Some thoughts on… Inaugurating Realism

The first African-American President of the US; an administration elected with the most number of votes; a withdrawal of troops from Gaza by Israel; the most disliked Presidency’s final day. January 20th 2009 was historic on so many dimensions, that the word “historic” seems almost trivial -- there is a feeling we are living in a fairy-tale.

Two million people came to the freezing Washington Mall to witness the peaceful transfer of power from a hobbled administration to one bringing new hope and change for the country. The picture of the former Vice-President, Dick Cheney, pushed around in a wheel-chair was emblematic of a fallen administration – history will tell if it can regain stature.

The elation felt by the nation and the world is well earned. We all want to feel good about our country again and to reshape the future towards the possibilities we each envision. And yet, President Obama’s speech wasn’t the feel good message that people thought it would be. It was sobering, tempered, pointed.

So was the inaugural address not inspirational enough and too much of a downer? Let’s look at what was actually said.

At the very beginning there is stark acknowledgment of the economic, military, and foreign relations challenges facing the nation, and a blunt statement to stop looking for whom to blame and start repairing the issues.

“Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms…On this day we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of
purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end
to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out
dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.”

Everyone can help to ameliorate the situation, whether or not they are recognized for doing so.

“Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor – who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.”

In a scathing indictment to the W. era, there is a recognition that the war on terrorism is not an excuse to divert our attention to these challenges.

“We reject as false the choice between our safety and out ideals”

There is a statement that we all have an obligation to solve these problems, and we can not rely on just the government to fix the issues.

“For much as the government can do, and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which the nation relies.”

And finally, a promise that any solution to the economic, military and foreign relation challenges must extend to the poorest populations of the country and the world.

“…a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The
success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross
domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity.”

This is a call to action as inspirational as JFK’s inaugural speech “Ask not what the country can do for you but what you can do for the country”. The reason that it may seem like a downer is because we are not living out a Bollywood ending.

Over the past eight years, we were fed euphoric doses of cotton-candy truth – a declaration that we were “Mission Accomplished” on the Iraq war back in 2003; a system of “orange” level security alerts where we never see green or blue. This heightened reality reflected some truth, but like any TV show or movie, belied a false sense of comfort. By eating this candy in our virtual movie theater or living room, we tacitly accepted that other dimensions of our system would be ignored – declining levels of primary education, dilapidated trust of our fellow countries, over-reliance on foreign oil. But the candy tasted really good while we watched the show.

We ate that cotton candy willingly. But now that the show is over and the lights are on again, we are presented with some vegetables and protein and told to face the real world. We have to work hard and correct the course of the country and the world we have been ignoring for so long. The awakening is painful; the detoxification jarring.

As difficult as it is to swallow, the message is clear. “The world has changed, and we must change with it… this is the price and the promise of citizenship”


January 23, 2009

Some thoughts on… Bringing in the New

With the promise of a new year comes the thrill of making resolutions, which are typically cast aside by the end of February. In the spirit of creating messy resolutions that attempt success on multiple dimensions, what are some things I am hoping to achieve this year?

Deleveraging Happiness. One of the morals of the current economic fiasco is that American individuals and companies must deleverage their financial debt. American companies have been borrowing debt on their balance books to finance activities which led to overextension and overvaluation. Individuals have acquired credit with minimal savings to obtain houses and goods which they can’t afford. And now, the government will have to issue debt to purchase a bailout of the economy. At the end, these actions can only be accomplished globally if others are willing to save and lend the money.

We all need to borrow at some point but the intrinsic promise of that desire is the ability to pay off the debt in the future. But now cash is once again king. Banks that before were keeping minimal stores of cash on their books, are now building up assets. Producing and creating services to sell them rather than borrow for greater acquisition is the old mantra that is new again.

Applying this philosophy to a personal level, I am going try and deleverage my sources of happiness. We are all seeking the elusive source of contentment. Some find it by traveling to a beach resort, others by purchasing new clothes. Rather than relying on other people or things to provide satisfaction, I am going to seek my own fulfillment. I am not looking to become ascetic, but to bring joy to myself and others around me through my own actions. Clark Gersner in his musical You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown based on the Charles Schultz comic strip points out, “Happiness is anyone or anything at all that is loved by you.”

Exporting Pride. In the past few years, the US’ standing in the world has fallen. On numerous measures this is true – investment in education, reduction in greenhouse gases, access to minimal health care. Visiting other countries abroad, one pronounced dimension is our moral standing. We were viewed internationally as a country that had realized great promise. Presidential visits were regaled affairs and boulevards were named after them – Palermo, Italy (John F. Kennedy); Bordeaux, France (Franklin Delano Roosevelt). We imported bright minds to attend universities and held our position as a country allowing any immigrant to become part of the American dream.

Similar to how a leader can be shunned by others for a lapse in principles, we have lost respect amongst our allies. But that trust can be restored, but it is not the duty of the Administration alone. All of us living in the country should have a responsibility for exporting our pride in the US to the people of other nations. To conduct this sincerely, we need to characterize what we are actually proud of – the historical resiliency of the US economy, the long-standing ability of our political system to self-correct, the dedication to public service of the citizenry, the excellent choices of Obama for his cabinet – and communicate those ideas.

We all want to believe in our country. The conveyed pride is not based on unchecked nationalism, or susceptibility to political spin, but a genuine consideration for why we wish to live in this country. Everyone who lives here is an ambassador for the country.

Investing in Family and Friends. With stocks in a tumble and the market willing to place large amounts of money in treasury bills that provide 0% interest, i.e. letting the Government just hold your money for a fee, it’s difficult to know where to spend. So why not invest with the people you know and trust?

This isn’t just financial investment – although helping to pay for your sister’s education or buying your friends dinner is never a bad thing – but about emotional and spiritual investment as well. Creating occasions to be with friends and expending effort to support their activities may be the most profitable venture you can make. Personally, I am going to make an effort to see our direct family more than once this year. This may seem a scant, but actually quite difficult given dispersion through Denmark, California, Dubai, India and DC.

OK, ok, so the last part of the resolution is a cop out, since there is a one-dimensional goal to achieve, but sometimes a little simplicity isn’t so bad (as long as we don’t retreat there). So what are you willing to initiate with the new year?


January 4, 2009