“It’s a lot easier to be cynical; to accept that change is not possible, and politics is hopeless, and the problem is all the folks who are elected don’t care, and to believe that our voices and actions don’t matter.
But if we give up now, then we forsake a better future. Those with money and power will gain greater control over the decisions that could send a young soldier to war, or allow another economic disaster, or roll back the equal rights and voting rights that generations of Americans have fought, even died, to secure. And then, as frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into our respective tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don’t look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share the same background.
We can’t afford to go down that path. It won’t deliver the economy we want. It will not produce the security we want. But most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world.
So, my fellow Americans, whatever you may believe, whether you prefer one party or no party, whether you supported my agenda or fought as hard as you could against it — our collective futures depends on your willingness to uphold your duties as a citizen. To vote. To speak out. To stand up for others, especially the weak, especially the vulnerable, knowing that each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, stood up for us.
We need every American to stay active in our public life — and not just during election time — so that our public life reflects the goodness and the decency that I see in the American people every single day.”
— President Barack Obama, Final State of the Union, January 13, 2016
The day after the election, I went to DC for a work trip and added a few extra days to wander the monuments and explore the Smithsonian museums. I hadn’t been back since leaving in 2018, so it was nice to have time to enjoy the treasure that it is and dwell on the future of our country.
I’m still clarifying my thoughts, but one thing is clear to me: cynicism will not serve us in the years to come. It is merely a manifestation of anxiety that serves only to extinguish hope. In times of change, life can feel overwhelming – that we are not in control. I’d encourage us all to look for the joy in our own lives, the kindness we can show to others, and the difference our decisions can make each day. We still have freedom to make the world a brighter place through our own actions.