2008 was a good year

2008 was a good year! You may disagree, but bear with me. The collapse of the financial system may have borne its ugly face in 2008. The energy crisis may have reached its peak in 2008. These, however, have been years in the making and we should not blame the innocent 2008 for the failures of its ancestors. Even if you insist on blaming 2008, there is still a silver lining: you were not alone. It is a true statement that misery likes company and plenty of that there has been in 2008. This, however, is not the reason I consider 2008 to be a good year.

Looking back at 2008 ten years from now, I hope to remember 2008 as the year we discovered what was wrong with our economy and energy policies. Without such discovery, we could have continued the old ways until it is too late. I will look at 2008 as the year the US started the return to the world as the beacon of hope. To me, 2008 will always be the year that America showed the world the source of its true might: its people. America has shown the world the ability of its people to seek, embrace and accept change. By many accounts the election of Barack Obama was historic, but history was not just made on this election night, it was liberated. It was liberated of the injustices of slavery, prejudices of the past, and stereotypes of the present. For those that may argue that all of these remain part of us as a nation, it may be true, but history has now become the head wind pushing us forward not the skeleton in the closet. Obama shared something with so many Americans, yet he stoked a fear or a prejudice in just as many. There were few that voted against him for his color or their perception of his religious beliefs, but yet the Bradley effect proved a myth.

Obama will be president for all and we can proudly say ‘Only in America’. There are other nations where people can claim to be wealthier, but no other nation can dare to compete with America when it comes to embracing newcomers. There is still more to do, but a threshold has been crossed. 2008 is my proof and that is why I will consider it to be a good year despite the painful personal losses.