Column by Duke Gatsos

I am not an Obama fan. I am not a fan of politics in general. I was not one of the masses who wanted to stand out in the cold in Washington and listen to an inauguration speech. Frankly, after that sorry excuse of an acceptance speech, a litany of flowery words and empty enthusiasm, I wasn’t looking for our “fellow citizen” to provide much of anything but the same on inauguration day.

Yes, I am one of the “cynics” who apparently “fail to understand that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.” Sorry, I missed it when that changed. While the speech did its best to adhere to stale political arguments, the analytically educated mind I paid so much for was able to find something to hold onto.

Our president did not try to dupe us by avoiding the issues, which I appreciated. There is a crisis in our future. He is right— hope and virtue will lead us forward. We already know that, however, or if we don’t, we haven’t paid enough attention to the past. The concepts of “hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord” are obvious. What is not so obvious, and what we need to hear from our new leader, is how and why. I wasn’t expecting to find those in his speech, but I did — after some good ol’ fashioned cynical thinking.

Sifting through the fluff, I found this statement of how to move forward: “We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.”  I understand clearly how deeper meaning fills my spirit when I give to others and recognize my place as one among many.

I agree that it’s time to put aside the collective actions that have weakened our place in the world: “leisure over work, or seek(ing) only the pleasures of riches and fame.” I am glad he outlined that sense of generosity, the wonder that it supplies to your heart, and the way that conviction translates into greater peace in the world. Finally, a politician paved a way. Of course, the more concrete answer to the question “how” is yours to supply. How will you embody the spirit of service?

The answer does not often lie in grandiose acts of kindness. In a more direct way than our president offered, I challenge you to give yourself in common, simple ways. Open doors, smile at a stranger, write an article for the Kernel, submit artwork to The Cat’s Figment. You don’t have to go far to make a difference. In fact, you are where you are for that very reason.

The second worthwhile section of the speech dealt with responsibility. We were encouraged to make tougher choices. It was made clear that the way out of the crisis, the way to a new chapter in American history, is to be “the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor.”

How you do this was left up to you. Start with your finances, since that’s the obvious current challenge of our day. Make some tougher choices about how you spend your money — hey, maybe even save some. Get out of debt, and stay there. This is no easy task and, despite Obama’s words, “that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task,” it’s not that easy. While he is right about the ultimate satisfaction, transitioning to that experience is a begrudging task. Duty is not always a cheerful path. If responsibility were so wonderful, we would not be in a crisis.

The days our president recalled, when people (our grandparents and parents) saved money, worked diligently and put aside leisure and fame, are old, but are also true. He is calling for a “new era” of values exemplified in these ways: “the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job … It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child.”

How you choose to go about those tasks, follow those duties, or reach out in citizenship is your own, but it is a choice “that finally decides our fate.”