Thursday, February 5, 2009

Compassion, the "new" black

Faith based initiatives: Good idea. It’s American. At our core this is who we are. I like what the Ba hai faith says about different religions “that all spring from the same source.” I believe this. I grew up in a very religious family. At various times and stages in my life it has been a bit inconvenient. However, having experienced a mighty unseen hand at work at some of my most perilous, frightening moments, I holdfast to my abiding faith in a higher power. My foundation is still that of a 12 year old humbling accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. That said, I have also seen the inner workings of many “organized” religious institutions and it was not always pretty. So I can understand how the best and highest ideals of man can fall short with flaws. While not perfect most religious followers will do well as long as they remember and honor the concepts of caring more for others than themselves. Just “caring” is a giant step in the right directions. Thanks, President Obama for bringing “compassion” back.
I think it’s great that we have a leader who has and outwardly exhibits compassion and humility yet remains strong and Presidential. Keep up the good work. It does matter to people like myself. I’ve never been one of those people who wanted my President to be “someone I would have a beer with.” I want a President who is smarter than me but can also “relate” to me and my situation with compassion. What if, compassion becomes the “new” black, where average service oriented people become our heroes. Imagine a time and place where service is honored over greed.

Just as the little "black" dress forms the basis of any descent wardrobe, compassion should form the basic character of any descent human being from the less to the greatest. Thank you President Obama for being a role model not just in words or deeds but the very essence of your being.

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