The Day They Thought Would Never Come

It's Presidential Inauguration day in the United States. "I never thought this day would come while I was still alive", is the statement I most hear from the humans around me, as they watch Barack Obama take the oath of office to become the 44th President.

When I was born, slavery had yet to be abolished in this country. It has taken a civil war, civil strife, the sacrifice of eloquent leaders and the eloquent contributions of those ordinary people who took a stand and suffered the consequences, to arrive at this day. It has taken more than a century and a half to make the journey from one brave President's proclamation that the United States could no longer operate under the shadow of slavery, to this moment when another brave President could lay his hand on that same bible and become the first black man to ascend to the highest office of this country.

For a century and a half, I have watched humans as they learn what they can tolerate, and what they cannot. Today I watched as the people of this country allowed themselves to imagine a new way of looking at the world, one based on hope, personal responsibility and connection with their fellow humans. A world where race, gender, and religion are no longer issues which divide, but simply some of the characteristics which make each human unique.

It's been a very good day.