Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Change, 4 Seasons in One Day

I woke up this morning with a sense of change ahead of the day. It's the 5th of November 2008 in Melbourne and likely afternoon, 4th of November 2008 in the East Coast of America - Election Day. The temperature was cold this morning and as they went on the mercury went up. I thought the 4 seasons in one day that everyone has been telling me was a joke. Well it isn't.

The change in temperature meant also there is this breeze of change going on. I received a text message mid day from a friend telling me that Obama was winning. At 4:00 in the afternoon, another message, my friend telling me that he is very teary watching Obama giving his acceptance speech. Change has come to America and change will likely to happen the rest of the world.


He highlighted gays and asians in speech saying that him being elected is:

"... the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican,
black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not
disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just
a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states."

I reckon Obama will be a symbol that telling everybody that being different in colour, race or creed does not matter. Whilst it has mentioned several times by many that USA has still racial divisions and scars of the past especially amongst African Americans needs to be healed, I don't see that much when I am in the United States because it seemed to me, everyone is relaxed there about different colours and race.

A number of Australians pride themselves of cultural diversity but I reckon the country is still a young country to be like USA where black or white is not really a big problem. (This is still subject to debate of course). I could give Australia a go, in fairness. But there are still some quarters in society within Australia of racial friction. I hope this will change and I hope Obama's win is a welcome wave.

Now, the word gay was mentioned in Obama's speech. I heard that the Democrats will introduce equal rights to gays and lesbians. I don't know how acurate but it feels like it. What worries me really is within the gay and lesbain community, there is also discrimination amongst themselves. Another change to tackle? I guess, I won't make this too significant for me. No President or Pope can change the whole world perfectly. Life is about contrasting colours, ideas, thoughts. It is like the weather, the contrasting temperatures and characteristics in each season(i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall) tells us a hidden truth (rather than a mystery). There is a reason for all these to exist.

The reasons are showing up now. Change.

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