Obama: No Messiah, But...

As a Republican, I voted for Barak Obama. I did not necessarily vote for all of his program ideas, but I did vote for his vision and his leadership. However, Americans must be aware of a looming danger with respect to the election. Americans suffer from the Messiah Complex.

This is not meant in a religious context, although it does apply there as well, but rather with respect to our growing trend to rely upon someone else to save us from our ´selves.´ Americans have moved away from any sense of self-reliance to a state of total dependence concerning almost every facet of life. Since the Great Depression, people have sought the solutions to problems from the government. There is no question that in some areas this has been justified, but the growing reliance on Washington to meet every social, economic, environmental and societal need with a ´program´ has diminished our freedom.

Freedom implies responsibility. To be free, you must accept the consequences of your choices and your actions. The eight years of the Bush Administration is evidence of what can be lost when the people fail to take responsibility for their lives, their country and their nation´s policies. Economic chaos, failed foreign policies, educational mayhem and climate degradation are but a few areas in which reliance on others have not served our best interests.

President Obama cannot solve all of your problems, nor should he. He will not save you from mass commercialism. He will not, as he said, turn your TV´s off and insist your child does school work. He will not turn off your lights to save energy. He will not demand that ´you´ demand eco-friendly products. He will not buy your non-polluting detergents and cleaners. He will not make you stop using plastic sippy cups and baby bottles that are poisoning your children. He will not stop you from feeding your family junk foods that are turning our youth into ´Generation ADD.´ He will not make you or your children exercise to burn off the pounds of excess fat. He will not mend broken relationships. He will not make you love your neighbor and treat others with respect and dignity.

People must come to understand that the solution to life´s most pressing issues come from within. On the one hand, Obama is the product of a seed that was planted by many who feel that the world is ready for a new vision; a vision that proclaims that we can live in balance and harmony with our selves and our environment. But Obama is just one plant that has come to fruition. This one plant cannot feed all of the masses. The vision that has slept within us all must now see the light of day if we are truly to create a new reality. The messiah within must rise from the ashes and declare that it is now ready, willing and able to take responsibility for the world in which we live. Do not lay it at the feet of Barak Obama. If you do, the worst of what has been foreseen for 2012 may well come to pass.

With the election of 2008 we have been given an opportunity and, hopefully, it is an opportunity not lost on the general population. We, not Barak Obama, can show the world that we once again embrace the principles of our ´founding fathers.´ We can take the lead is solving the issues of poverty, global warming, human degradation and economic slavery. It is we, The People, who must embrace Obama´s vision and make it a reality. Obama is the catalyst but he is not the savior. It is we, The People, who must do the saving and once again take the lead in making this a better world.