Words from a modern prophet, ringing true after the election

The authentic forces that change and shape the world are deep and under the surface. So they move slowly. Real history is the history of the slow pace [of events]. The question is whether there will be enough people who see the deceit in the feverish tempo, withstand its temptation, and commit themselves to the truth of the slower tempo. -- Martin Buber

Today does feel different. There's an air of both promise and peril -- the promise that comes with the realization that we've moved in a direction that would've been impossible to conceive of even five years ago; the peril that our expectations will blind us, or that our thrill will dissipate into complacency.

I was content to vote for Obama, but not thrilled like so many I know. It felt like a historic moment, but more for its symbolism than its accomplishments.

It's a moment of wonder; of revelry more than revelation. Intoxication makes you less nimble. Plus, it comes with a nasty hangover. When the fog of euphoria wears off, how much will we have missed? In the ether of high expectations, we see a vast landscape of possibilities. The terrain, on closer inspection, is rocky and uneven, and the landing can be rough. 

The next four years, regardless of who's president, are going to be very hard years. There will be at least the usual number of recriminations, missteps and scandals. The challenges in front of us block the view of what may come next. With our hopes so high, will the disappointments be that much more bitter? Will they distract us from the real tasks and terrors at hand?

I'm certain Obama will shoulder his responsibilities nobly, and he's not the kind to pass the buck for his failures.

The question is: how many of the rest of us will do the same?

Here's a modest prayer: that if it's change we really want, we prepare ourselves for, and commit ourselves to, the slow pace of real history.

--T.A.

Comments

[Mom]

I know you have reading assignments up the Wazoo but I must tell you about 'Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction,' by Eric Foner, which I have been reading during this pre- and post-election time. It's very well written, seems to be meticulously researched, and gives you a unique perspective on a little understood niche of this nation's history. I recommend it highly.
love, Mom

[karen]

I thought of you and yours a lot last night and your city of Chicago. I congratulate you on the winning of this election- the party in Grant Park was so touching, poignant- really- and i pretended that you and Gabe were there, celebrating the history.

I pray Obama does well for our country, too.