welcome to the future!

last night i had several striking and unique thoughts as i watched the president of the united states address congress. in some ways, what i felt were more strong emotions and feelings that thoughts. and they were notably different, and ones that i have rarely felt in recent political history.

i felt pride. optimism. hope.

don't get me wrong, i still had the same skepticism, fear, and doubt that is normal when any politician speaks. i mean, i'm not a democrat. i'm not a republican either. i'm one of the countless americans who have no representation, because both parties are enslaved by their various special interests. so how can i find hope when everyone else, at least everyone in both parties, are so divided?

for a start, i felt history as the president of the united states was introduced, and an intelligent, articulate man began to speak. refreshing after the last 8 (16 or 20+) years. he spoke with a confidence, clarity and candor that sounded more presidential than anything i've heard in many years. add to that the fact that he is a black man in a country that is more racially divided that it dares to admit. it sounds stupid, but if we, as a country can overcome our history, and elect his as our president, what else can we do? i felt pride. pride in my country, and yes, pride in my president. and just his presence at this point in history was the spark of optimism.

a huge thing for me, was his candor. not solely blaming, as so many are, greedy ceo's, corrupt and ineffective managers, and impotent lawmakers. but sharing part of the blame with the millions of americans who greedily, naively, or stupidly, bought everything they wanted, including homes far more elaborate and large than they needed or could afford. yes, some lenders offered loans to people even while doubting their ability to pay. they didn't force those loans on people though. indeed many people fudged their income to borrow even more. the fact that the president didn't vilify the big obvious targets, but spoke out about consumer habits that have irked me for years. admitting that we all have a hand in this problem to varying degrees, is the first look at reality. only by facing reality can we change, grow, improve, and thrive. so by merely being open and candid about the problem, my optimism grew.

as he laid out his plans, and ambitions for economic recovery, i felt what most people did. a healthy mix of hope and skepticism. it is a huge undertaking, there are so many things that could work. there are many that will, and many that likely won't. it's not as one-sided as either party makes it sound. some of the spending the democrats packed in does smell like pork. much of what the republicans decry is merely paranoid spin. of course it's not perfect, with the two-party system of gang warfare in dc, it never will be. but at the moment, that's ok, because it is bold, decisive, and moving forward. that is important to our economy.

almost every report of the dow tanking includes a phrase about how "consumer confidence" is slipping/failing/declining. when the dow gains, it is typically attributed to increased "consumer confidence." if so much of what our market does is based on confidence, i have that much more hope! if the people like me, who are still blessed with employment, can feel some confidence, because something is finally being done, (even if much of it does nothing, much of it will do something) we'll be more likely to do something ourselves. i feel more like putting my tax refund to work that i did last month. there are some needs and indeed some wants, that we will be spending money on. as more and more americans gain the confidence to do the same, things will turn around.

i'm not saying we're out of the woods, but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. (yes i intended that mixed metaphor). while i feel nothing but sympathy for the recently, and unexpectedly unemployed, i do feel a certain sense of vindication from the suffering of the irresponsible. it's wrong, i know, but after years of careful planning, putting off the purchase of things we really wanted, and skimping on what many people deem necessities, (in 11+ years of marriage, we've never had cable tv) we finally see some justice. some comeuppance for those who do whatever they want, go wherever they want, buy whatever they want, often just on a whim. they elaborately furnish their oversize house, park more toys in their garage, take costly vacations, and collect electronic gadgets.

again, i know it's wrong. i'm sure some of it is nothing more than jealousy, but honestly, much of it is how their loss contrasts with what i have, and my caution and frugality now feels rewarded. sadly, their suffering hurts the economy more than my caution helps it. but, if they learn anything from this experience, they will be better off in the long run, as will our economy. responsibility. just because we ignored it in the 80's and actively avoided it in the 90's doesn't mean it isn't real. as we move forward, if governments, corporations, families, and individuals take responsibility for their actions, our entire country will do much better.

what's next? where do we go from here? as always, the future is uncertain. in fact, right now it's even more frightening than usual. still, we must venture into that same future. indeed we are now shaping that future. let's not just hope for the best, let's do the best we can. americans tend to be cynical, but i think it's ok, to hope for a better future. i read an article a few months ago, about how hollywood had prepared us for a black president. of course that portrayal had always been in the future. but as we now stare into the future, think of barak obama, and remember that future is already here. obviously he's not the end-all, be-all answer, and of course it's ok to doubt politicians. in fact it's vital. but it's also ok, even vital, to start moving forward, responsibly, instead of holding back in fear. what will we make of our future?