It's the End of the World as We Know It

And I Feel Fine.

Living in Japan for the past year, I largely missed out on the 24-hour coverage of the presidential election. In fact, even though I registered to vote absentee, I never did get my ballot. In any event, I never got that caught up in the presidential election. To be honest, though, while I was impressed with Obama's message of optimism after 8 years of fear, I didn't have a whole lot of faith he would follow through with his promise of change.

So while I was happy the Obama won the election, more for what it said about my fellow Americans than what it said about Obama, I was hesitant to believe in "change" until I saw it. In particular, I wanted to see Obama make his first act as president be to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. That, more than anything to me, would signal the Obama is serious about restoring American ideals.

Well, it wasn't his first act, but my eyes teared up this morning when I read the news: Obama orders Gitmo to close. 3 days into his presidency and he's committed to shutting down that black-eye of injustice and putting America back on the high road of morality.

In the words of the 2nd century philosopher Hierocles,

We ought always to deal justly, not only with those who are just to us, but likewise to those who endeavor to injure us; and this, for fear lest by rendering them evil for evil, we should fall into the same vice.

As an American, today is truly a proud day.