What it means to support Barack Obama?

For the first time in my life, I am so deeply affected by a political race and a political candidate. I have been a fervent supporter of Barack Obama since the primaries. My support for him is not because he is an immigrant’s son or that he has lived in third world or that his skin color is not white; it is the fact that finally there is a leader with vision for a prosperous future. He makes me wonder that maybe this is how Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King inspired so many ordinary people to do extra-ordinary things. For people who talk about his inexperience should read some world history. The greatest leaders in the world did not become great by performing task themselves but by inspiring others to do make big sacrifices and fighting larger than life battles. He has a vision for future and age does not make somebody visionary, either one has it or they do not. Age can only solidify one’s beliefs. India got freedom because of Gandhiji’s capability of inspiring the whole nation to unite together and participate in Non-Cooperation movement. He inspired people to silently take battering from Britishers to propel the message that it’s high time that they leave our country.

Everyday looking at Barack Obama I am inspired to work a little harder and keep pursuing my dreams. I am sure I am not the only one who is so deeply touched by this great man. At times, I feel blessed that I am part of this historic event which will shape the 21st century world history. He is the contemporary politician my generation can relate to. His personnel life struggles are an inspiration for so many of us.

Yes, he did go to Harvard law school but that does not make him an out of touch elite. He is an elite who climbed up the ladder of class through his hard work and determination, nobody gifted it to him on a gold plate. He lived on food stamp at a point in his life, his mother and grand parents have sacrificed so much for him to reach where he is today. So all his critics who claim that he is out of touch elitist know that they are lying. Barack Obama is truly like one of us who made it on his own and that is what is most inspiring to me.

I was awed by his speech on race in March. He is probably the only politician who could address this subject so objectively and eloquently. This speech in history will go down as one of the best speeches. In his speech he was not lamenting about anything neither did he hold anybody nefarious, instead he was uniting people regardless of their differences in history. History has been very putrid to lot of people but disparaging over the past will not take us anywhere. We all need to confluence now and that is the only way we will find an effulgent future. This is the message resonated by Barack Obama. World has been ruled too long by corrupt “Divide and Rule” policy leaders. Now it is time to have a leader who will unite us despite our differences.

Recently when he decided to leave his campaign trail to visit his ailing grandmother, my respect for him augmented. He did not do anything astounding, there can never be anybody more important than one’s parents and sibling, and no job in the world is more important than them. The reason for my reverence for him is due to his priorities in life. If a man, who is so close to winning presidency, can take a risk of leaving campaign for 2days to meet his ailing grandmother then his priorities are in right place. We all have formative figures in our lives and nothing can be more important than them. I can trust a country in such a man’s judgment. With Sarah Palin’s latest $150, 000 dressing spree a very startling comparison was made between Obama, his wife, and her. I saw a picture of Obama on campaign trail with his shoes worn out and it reminded me of my parents. My parents always gave the best to us and never cared about themselves. I am not suggesting that Obama is as altruistic as my parents were to us but he is not a parasite thriving at my money unlike Palin. Again, the question of priorities, what one thinks is more important.

In recent days, watching him in the midst of global economic crisis my conviction for him has only grown. Watching him this election season once again my belief entrenched that no matter how viscous attacks are, how cheap your opponent(s) or critics are only calm and composed mind can win. Anger is a sign of weak person. I do not remember ever any politician influencing me so deeply. When I look at him and read his story, it inspires me and generates hope in me; a hope that with hard work, dedication, discipline, and vision I can also fulfill my dreams. Most importantly, he makes me believe that every dream is worth fighting for and in the dictionary of hardworking and sincere people, the word impossible does not exist. To me believe in the audacity of my dreams and hopes are what it means to support Barack Obama.