"Reimagine" إعادة تخيل - Barry in Cairo

I am perhaps reluctant to put too much faith in any one politician’s promises or their ability to deliver on such promises. At this moment in time, Political time, Economic time, Religious time, Environmental time – Global Time – People Time - The United States and the nations of the planet are at a critical crossroads.

One of the most recent roads that inbred American politics has tried to lead us onto is a conflict with the secular and sacred Islamic world. In 2003, a new cold war with different people in shades of color and religious persuasions seemed to fit the old make a buck deal that supported lazy rich individuals and lazy corporations for half a century after WWII. That recent road is not set in stone or concrete yet. Luckily it, that road and its shoddy workmanship, has been in the hands of phony crony corporations like Halliburton and its former phony crony CEO.

There is always hope for a new architect or a new style of architecture to come into vogue. What I say here, I say with no hesitation, that in style and rhetoric, the Obama Administration is as refreshing as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie modernist architecture of over a century ago. I drove through Illinois once – Beautiful – what did God put in the soil and drinking water there to make it so fertile and rich both in land and imagination?

Perhaps a new light or a new way of looking at the world has been set into the energy of the planet today.

Many dreams, many hopes, many many hard roads and struggles are ahead. But perhaps a sign post or a modern day virtual Rosetta Stone has been planted in Cairo today with Obama’s historic speech reaching out to the Muslim world. A West holds out an open hand to the East kind of speech has been uttered. Blueprints for the future are being drawn as I write this. The future is an exciting place.

I was impressed with the simple eloquence of President Obama’s speech in Cairo today. Got up a little later than expected and caught the tail end of it on MSNB. Then I took the time to read its full text of Obama's Speech on the L.A. Times online site.

Much eloquence, much wisdom and much insight were shown in carefully choosing each word, phrase, sentence and concept.

I gave up a long time ago trying to figure out where the President, his advisors or speechwriters begin, converge or express individually or collectively the new Global viewpoint. And this, over and above their primary duty to the United States, as one of many nations on earth. We are truly interdependent and interrelated in 2009 and going forward.

Obama is certainly a student of history. While many seem to be fond of the Lincoln comparisons in his approach and style to exercising power, there is something else.

I believe I see a bit of Harry Truman, not in irascibility, but in knowing what he wants to do, knows where he is going and will try with all the limited time of his tenure to achieve set goals. I see someone who has worked hard outside of government. I see one who has touched people and know what the common man and woman are all about.

Having lived through many changes in both America and the Global sense of things for many decades, I realize that stating ones’ goals or mission statements openly will achieve more than if one randomly meets and solves crisis after crisis. One must anticipate, envision the results without necessarily knowing how to get to the results. Life sometimes resembles a game of sports. So too the human race must look at itself, struggle with both strengths and weaknesses and assemble on the clear playing field of the future.

What Barack stated in Notre Dames a few weeks ago and what he stated again today was the fact that youth must envision the future, set goals and go out into life to achieve those goals both for themselves and the general good of others.

The common good which is a secular goal, more than anything sacred, is in the hands of youth to “reimagine” and “remake” the world.

Reimagine.

Reimagine. إعادة تخيل

Peace. سلام