Ephemeral Euphoria

Men call it "Blue-Balls".
Women say: "That's okay, it happens to a lot of guys".
That's the feeling that many will be left with after the Inauguration.

The euphoria was meant to be be ephemeral.
We weren't meant to be in a state of denial or dismissal for the next four to eight years.
We were supposed to enjoy one small victory and then begin the arduous task of tearing down old institutions and beliefs, and then replacing them with a philosophy or practice that would encourage and sustain the maturity of our culture.

What Change?
I have a dumb-ass cousin who never pays her bills on time.
Each of her parents work at a petro-chemical plant and earns 100k+ yearly.
This girl is close to thirty and has still never lived on her own.
Her credit card bills, late car payment charges, cell phone bills and other bills grow every month.
In her excitement for Barack Obama's election, she's booked a trip to Washington D.C. to join in our county's celebration.
She's worked overtime for a month to finance her trip.
Now, don't get me wrong - I'm just as excited as the next man in having Barack Obama as our next POTUS.
But I pay my bills.
My dumb cousin feels that being a part of a situation, that doesn't seem to have encouraged a positive change on her part, is more important than actually making a change (like paying her bills).
She's like the girl in the above picture, hitch-hiking to a fictitious ideal.
How many others of those in D.C., this coming week, could have better spent their time, effort and money on something that would have brought about the change in their lives that many are seeking in Obama's coronation?

Run Jessie Run
Progress is like a relay - each leg being run by individuals and organizations until their purpose is fulfilled.
From Lincoln,
to the Civil Rights Movement,
to Obama (And MANY others in between).
People, like Jessie Jackson, picked up the baton from the cold dead hands of Martin Luther King Jr. .
Those same people tried to hold on to the baton too long and run the next leg of the relay themselves.
Obama had to snatch the baton from Jessie and others, in order for him to cross the finish line and win the race.
But the elections were just a preliminary heat.
There are still more races to be run (won).

We Are Still A Young Culture
Think about it.
We have only had a modicum of real freedom for a little over one generation.
Slavery? Nope, not free.
Segregation? Nope, still not completely free.
The Civil Rights Movement? Nope, we were still fighting for basic human rights.
So maybe the Eighties is when we were finally able to enjoy any sense of true freedom.

Why the Eighties?
-The Cosby Show and A Different World showed most of America a part of Black culture that had little to do with the Good Times mold.
-Spike Lee.
-MTV finally showed a once Black artist (Michael Jackson).
-Public Enemy, BDP, NWA, and a lot of others in hip-hop rapped about more than being dancing and jiving coons.
-HBCU's and their Afro-centric influence were more visible to those outside of the South (Did you have Cross-Colours and a leather Africa medallion?).
-Doug Williams.
-BET founded (Okay...a plus and a minus).

So our culture of real freedom is still aspirational.
We're still trying to figure out what it means to be truly free and the expectations and responsibilities that go along it.
Our culture of real freedom still in it's teen years - still pompous, pretentious and un-knowledgeable.
We're still trying to prove to our predecessors that we are worthy of being considered mature.

So.
What changes do you make?