Barack Obama just delivered one of the finest speeches I've ever witnessed. Both personal and universal. It presented to us our most noble selves, and called on us to see that nobility through. Some excerpts, from the transcript:
A common dream, born of two continents.
My parents shared not only an improbable love... they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation.
They would give me an African name, Barack, or “blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.
They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential.
And the highlight of his speech:
A belief that we are connected as one people.
If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child.
If there's a senior citizen somewherewho can't pay for her prescription, and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother.
If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.
It's that fundamental belief – I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper – that makes this country work.
It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family.
E pluribus unum.
Out of many, one.