I Am SO Proud to Be an American Tonight

Wow, did I open a can of worms and push some intense buttons when I posted a message on a women’s business networking site on election day (prior to the voting results).

The initial replies to my post were appreciative and supportive, but suddenly there were some very caustic replies and it was obvious that those readers just didn’t “get it” — the intention of my message, that is. My post was NOT intended to be a political one. However, it soon took on a life of its own and turned into a political thread with lots of crossfire. Please understand that I was not involved in the crossfire — I did however return to the thread to post two more messages in an attempt to return peace to the thread and to further clarify my initial meaning.

I cannot help but wonder if you, my reader, will “get it” and understand the true source of my pride.

Without further ado, below is my initial post followed by the ones I posted in reply to the offended readers. It’s not necessary to include their posts here…I’ll just let you intuit what I was responding to. But the purpose of this article is for you to hopefully perceive the value that I intended, without any political provocation…

Posted before the election results, 2008…

I Am So Proud to Be an American Tonight

I am so proud of Americans and this country tonight.

It’s not about the winner of this historical election.

I am proud because it has been just a mere 145 years since Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and 143 years since the Constitution abolished slavery. And in that short span of time, the citizens of this country have put aside racism and its traumatic consequences and have evolved to the point of considering, nominating and potentionally electing an African American to be President of this country.

I am certainly not an historian, but I doubt that such a quantum leap in consciousness has ever taken place in the same short duration of time in history.

Even as late as the 50s and 60s a mindset remained and atrocities experienced that would have precluded a black from becoming the U.S. President.

I am proud of Americans tonight.

Whether or not Obama wins the Presidency, African American children have just entered an entirely new world of opportunity and will grow up in a much greater society and world than their parents did.

I am proud of Americans tonight.

Marilyn

My Reply #1

Please don’t distort my statements. I never wrote “145 years of oppression.”

I suggest you read more carefully.

Your statements would appear to mean that you would prefer to live in a time when blacks had no freedom or opportunity in this country. When blacks and whites could not share a restroom or even a restaurant or a white child could not bring her black friend into her home. Or lynching and attacks were commonplace.

Is that what you would prefer to the consciousness of our country at this moment?

You can focus on the cup half full or the cup half empty. Perhaps if you lived in those past times, you would better understand the point. It’s not about the politics. It’s about our nation’s willingness to overcome faulty conditioning and beliefs. The election was just the avenue of expression — and impact.

Speaking of which, I just heard that Nostradamus predicted this election 400 years ago.

Fascinating.

I am still proud to be an American tonight.

Marilyn

My Reply #2

Interesting how all of you turned this into a political thread when it wasn’t intended to be.

My sentiments were spiritually based, not policitically based. I think I am reasonably articulate. And I’m truly surprised that it was misinterpreted by some of the most intelligent women I know.

But yes, I understand emotions may be sensitive at this time.

I posted my thoughts BEFORE it became obvious that Obama was going to win. I was not embracing the question of whether he was the right candidate or the right president.

My pride had nothing to do with whether Obama was the right man for the job — although he may be and that will be revealed to us in time.

I thought I was articulate enough to get the point across that I was amazed at the short span of time, historically speaking —  and probably the shortest span of time in history — that such a shift in consciousness had occurred that would even place such a candidate in the running. And he was in the running because of that incredible shift in consciousness by the masses in what I consider to be an extraordinarily short period of time.

Extraordinary indeed. I have lived almost half that time period.

The shift I refer to certainly has nothing to do with whether Obama is part white and part black.

Would the KKK have cared a few decades ago whether the target of their attack was part white? Would a part white who looked like Obama be allowed to enter a “Whites Only” establishment? Would a marriage between a white woman and a man with Obama’s heritage and appearance been overlooked as interracial?

Perhaps my own emotions may be sensitive at this time, but in a different arena. Perhaps I watched way too many episodes of Anyday Now — the fantastic TV series about two best female friends —  one black and one white — who grew up together. The program took place in modern times, but in each episode there were flashbacks to when they were young girls. Relived were the historic situations going on around them and how it affected their relationships and family interractions. An amazing eye-opening series.

Perhaps I am just too enamored with Abraham Lincoln and his spiritual view of humanity and our equality.

Maybe it’s my belief in the idea that we are spiritual beings having a human experience instead of physical beings having a spiritual experience. And of course my very silly belief that human beings are inherently good and decent and compassionate prevents me from understanding how historical injustices could ever take place in the first place (whether it’s in the form of prejudice, slavery, dictatorship or whatever).

So yes, I may be having an emotionally sensitive moment myself.

But at least it’s authentic and I am proud. That’s not to say I was not proud to be an American before — I have always felt tremendous gratitude for being a citizen of this country despite its warts. I could have been born in Germany and being a Jew had a far different fate.

But my mind and heart have a special feeling for the overcoming of a tremendous spiritual hurdle that this election represented.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 🙂

Marilyn

Do you understand the relationship of my message to spiritual law and prosperity?