“Why can’t we be nice…”
January 22nd, 2009 Posted in Blog, Community, Leadership, Uncategorized
Obama inauguration ceremony on C-Span
“Why can’t we be nice to each other like this all the time?”
After all the analysis and punditry around the inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th president, this statement is one of the most enduring moments of my 4 days celebrating in Washington D.C. I’m not usually political in my posts, but I couldn’t let this occasion pass.
Nikita, a beautifully dressed African American woman from New York, had sat down at the Billy Goat bar with a group of us Hoosiers to find some warmth and watch the “We are One” inaugural concert and the NFL playoffs Sunday afternoon. After just 2 days it was abundantly clear that this was a celebration of historic proportions. Crowds every where you looked. Strangers striking up conversations everywhere. People were here from New York to California and everywhere in between. They were happy. And, yes, people were nice to each other. They were nice when we stood in line in the snow on Monday to pick up tickets to the swearing-in. They were even nice when we were in the chaos of trying to get onto the Mall on Tuesday. Old friends hugged and danced at balls. Strangers exchanged stories on crowded subways. OK – some people started getting a little cranky at an ill-prepared Dulles Airport when thousands of people showed up to fly home Wednesday morning.
Now that I’m back in my “real world,” I still find myself smiling and being thrilled at having been a part of the inaugural festivities. A lot has been made about the hope that our new president instills. I’d take it a step further and say he’s not only inspiring, but he’s intentional about providing leadership to help us solve our problems and make America a better place. So, maybe we can be nice to each other all the time.
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