I've been trying to get beyond the obvious emotion that Obama inspires. It's not hard to "feel" something, but what is that feeling for me personally? In watching the video below, it occurred to me that I feel so inspired because he has touched on the pride, and the burden, I feel toward my family's history while also staying true to my one belief...there is nothing certain but change and death. Those who fear either might just be wasting their time.
I believe, to anyone who met him, my great grandfather must have been the bravest person they'd ever encountered. A sniper in the Czar's army, he fled his native country to avoid another reassignment to the Siberian wilderness and almost certain death. He fled at the risk and reward of his own life, but in the meantime, he granted me mine. He got on a boat and came to an uncertain world where he didn't know a soul. He suffered, starved, worked, and ultimately died knowing that he had, in the end, provided a better life for his children. My grandfathers and my godfather both did the same. They worked endless hours and found their way through uncertain, depressive times. They however, found greater material success than their parents ever could have dreamed. Still, their motivation was never for material wealth or the pride of accomplishment, it was simply, to make a better life for their children. And that they did.
And so to my father, who I never really understood until I was an adult myself. Until I understood what Obama understands. That no matter what the commercials tell you, no matter what your critics say as though it's the truth, it comes down to what you decide to do. My father and my godfather instilled every last ounce of the work ethic I have today. They are the reason I will never stop. I can't stop. My father found success in Pulmonary medicine and my godfather in scrap metal. My father put himself through college at Columbia, medical school at NYU and one of the most competitive fellowships in the world, at Johns Hopkins. When I say he did it himself, I mean it. He wanted something, and he went after it without a moment of hesitation. He studied himself into a full-ride to every institution he ever attended. Is my father brilliant? Yes. But that has nothing to do with his success. He worked harder than the next guy, and he won. And you know what? He deserves to take credit for credits sake. Instead, I know that he did all of that, for me. He has never said so, but it's the truth.
So what will I do with this privileged life I lead? Can I be as brave as my great grandfather, as humble as my grandfather, or as hard working as my father? If I can, will I ever be able to do it so selflessly? I'm not sure, but I do know Obama is making me think about it.
