America Is An Idea. That Idea Is Being Trumped

Although I wasn’t born in the USA and have citizenship to Canada and India, I consider myself proud to be an American citizen, and as such I try to be respectful of all the various perspectives in this my chosen nation. With that said, I did not lower myself to watch or mark the inauguration today. I appreciate the argument that the ceremony is about the democratic nature of the republic and the peaceful transfer of power, but Mr. Trump has already demonstrated contempt for these things, and so today they are being obscured. He has been profoundly inhospitable to immigrants, despite the edict: "Thou shalt neither vex the foreigner, nor oppress him: for ye were foreigners in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 22:21), to say nothing of his mistreatment and slights of women, African-Americans, the LGBTQ community, the disabled, religious minorities and other marginalized groups. Trump has been legally declared president and so cannot be called "illegitimate," but he lacks the moral authority and persona of leadership that compels a public intellectual such as myself to afford him, upon his installation, the respect of witness. I have watched his ascent thus far with disapproval and need not observe the apex. I will be no less content to watch the inevitable fall that his tragically-hubristic character is already predetermining.

I am grateful for the last eight years of my life knowing that former President Obama was in charge of our country. He never bullied, embarrassed or teased our citizens. He gave me hope, courage and a sense of pride for being a true American. He made me feel relevant and representative in his eyes, mind and heart and I was inspired by his bravery in showing kindness and compassion to the many diverse groups that make up America as we know it. He simply CARED. The inauguration of Mr. Trump presents a new and possibly challenging chapter in our country's history. I hope we all can take a moment to reflect on what the former President Obama taught us during the last eight years and use it to propel our own kindness and courage to celebrate our differences and share our compassion. Together we can continue this legacy by focusing on the good and to be supremely kind to one another. President Obama, I thank you for eight years of raising the bar, inspiring from the top down with integrity, grace, and excellence under pressure. In your own words: "Change will not come if we wait for some other person some other time. We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Imagine being Barack Obama waking up tomorrow morning: you're 55 years young, a groundbreaking, meteorically-popular, Nobel-prize-winning ex-president, blissfully on vacation with your perfect family. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.