Obama's Inauguration Day

What aspects of our lives were emphasized by the speeches, ceremony, music, song, spectacle? What image of "the good and meaningful life" was strengthened and what sorts of lives were implicitly or explicitly critiqued?

Obama's speech has really set up the mood of national unity. It also gives people a sense of justice, dignity, and equality. It makes people feel like they are all the same regardless of the social class and now we are all here holding hands. Trying to work things together and change America. In other words, refresh the country and step forward to get better, so it will benefits everybody. By looking at the spectacle from the television, patriotism reveals. It tells people that they should sacrifice like the ancestors for the nations. Everybody is specifically focusing on Obama, and now he is the one who leads everybody to have a better life. It seems like a lot of people are counting on the new president to make this change. In the other hand, Obama gives people hope, another chance to be better, to improve things, make people feel fresh, and have higher expectations. All about changing. Thus, everybody have a good meaningful life, mostly-happiness.

Would Obama's words come true? I don't know until I see the actions. It is great to hear his plans as the 44th president of the United States, but I think it makes a lot of people to have high expectations on him. It also makes me wonder have people thought of the negatives?What if he fails to achieve what he said? Do they still sense the unity of the country? Would Obama lost his trust? Obama's speech has dilute the reality that people feel like they are in a nation that is willing to change. My analogy about Obama's speech was that all Americans are on the boat with Obama fighting against the crisis, and he is willing to bring people out of the danger and giving people hopes.

"We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord." "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met." This tells us that we have to face the difficulties in our life and we will meet success, but not in a short period of time. It tells us that we have to solve these problems together, and unity is important. We should always have hope instead of fear, and by doing so, they will be met. The speech do gives people hopes and make people to look forward to it, but how long does it takes? It will be solved, but when? It sounds like a commitment, that everybody commits to this and we are all united. But do unity really exist?

"Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet." This quote tells us to be generous and to help the others. We cannot be greedy and irresponsibility, or else we are weakening the economy. I personally think is hard to get away from greed as human, and everybody are greedy. Who is willing to share their wealth? If a person works hard for what they have, why do they have to share with a person who does not work hard as they do? I think it is hard to unite everybody together, and before that, everybody have to be generous. Is that really the way of living a good life? Working hard to share? It reminds me of quote saying we learn so we serve. For me, I think Obama is right that the consequence is from the greed of people. But how do we make people to get rid of greed?

"The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." I personally think everybody measure happiness differently, and everybody do deserve a chance to pursue as much as they could. But what if the merchants believe their full measure of happiness is wealth? How would they share? Are we really created equal? Are we really free? Everybody do deserve a chance, but I think it has to do with a person's ability to achieve, too. The chances are very limited especially for the ones who are born into a poor family who are starving for food. Do these people even have a chance to seek for happiness? Do they have the time to think about education when they have to worry about their next dinner? Is that equal/fair?

From the news knowing Obama's Inauguration actually spends a big amount of money. It kept me thinking about what would happened if partial of the money is actually spend on the poor. How much do those money really can help the people who really needed instead of for the ceremony, protection and safety, ...etc. Would it light up their life to seek out for another chance to have their full measure of happiness? Are their gartification is more easier to fuifil? Also by watching the ceremony on the television, I personally think is a bit boring and uninteresting. It also makes me think of while a lot of people are celebrating this special day with smiles hanging on their face, the other part of the world have somebody who are actually suffering and struggling their life with food. It is quite ironic but also the reality.

One of the music that is being play is called the "Simple Gift", I think it has to do with freedom and that is the simple gift that everybody should deserve to have in this nation. I like Obama's speech by pointing out the problems about America such as human's greed, not taking responsibility of things...etc. But I personally think it is way too difficult to solve these problems, and I'm looking forward to see how Obama take actions to solve the problem that he sees. Like he said, it is not easy, but it will be met. I am really interested at how he will actually do it, and curious about the results.