Barack Obama brings hope to millions of Americans and billions of people around the world. Heed his inspirational words and take action. Hope has arrived here in the UK too. Yes we can.
It was an historic day. Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America, the first ever black person to be elected to the highest office in that land.
To date, Obama has already struck me as a great leader. He lead two great political campaigns, firstly seeing off Hillary Clinton, then seeing off John McCain. Victories like that, against formidable opponents, especially the former, don't happen without great leadership.
Hope You Can Believe In
Obama's election has given hope to millions of black, mixed race and immigrant Americans. They hope they not only will be treated equally, but are seen to be equal. They hope one day they can rise to positions of power, and to positions of leadership.
His election has given hope to all Americans. They hope for change. Many hope the war in Iraq will end. Many hope the education and health systems will be improved for all, and it not just be the rich who can afford and access quality facilities. Many simply hope Obama will do a better job than George W Bush, seemingly not a difficult task to achieve.
Obama's election has also given hope to billions of non-Americans around the world. They hope America will be a more conciliatory country. They hope America will be a more considerate country, especially when it comes to climate change.
Cranky Days
Hope is a powerful emotion. Having hope can turn your day from bad to good. If you wake up in a cranky mood, without hope you can remain cranky all day. It's not nice for you, and it's not nice for the people who have to deal with you.
Today we live in challenging times. We are in the midst of a deep and ugly recession. We don't know if or when it is going to end. Our banks are in complete and utter turmoil. We don't know if companies like Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS) or Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY) are going to be nationalised, and their existing shareholders completely wiped out, although many have been effectively wiped out already.
Our government appears to be floundering, admittedly under duress and completely unprecedented times. Every move they make can be criticised for being the wrong move. The hindsight commentators are having a field day. The bottom line is we're in a mess, there are no quick fixes, and we won't know for years whether the decisions of today were the right or wrong decisions.
Take Hope From America
We can take hope from America, our closest ally, and the country still most likely to lead the world out of recession. If you do nothing else today, I urge you to read Obama's inauguration speech. It gives Americans hope. It gives me, a non-American, hope. It turns a cranky day into a good, productive, uplifting day.
As we look out on our broken British economy, heed these words from the new 44th president of the United States of America.
"We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished.Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do."
It All Starts With Hope
There is hope. It's hope we can believe in. Sure, our economy is broken. Sure, it is painful for people who've lost their houses, lost their jobs and lost their wealth. There is barely a person in the country who hasn't been affected by the global financial crisis, and by the ensuing recession.
We can rise again. We will rise again. If America, the land of the free and the land of the optimist can do it, so can we. Hope brings optimism, and optimism brings progress.
Yes we can.
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> Of the companies mentioned in this article, Bruce Jackson has a very small beneficial holding in Lloyds Banking Group.