It is a rare occurrence when we see such imagery as this Space Travelers. The circumstances of which we see Barrack Obama in tears is from when he yesterday spoke about the passing of his beloved grandmother. His grandmother who had raised him in his teenage years in Hawaii ended a long struggle with cancer in the last days of the election.
The loss of a loved one is the kind of event that is impossible to escape and yet no matter how we prepare, the weight of such a thing is never subtle, never casual, never small. When we are leaders, people look to us for strength and perhaps somewhere in the evolution of our society, we began to associate tears with weakness. Some perverse notion that allowing the natural course of emotion instead of fighting with every ounce of their will equates to a lack of strength.
It's understandable that we place such a high standard on the office of the president of the United States. I think that perhaps just as much criticism on those who aspire to fill that office. After almost two years of hearing their names used in the daily blend of pro and con, these people begin to lose their dimensions; they slowly atrophy into brands. Obama no longer becomes a man who feels love, anger, or sorrow, he becomes just a 5 letter word, a picture, a soundbyte. "Obama" exists where there is no Obama the man. surrogates supporting and contesting his campaign invoke his name to either strengthen or weaken the brand Obama.
So it is in the final hours of the campaign that we see him on stage, letting go of a few tears. It stops our heart. We are startled and caught of guard. It makes us uncomfortable. We want our champions to be invincible. We don't want them like us: Frail or prone to hurt. We see the President to be a position to big for "people like us" so when we see him in tears, we see ourselves. We are forced to come to terms with their mortality.
We see Barrack in tears and we are forced to relive the loss of our own loved ones. We see their last days in peace or pain. We relive the feeling of helplessness at one of the only known truths of this world. It sobers us.
Perhaps I use "we" and "us" to liberally. Maybe it is just me who can't advert my eyes away from that picture. Perhaps it's just me that finds it profound at all.
Regardless Space Travelers, on this the day of the election, whoever you vote for, I hope that you remember that they are more than a name in a booth. Come the day of January 20th, 2009, please remember that too and for the days to follow.
Take a moment to look.
~Chi
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