In my dream, I was painting a large rather abstracted portrait of a man. He was a little like a painting I created forty years ago of a man crouching, his hands folded over his knees, very impressionistic. This one was less dark with many bright, very intense colors. As I worked a bit on his hands, I realized the painting had created images I hadn't planned. First I saw a ghostly group of four cowboys looking into the distance, lined up as though waiting for something or seeing a sunset.
When I looked to another part of the painting, I saw it all change. It was as though whatever line you saw first, that made the painting into something else and this time I saw a young woman sitting in the corner of a kitchen with two small children across the room from her.
If I tried to make the man clearer, the other images would be lost; so I settled for trying to make the abstract painting work, not look for the images and then when it was done, hope they would all be there or maybe different ones.
Except in a dream, no painting like that would really be possible, not even with digital. Trying to make other images be hidden is a common trick in painting but this was bigger than that. It was what happened, not what you made happen as the artist.
The dream was likely impacted by my own painting right now but more about the way the world appears to be. It is like a big mosaic of color and wherever you look, that is where you see the absolute, total and only truth. Except if you look elsewhere, center yourself there, don't look away, the truth shifts and it's not the same one. We think we know the truth and so does everybody else who sees it differently.
I am excited about Barack Obama having enough delegates to secure the nomination for the presidency. I am excited that many people looked at him for who he was, not his skin color and voted for him. I am not excited that many people looked at his skin color alone and found a reason to not vote for him.
The battle to change this country has just begun. The election process this fall will be brutal. The lies will be everywhere. I have heard a lot of them and it amazes me that anybody believes any of it. Barack Obama is not just multiracial, he is multicultural. That scares many people. They trust what they know. They did that when they voted for George Bush.
So those, who want our next president to be Barack, have to donate what money and time they can to the cause of getting him elected. They have to bat down the brutal and vicious lies that are going to come at them. Research research research. Good things don't come easy. When those emails come in with the charges that are intended to frighten or anger, look for whether they are true before passing them on. Don't doubt for a second they will be coming because it has worked before.
For those who believe in prayer, pray that there will be protection for Obama. For those who believe in white light protection, think of it around him whenever it comes to your mind. Don't allow anybody to repeat anything that could encourage violence-- not even in a joke. I have seen enough political assassinations to know that there are those who see that as the answer to anything that frightens or seems to threaten their existing order.
The distortions are ridiculous that we hear even from the mainstream media. They become fixated on something like a flag pin. It takes a lot to get genuine information on any subject. The internet is a good place to bypass the mainstream medias, but it takes being discerning even there. It's an obvious truth but bears repeating to ourselves every so often-- not every written word is truth.
On one of the current arguments going around that Hillary Clinton won the most popular votes; therefore she at the least should be Vice President. It ignores some states do caucuses, that Rush Limbaugh was encouraging some of his fans to vote for her to create chaos in the nominating process. It is a silly thing to say anyway, but silly things work if people are easily led. A coach said something that put that argument in perspective. From now on, he suggested, each season let's just count up the total points scored at the end and regardless of games won or lost, the team with the most points wins. I liked that. I also would remind voters that Al Gore had 3 million more votes in 2000 than George Bush. Who was president next?
So it's a good day and a day to be proud. I hadn't thought of it but one of the pundits said this is the first western type nation to select an African-American to run for their leader. He's not there yet and it's a long road ahead, but it is surprising that for all the bigotry we are accused of, we would be the first nation to look beyond a man's skin color and vote for him on his abilities. They say young people are more like that anyway, not letting superficial differences cloud their judgment about who someone is. Sure some voted for him because he was black but they weren't enough to bring him to this point. So it is a day to feel good but it's a long way from over.
17 comments:
Obama's win is another beginning. I am watching for what he does with Hillary's challenge. I think it will take a few weeks before we know what will happen. Sigh.
Hillary is trying to bully him into choosing her for veep by asking her followers to comment on her website and obviously encourage her to keep running. Sort of like the Yankees letting their fans decide if they won the Series.
If Obama did choose her, she'd be trying to run a co-presidency and undermining his every decision. He has to be his own man now and pick someone who can help him govern wisely if he wins-- not just help him get elected. I know her fans say they won't vote for him and that might well be so. If they get John McCain with that attitude, they will get what they deserve.
It is definitely interesting. We are the first western nation to have man of color be a major candidate for president yet according to Mrs. Obama and the leaders of the Trinity church the white man in America is keeping the black man down.
Another thing I find funny is that in 2000 G.W. Bush was speaking Spanish all over the place to try and court Hispanic voters since there are many more of them than African Americans. I have not seen Obama or McCain speaking Spanish on TV. But now it is not nearly as popular. Funny how times change and what is important for candidates to do changes.
If Hillary some how bullies her way into the Veep spot, I may have to move to Canada or something with Alec Baldwin and Susan Serandon.
Ingineer, it's Mr. who is running for president. His wife is being maligned and many things are said about what she has said that aren't true. She made a speech where she equivalently said that she hadn't believed America would vote for a black man and was proud to see she was wrong. A lot haven't thought Americans would and frankly there are a lot who say they won't vote for a black.
The point that is important is Obama has not said the white man is keeping the black man down. He has said it's one of the changes that we have seen since Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous speech on having a dream. These years have taken us a long way but what Obama said is many who lived through those other times (like his pastor and for all I know his wife), have a hard time releasing them. And they are a long way from done as you would know if you were a black in any of our big cities or even small towns.
In southern Oregon, last week, a couple had the KKK symbols and other threats burned into their yard. The couple are black man and white woman with a baby. The police caught the young males who did it, but the problem of race is not gone. The same thing has happened up here and in these primaries some said they would not vote for a black. That attitude is going though and it can be gone if people quit seeing others as a racial group.
My husband, who has worked for big, mainstream corporations only once was asked how he would feel about being put under a different boss and it was when that boss was black. My husband didn't mind at all as he knew the man had a lot of ability, but why was he even asked? I find it amazing you think there has been no racial unfairness. The fact that it's better and that a lot of people can see beyond it doesn't change the fact it's been here and still is in some places.
As for Hillary, she proves everyday why people like me did not want to see her as president. It was there in her temperament in the past and hasn't changed. She can smile and look nice, but there is an ugliness inside her that comes out and last night was a good example. She wants to force Obama to choose her as veep. It would probably doom his election but she doesn't care. It's all about her.
btw welcome back to commenting, ingineer. Your thoughts here are always welcome with their sense of humor, thought out positions and yes a different slant than I have. I think that's beneficial in a conversation.
For those who don't read the comments back aways, ingineer is back from his honeymoon in Hawaii :)
I think it shows that Hillary will not/can not accept that she isn't the person who should lead our country. She is a very good example of continuing to get more of the same rather than changing for the better. If she were the running mate, I don't think I could vote for the ticket.
WONDERFUL Post, Rain...And I so agree! So much MIS-onformation is disseminated by everyone, including the so called Media!
I pray and I believe in White Light...Obama will have all this and more, coming from me. And as you said, the hard hard work is still ahead.
Thanks for you comments. I was not trying to say that there has not been or is not racial discrimination in this country. For the record, I have several friends who are black and of mixed race. I also know that white men do not have a corner on the market on discrimination. I have experienced racial prejudice from blacks and seen Vietnamese people discriminate against other Vietnamese because they came from a different part of the country.
What I am saying is that many of the black "leaders" seem to spend a lot of time blaming slavery or white people for their condition today. There are no slave holders still alive or even anyone that ever knew a slave holder, except for maybe Robert Byrd, he may be old enough.
I just find it somewhat ironic that someone that went to Harvard can tell me how they do not have any opportunities in this country. And then when a black man like Bill Cosby tells it like it is, he is derided by his own people for betraying the cause.
I do feel that this is really the beginning of the new century and millenium. The past eight years have been a walk through the fossil yards, literally and figuratively. Now we wake up to a new day and try to imagine the new world where a candidate will be judged on the content of his character.
Let the contest begin.
but it's obama running, not jesse jackson or al sharpton who didn't even really help him, nor did he want their help. Read Obama's writings, his speeches. See what he says. If people get caught up in all the other black people's opinions, it won't work. He is a black man who is running as a man with diverse experiences in life. That's all. He's not running to be the black man's president. He's running to be the president of all the people. His election won't end all of the division either but it is a start that people saw him as a man and not a color. For too long people have seen colors and yes it is true that it's as wrong if it's oriental or any ethnicity that is different than they are.
AND where did you read that Obama said he had no opportunities in this country? What are you getting that from? Not his book, not his speeches? Where are you learning that Obama said that. AND he worked to get through Harvard. He wasn't handed it. They paid off their school loans only recently. Boy you really do like McCain, don't you! I hope you are listening to his speeches and what he says as much.
I was referring to Mrs. Obama not Barry, about the hate whitey speech. I hope that you all are correct that we can judge him and all men by the content of their character. I really do believe in Dr. King's dream.
But Robin I am not sure you are really going to get what you are looking for when they announce yesterday that many of Obama's top advisor's are from the Mondale and Kerry campaigns. I am not sure why he is going with a the losing teams. It seems like just a rehash of the last 30 years of democratic party strategy. Not really the change I was hoping for.
if you are referring to Michelle Obama's many years old term paper at Princeton for your information, please check out snopes on this. A lot of what is out there in emails, which some people have turned into gospels, are pure lies. Check everything because the supposedly moral party loves to lie.
But Laura didn't control George. If she had things might've been different. Michelle is not up for election. Read what Barack says. It's what counts.
You have two choices now-- assuming that the Clintons don't pull something between now and the nomination. McCain and Obama. Research them both. You can vote for neither but that will end up giving it to one anyway.
As for who he has chosen to help him decide on a veep, some of that is to give himself cover. He might've already picked one. How'd you like how it worked when Cheney did that and decided he was best? Did that impress you? He also has Caroline Kennedy on his team of that deciding. A representative of the new generation that is taking over. And none too soon.
Maybe Caroline Kennedy should be the Veep. She certainly has name recognition.
As for Hillary pulling something. Do you mean like the Bobby Kennedy plan she was talking about. Sorry that is really not that funny, but with my sleep deprived sense of humor today it is a little funny.
How about this quote: "The United States of America is an extraordinary country. It is a country that has overcome many, many, now years, decades, actually a couple of centuries, of trying to make good on its principles. And I think what we are seeing is an extraordinary expression of the fact that 'We the People' is beginning to mean to all of us," - Condi Rice-- not Michelle Obama.
Well of course that is OK, because she is a republican. ;-)
Maybe Condi will be McCain's Veep. That would be fun to watch. That would trump Hillary and Barry.
I just heard a quote on the radio from a guy in Ireland. "Why are you guys in the US even bothering to have an election. On one side you have a lawyer who is married to a lawyer running against a lawyer who is married to a lawyer. On the other side you have a guy who is married to a good looking woman that owns a beer distributorship. What are you guys thinking?".
A very good day, indeed! Whether Obama wins the Presidency or not, the fact that he secured the candidacy of a major party is highly significant. But as you say, now the hard work starts. So let's get on with it...
Today is the anniversary of the RFK assassination and I have major concerns about Obama's safety. RFK would have made a wonderful president, I think. Racist and religious whackos are so unpredictable. When Obama was working the room after his speech the other night, I was watching the secret service guys. They were vigilant and worried and my own heart began to pound. I don't think he should be in the thick of crowds like that. He's too vulnerable.
Post a Comment