Inauguration 2009

What an amazing day! The first African-American president is sworn in to office and I am lucky enough to be alive to witness it. Not only is Barack Obama a minority, he comes from a Muslim background! Now we all know that President Obama himself is not a Muslim, and that's cool. But his father was from Kenya and he came from a Muslim family, so I think that is pretty awesome. I think it just goes to show you that skin color and religion and politics can bring together people, not just divide them. I have always had friends of different faiths and colors. They were mostly Christian, since I grew up in Oklahoma, but never was I once discriminated against. I think a lot of people woulf be surprised at how many people were actually interested and intrigued by our different backgrounds and cultures. And I never felt like I had to hide that part of myself to fit in. Watching the news, you see the entire world celebrating this momentous occasion with the United States. I think that is what is so amazing about this man, how he has given hope and inspiration to millions all over the world. I know that he is not perfect; after all, he's human. But there are some people in this world who have the ability to change people from the inside, and that kind of change can be powerful when multiplied. I pray that God gives him the strength to make good on all his promises and to make this world a better, more hopeful, and less fearful place....not just for us, but for future generations as well.

The Pandora Complex

Well, anyone who knows about Greek mythology, probably knows all about Pandora. For those who do not, that is a shame, because Greek mythology (and all mythology for that matter) is truly fascinating! For the un-enlightened ones here is the story of Pandora....a short version of it at least.....

Zeus, the king of the gods, wanted to punish mankind for accepting the gift of fire from Prometheus. So he hit upon a plan that would do just that. He had Hephasetus, the smith-god, mold a girl out of clay and had Aphrodite pose for it to make sure that the girl was beautiful. He breathed life into the clay figure and then invited all the gods and goddesses to greet her and offer her gifts.

The girl received many wonderful gifts, but the two most relevant ones to this story are the gifts that Hera and Hermes gave her. Hermes, the messenger god gave her a beautiful golden box and told her that she must never ever open the box. And then Hera, the queen of the gods, gave her curiosity.

After that, Hermes took her to Epimetheus, Prometheus's brother, and told him that she was to be his wife. She was named Pandora, the all gifted. And so the couple were married and lived happliy ever after....or would have if not for that golden box.

Pandora was constantly thinking about the golden box. She polished it everyday until it sparkled...and even then it seemed to her that the box was mocking her. She thought about opening it, but she always remembered her promise to Hermes to keep it closed.

But the box was tormenting her. She put it in the storeroom, but still found excuses to go there. She buried it in the garden, but even then it was all she could think about.

One night, she went out into the garden. She unearthed it and took out the key. And then she opened it. To her horror, black scaly bat-like creatures flew out. They circled her head and then flew off into the night, hissing and cackling.

With the last of her strength, Pandora shut the lid on the box, trapping the last creature that was struggling to get out. And then she fainted away.

But how did Zeus punish mankind? And what were those creatures? They were the ills of mankind.....diseases, insanity, old age, famine, drought, etc. They flew into homes all over the world, and when the time was right, they attacked, bringing death and pain and sorrow.

And what was that very last creature that did not get out? That was Foreboding. If it had escaped, everyone in the world would know of every misfortune that would happen to them. There would be no hope and thus mankind would be ruined. For man can go through a myriad of endless troubles, but without hope, he cannot live.

Now what does this have to do with my blog, you ask. Well, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Pandora's box as a "prolific source of troubles." I think we all have a certain amount of Pandora in us. We all are curious and we all have troubles. But we also need to realize, through all the troubles and pressures of today's world, that things could be much worse. Sometimes, we ourselves are responsible for our troubles...we need to look beyond the golden box. But if we do get blinded by the golden box, that's all right; after all we are only human. But no matter what, we should always have hope. I am sure that there are people out there who do not agree with me and that's all right. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and I welcome them. But even through all of our differences, we should all remember that hope is the greatest gift that we have.

With that said, I wanted to share my thoughts and ideas with the world. I think that hope does not have to be an abstract idea. Hope can be found in everything, books, movies, and art, among other things. So this is where I will talk about these things and share my experiences......and I hope that these things will provide some sort of certainty in this uncertain world.