the arch of the moral universe is long

A lot has happened over the past week and a half or so, and it has taken me about that long to soak it in. We the people of the United States elected a black man named Barack Hussein Obama president! It's amazing! I have never been more proud to be an American than I am now. I don't think any of us, myself included, fully understand the significance of this event. It wasn't that long ago that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of this. In his last speech Dr. King spoke of the arrival to the promise land. "I may not get there with you," he said "but I want you to know, that we as a people will get to the promise land."

“How long? Not long! Because the arch of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

We have lived to see the justice Dr. King spoke of, and although I am not black I feel a personal appreciation for what we have been a part of.

We have all heard the comparisons between Barack Obama and Dr. King and I don't think they are far off. In his acceptance speech President Obama echoed Dr. King's words.

"It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day."

One of the moments that affected me the most on that historic night was the reaction of the Rev. Jesse Jackson. This is a man who was with Dr. King the day he was shot and held him as he lay dying. He has witnessed the arc bend and seen the promise land. It's a good time to be an American.