Thursday, January 22, 2009

Obama: the price and promise of citizenship

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.  It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.  It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. 

Our challenges may be new.  The instruments with which we meet them may be new.  But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old.  These things are true.  They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.  What is demanded then is a return to these truths.  What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.


2 comments:

G C said...

It can't be more true on Obama's Inaugural address. The true cure to today world ill, morally and financially can be found in the teaching of the Confucian more than three thousand ago. The Chinese has also forgotten about it. Honesty, responsibility all these and other values that are most lacking now can be found in our forefather teachings and it is time we go back to the roots.

G C Tham

vertigoer said...

Inspiring for all to listen and learn.

Even though we are not Americans, but we can still exercise these values that made our country and the world better.

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