As happy as I was last night, I have to say I wasn't surprised on the outcome of the presidential election. But I found myself surprisingly moved when it became official. During president elect Obama's acceptance speech it suddenly hit me that what started with my generation, a movement of tolerance and love that created a paradigm shift in the collective consciousness of us as a nation, a movement that ended so badly 40 years ago at the same location as the celebration was being held, had finally became real! And it took our children to do what we never came close to doing. Equality, dignity, a quest for peace and compassion just became mainstream in an incredibly significant way last night! When we were last in Chicago, we were young, full of hope and ideals. We tried so hard to change ourselves and our surroundings. And we were completely and totally unaware that we were the minority view in this nation. The bloodbath of 1968 election proved that all to clearly. After that election...we just kind of went on our way. There was still a war to end, still to much injustice to ignore, but the movement died in that same park, outside the democratic convention in the summer of 1968, and in the polls in the Autumn that followed. We carried with us what we could, excepted what we had to, and as every generation before us, just disappeared into life. The shift had happened, but I think it was so subtle, and we were so busy being disillusioned, we may have missed much of it. Looking back I can recognise that we all seemed to treat each other a little differently, hateful words and actions were pushed into side alleys and gravel paths...off the main street that had such a short time before been excepted as the natural order of things. Your flag decal didn't get you into heaven anymore! Intolerance and hatred were just a little less acceptable, and had to be a little more hidden. We did not go forward unchanged.
And last night it dawned on me, that in our collective homes our children were being raised to feel that intolerance is intolerable. They were allowed to flourish in the state they were born in and not taught how to hate, or who to hate. And what so many of us thought dead 40 years ago was delivered to the nation last night on the shoulders of our youth. They worked, and volunteered, and most important came out in record numbers to vote. They delivered the first real chance at the kind of change we believed with all our souls to be possible 40 years ago. I am so proud and inspired by our children today.
There was a part of a song I listened to many years ago, and thought beautiful and profound. But last night I finally understood the real meaning of the verse.
We can teach them nothing-nothing but survival in a desert bare,
But they can teach us how to love, and live and tie bright ribbons in our hair
Thank you children, for the lesson
You didn't have to wait so long!
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