Barack Obama's Acceptance Speech

I was greatly moved . . .

He is an incredible orator. If that was all he was he would still be laudable. But I think Barack Obama is more than that. I think, in many ways, Barack Obama embodies all that we have and do hope for as a nation. He is hope! I say this as someone who did not vote for him, but some things must be conceded. It is my humble opinion that Obama is a great man.

Now, there is a part where things get tricky. Barack Obama and I disagree on a good amount of issues. I think he has the best intentions, we must think this of almost all people I believe. The political commercials by both Barack Obama and John McCain really irked me. Many of them said something to this effect, "McCain (or) Obama is advocating ______, therefore he does not care about you, or working class families." That was so clearly, on both sides, bad politics and humanity. It is a tragedy when we take a position that someone holds and extrapolate that to mean things it doesn't necessarily mean. I believe, however, that overall Barack Obama has good intentions, he wishes the best for the country, and he is committed to making the United States of America better. So how do I navigate the next four (probably eight) years?

Here is an excerpt from Barack Obama's acceptance speech:

"I will listen to you, especially when we disagree."

I think he encapsulated one of the most important principles that can be espoused. We do not need to agree on everything. In fact, we can adamantly disagree with others. To bring it even further, it can be beneficial for there to be strong disagreements. What matters is our response to them. What do we do with these disagreements? Do we not listen as they are uttered, all the while formulating in our minds our response? Do we try to concede as little as possible to ensure that our argument still sounds the strongest? What do we do?

I am not sure about the best general approach. But I know what I do, I consider the viewpoints in the most favorable light that I possibly can. I look to accept them. I try to see their validity. But, after I do this (giving it the best chance it can get), I then compare it to the things I value most. After using both methods I then decide what is right. But, all the while, the most important principal is to listen.

This is where Barack Obama has it right, he is willing to listen. Nothing carries more weight than giving another's opinion validity. Henry Eyring once related this experience:

A professor of mine, Ray Bauer, years ago corrected me when I put the label of "irrational" on someone's behavior. He said: "Hal, you'll understand people better if you assume that people's behavior is rational, at least from their point of view. Try to see what they see."


Personally, I have been experiencing a lot of bigotry over my opinions lately. These opinions happen to be religious. I had one classmate tell me that despite the fact that he thinks I am intelligent and a good person, he does not think I should be able to vote. Mostly because my viewpoints are religious. This deeply concerned me.

How great would it be if we considered all viewpoints as rational. How much more unity would we have? How much less contention would exist? What a world it would be.

We could have disagreements without animosity. We would have less war.

Obama is a beacon of hope. He represents our continuing climb out of the dark recesses of racism, inequality and bigotry. He represents liberty, freedom and hope. Maybe even more important, Barack Obama gives hope to countless young people. Seemingly insurmountable obstacles of poverty, racial divides and entrenched mindsets can be overcome.

I disagree with Obama, but loved this quotation he repeated:

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.”

Nothing is more powerful than hope and unity. While I disagree with Barack Obama on many things, I am filled with hope this day.