grid would give consumers the abilility to benefit and contribute to power creation.

By giving wind, solar, geothermal and other technologies the ability to evolve within a free market, Kennedy says innovation can evolve. Under George Bush oil subsidization has been the policy at the expense of free market innovation.

Media & Education
The press in the US has been “negligent” and have let down democracy, according to Kennedy. He says in America there is no such thing as a Liberal Media but it’s a label that has been applied to groups that don’t support the right wing message. He says Fox News is the major player dominating the right wing message and talk radio is 90% is controlled by Christian right. He says that ABC, NBC and CNN have no ideology except for their pocket book. He says the failure within the American media started around the time of Ronald Reagan when he abolished the “fairness doctrine” which said news had to be of public importance and if someone told an opinion they had to tell both sides. This is no longer the case. Rush Limbaugh came on the scene shortly after abolishment of the fairness doctrine. He said the fairness doctrine was important to create an independent press to avoid corporate consolidation which Kennedy said was a policy similar to what Hitler promoted in Nazi Germany. In the American media today (main stream) 5 guys control what you hear with the only obligation to their shareholders.

He says entertainment is now the cornerstone of American media and that Americans have become the “best entertained but least informed public”. He says Thomas Jefferson believed that a mandatory public education system would be the remedy to “not deprive the public of power” and that the only way to sustain the democracy was to have access to education “everywhere”. Unfortunately Americans are so poorly educated that polls (in 2004) said that 70% of the population believed that Sadaam Hussain bombed the world trade center.

Kennedy says “if you don’t have a functioning press you don’t have democracy”.

Kennedy says he is an advocate for the free market but there is no free market under the current administration. He says, “a true free market (for environmental technologies) would promote efficiency”. He says there is a huge difference between “free market capitalism” and what he calls, “Corporate Crony Capitalism” as is currently the reality under the current administration.

He says American respect in the world today has diminished. He told a story of when he travelled overseas with his father. People flocked to see Americans and wanted their values and freedoms. He said when Eisenhouer went to Kabul in the 1950’s over a million people came to see him. People are hungry for American freedoms. He said after 9-11 the French President said, “we’re all Americans now.” Much of that goodwill has been lost today.

Footnotes:
This presentation took place on October 6th and in those 3 weeks a lot has shifted. The Global Financial Crisis has impacted everybody and I think it has shocked the US and world into serious re-alignment of not only our financial systems but of our values. The US Presidential Election is getting closer and for the first time in decades offers a vision of hope for the future. Kennedy brought to light some of the challenges we face but he also outlined the opportunities that exist if we choose to change course.

Time will tell if we can put this together, however I think most of us agree we live in exciting times and there are massive changes ahead.
On the same day I finished this article the CBC ran an interview with Kennedy.
Here it is... The Hour

The American Promise of the 21st Century

On Friday I was at the barbershop getting my haircut.  The woman cutting my hair was Asian and we were having a nice conversation about the weather, the weekend coming up and how long she had been cutting hair.  She was a nice woman, very friendly and interested in getting to know me.  She asked me if I had watched Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention the night before.  I said had watched the speech and thought he was great and that it would be great to see him as President.  She was pleased with my response but then with much doubt in her voice she said, “Do you believe that Americans will be willing to have a black man as president? There still seems to be so much racism out there.”  We then talked at length expressing our own hopes of what it would mean if America could overcome this challenge.

Her response is similar to the doubts that many people feel going into this election year.  Whether Asian, White, Black, Hispanic, Jewish, Indian or Muslim, for those who believe in equality and equal opportunity we’re having a hard time believing that it might actually happen this election year. 

The policies of George Bush and Dick Chaney have shell shocked many into feeling that maybe we as a society (especially the USA) are going backwards.  Some believe that maybe we’re moving back into the dark ages and becoming more racist and that fear, war and conflict between people will always be the norm.  One can understand how the policies of the last 8 years can make one cynical to the political process but I also believe these same policies have created a grass roots movement that desires real change. 

To see Obama rise to this position at such a young age and at the same time take on the momentous challenge led by Hilary Clinton in the primaries is something rarely seen.  Obama has shown us something different and when you watch this man you feel his integrity, his respect of others and desire of bringing the US back into a place of prominence and respect within the global community.  He has been able to use the technologies to bring out the real voters and has been able to galvanize a whole new generation of voters who seem less concerned with the color of somebody's skin than previous generations.  This in itself is promising and shows the true potential of the people to make change. 

For those doubt we will ever see a black or female president we need to recognize the 21^st century presents new opportunities. The mistakes of the past 8 years do not have to be repeated.  Although the US has a history of racial discrimination so do most other countries.  Over the past 40 to 50 years a great deal has been accomplished in the areas racial and gender equality and when you compare the world of the 1950’s to the early 21^st century we have come a long way. 

Demographics are also changing where second, third and fourth generation non-white Immigrant Americans are taking leading roles in society.   It’s only a matter of time before you have the first female president, the first Black, Hispanic, Asian and eventually even a Jewish or Muslim President.   

My prediction is in 50 years issues of race, gender or even sexual orientation will likely be non-relevant when electing leaders.  Wouldn't it be nice to get there sooner (in this election year) rather than later?

Here's Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the DNC in HD. 

http://gallery.demconvention.com/Default.html?VideoID=584

or here's the same speech from YouTube.