The golden bullet…

While this has nothing to do with the subject of the post, I was surprised to note that Indians are the United States’ biggest supporters, not withstanding the belligerent cacophony of Karat and Co. We have, in our admiration of the US, left behind a trailing list of countries that comprises of almost all the power blocks that are subservient to the US. The Russians and Turks are the guys that hate the US the most while we keep crowning the Taliban with that honour.

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With Obama, set to take oath of office today, the US has worked itself into a proper frenzy – the likes of which has not been seen in modern times. The credit undoubtedly lies with Barack Hussain Obama whose emotive appeal for ‘change’ and ‘hope’ has not only captured the imagination of the youth – the world over, but I guess, somewhere deep down we were all weary of the conflicts, the very real shadow of terror that we spend our days in, and the tailspin that the global economy has been sent into due to the reckless greed of large financial institutions and individuals straddling them.

‘Hope’ is undoubtedly the one single emotion that we all live by. Strip us of this and the world would be populated by a set of zombies, with nothing to look forward to. It is to Obama’s credit and oratory skills that he has held out a bright beckon of hope – a hope that wanted to see an African-American holding the most powerful office on earth, a hope that a sane, thinking and empathetic person would be in a position to make some real changes in how we want to live in this world, and a multitude of other manifestations of hope.

Obama has, so far, held onto the high moral ground, making all the right noises, astutely choosing his lieutenants and largely justifying the faith that the American people have reposed on him, but he has also, in the process, created a mountain of expectations. While he has been trying his best to bring down expectations to a manageable level, the people, I am afraid, wouldn’t be as patient as he would like them to be. With the eyes of the world on him, Obama must during his presidency try and bring some sanity into the world; move beyond the narrow and vested confines of geo-political interests to deliver on substantial environmental goals, use the power of the US to help address the causes of terrorism, bridge the increasingly widening gap between moderates and fanatics, and deliver fast on the economy.

Obama has wriggled himself into an unenviable situation where he is seen as a golden bullet, a panacea for all that ails the world. If we were to lose his cool or his head, the self-created mountain of hope that he has so carefully carved out would turn into an ugly Frankenstein, ready to mercilessly devour its creator. Obama needs all our prayers and wishes to succeed; succeed not only for himself, but for the world – so that the youth in each and every country can elect from among themselves such change agents, who can make a real difference in our lives.

Best of Luck Barack Hussain Obama and God Speed!