Unlike his predecessors, Obama does not have a high-profile lineage to boot. He rose from the rank, fatherless while growing up, raised by his mother and grandmother. Not to mention, he is not pure white. He’s been in the major league politics for more than a decade only, and surely becoming the president of the most powerful nation in the world is a very daunting feat.People wonder why I watched the life of Obama closely. I would normally answer because he is an embodiment of what real America stands for. I am a Filipino, and will always be a Filipino. But I cannot help admire the influence of the US in my country and on myself in my short sojourn there. Obama inspired me to look beyond my colors and roots. He showed me that it is not impossible to become great in an arena when (some) people might think you do not fit by virtue of standards and expectations they set (or most notably, due to their bias and prejudices?). I care less.
Being ushered in the limelight for a responsibility that seemed to have been designed for the ‘super human’ is very intimidating. And, it is not only about the tediousness of the tasks and the (overwhelmingly) weight of the responsibilities, but the life that is being placed under the scrutiny of public eyes is not easy to bear. Privacy here now becomes a much-sought luxury. It is like living in an aquarium where people can see the details and intricacies of your personhood, and probably they will even try to peek into your soul. IMO, this is a heavy burden in all sense of the word.
I am hoping and praying that Obama delivers what he promised in spite of the pressures surmounting. Let us all hope that as he step at the bat’s plate come January 20, 2009, he will be able to turn the US ailing economy around in two years time as he envisioned.