Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Change! Yes We Can!

“Change! Yes we can!”

YES we can believe in change
YES we can cope with change
YES we can make the change
YES we can be the change

A campaign slogan used by Barack Obama, a 47-year-old first-term senator from Illinois, who shattered more than 200 years of history Tuesday night by winning election as the first African-American president of the United States. It is truly a historic moment in American history.

It is clear that drastic changes are happening around the world – environmental, economic, politics, war, declining of powerful nations and the rising of new super powers in Asia. The world is definitely NOT reaching its end as many claim but it is evolving and reacting to the changes made by people inhabiting this blue planet. It is a Natural process that we all take for granted, a process that we Buddhist are very familiar with, impermanence.

President Obama has showed the world an undying positivity toward this “change” or “impermanence” that is happening today. He possessed the positivity to move the American citizens to cope with the economic crisis; the positivity to make changes to the environment; the positivity to change for the betterment of the lives of average American people. By upholding this positive attitude towards change, he puts many people to shame.

It is the shame of just lamenting on change and not wanting to do anything about it.

It is the shame of just “seeing impermanence as it is” or “Its like this, what to do?” but not doing anything to stop its impact on others.

It is fundamentally the shame to people who give up to obstacles in their life.

As practicing Buddhist, we should always stay positive and happy. To whatever that happens in our lives, we should embrace change since we have established intellectually, as Buddhists, that impermanence is here to stay!

Let’s learn from this great leader on his positivity and humility despite all the odds against him and despite the daunting challenges that he will face as the newly elected President of United States of America. May he lead his nation and the world to a brighter future!

I urge all SBMY members, as a group or individual, to strive to learn from one another and embrace CHANGE and start today in making the positive CHANGE in our lives!!! YES WE CAN!

SBM YOUTH! *clap* YEAH!
Love,
Ming ming


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I guess we all like Obama cos he's so our generation =)and yes, while Obama aims at social, political change, we can mirror him to initiate spiritual and then social change too... Let's be the pioneer of a brand new world, dont let America be the first in everything =)- Ven. Bodhi