This morning within my morning news was imbedded the following

open letter to Obama by author/activist Alice Walker.  I am so

inspired by the courage and forthrightness that I felt called to

reproduce it here and to expand on the optimism of this moment.

Let me first remind you that "democracy is not a spectator

sport".  While new toys, including our adult toys of cars,

fancy duds et al, lose their luster, their fascination and

satisfaction quickly, new friends and new ways of seeing and

interacting with our world continue to bring love and satisfaction 

into our lives, growing exponentially as time passes.  These are

the true gifts we give to ourselves and to the Whole.  These gifts 

expand the heart.

From Alice Walker:

"Dear Brother President-Elect Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us.

Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You   

think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have

studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many

others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade,

century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the

flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can 

bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for

you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay

runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really

only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that

you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the  

Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday,

was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based

solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the

weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the

disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not

responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary

responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate

happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits

sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and

lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is

large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon  

become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice

their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon

have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This

is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way

of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no  

excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can

model real success, which is all that so many people in the world

really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and

gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely

manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that

success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost

everyone I would further advise you not to take on other people's

enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear,

humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in

those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We   

must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused

adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all

that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn

to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely.

However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I

often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be

no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more

dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has

already happened to people of color, poor people, women,

children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is

presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul

as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet.

Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to

remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul

dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to

mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile,

with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust

characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of

healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free

and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our

way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.


In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker"

Today as we honour and mourn our Veterans, and those still in

service, let us look forward with hope and optimism.  Let us

commit to making this country the country worthy of their lives

and their service.  They have done the larger part, let us each

do ours.

The future is as bright as we commit to making it by focusing on

our interdependence and by learning to live in alliance with our

deepest values, those that are formulated in the heart, the very

core of our Being.

We're sick of it, we're sick of the starving children, the abused

women, the wars.  If Obama starts to go in the wrong direction

it's up to us to turn the boat around.

The world is in such terrible shape that we must all participate

to change it.