In our democracy Presidential Inaugurations are a special day of hope and renewal. For more than two hundred years they have represented a peaceful transition of power from one administration to another. Today is such a day and yet, half the country is filled with fear and trepidation, while the rest is ebullient and hopeful.
We have survived good presidents and bad Presidents; we have survived prosperity and depressions; we have survived peace and war.
In my lifetime, three Inaugurations, particularly, stand out.
1952 – Dwight D. Eisenhower – We liked Ike! Oh, Harry hadn’t been a bad President, but Ike had brought us through the darkest days of the Second World War…victorious. Now, here he was to lead us once again. He’d certainly end that damn Police Action in Korea that was killing our boys. He’d definitely be able to return our economy to the full post-war prosperity that’s been sagging and causing a lot of us to worry about our jobs. This is Ike, after all!
1960 – John F. Kennedy – A new generation! A new beginning. Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. It was exciting; something you wanted to be a part of. Should I join the Peace Corps? How can I get involved. The glory of WWII had morphed into the Cold War. We were now, suddenly, not too far from Armageddon. Our globe was threatened! It was MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction. Kennedy would bring us through it!
2008 – Barack Obama – A Black President! OMG! I never thought I’d live to see this in my lifetime. Finally, a hope of racial equality…color blindness. He, Michelle, and their daughters represented a new beginning in our country where racial strife had been sewn into the fabric of our history. I was working in Cape Town, South Africa when we heard the election results. South Africa had endured nearly a half-century of racial degradation. We wept…together! Men and women, young and old, black and white. Our hearts burst with pride at what could be. It was an event of worldwide optimism.
We are all part of an experiment…can men of different races, economic levels, educational levels, of farms and cities, live together in harmony. It is difficult. The world is changing. Social media spans the world. Radical climate shifts threaten large populations. It is logical to be concerned. But I prefer to think of the glass as half-filled.