FAREWELL PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA | THE END OF AN ERA

 | personal

"He made me care and he made me proud"

I’d be the first one to tell you that I don’t know everything about politics . I’m not familiar with all the issues , nor an expert of any issues or issue . Of political , sociological , environmental , cultural impact , I get it from the same sources most people do , the internet . I’m not on the streets , I’m not at the meetings ,  and the only rally’s I’ve gone to in the last decade has been an almost extinct retro hamburger joint in the suburbs of Anaheim . I'm not an expert .

standing strong for America

What I can write about expertly and authoritatively is my own experience of these last eight years . These last eight years with our 44th President and the impact that his presidency had on my life and why I will miss him dearly . 

circa 2008

circa 2008

From memories of child hood and first moving to America at the age of 8 , I have thus far lived through President George Bush Sr , two terms with President Bill Clinton , and two terms with President George W. Bush . Through all of those Presidents , I have been largely uninspired . Not from a lack education mind you . Through high school , I studied government . I was in AP Comparative Government , and was involved in  four years of Model United Nations , all of which educated me on 

many of the issues in the world ranging from aids and overpopulation to disarmament of WMD’s and Middle East conflicts which I kept up with through college on my own time . Information wasn’t my problem . It was hopelessness . I felt that , as many people of my generation at that time felt , there was such an overpower feeling of “what’s the point?” . The world seem to happen to us rather than because of us . Soon after college , I didn’t cared when the current President spoke

 or made speeches . When I did tune in and felt the need to at least stay informed , I was met with what ranged from uninspired to disdain . Soon enough , most of what I heard about the President and the state of the government were the punch lines from late night talk shows and satire from TV shows and the internet . No faith , no hope , no idea where things were going or reason to care why it was going there . The world was happening to me .

"Staring determinedly into a blurry second term | Circa 2012 

There are many reasons for these feelings and I’m sure many papers have been written . I’m also sure that a lot of these problems stem from the individual . I could of fixed the issue myself and try to stay active in doing what many people have done in the past . But that’s the problem with feeling hopeless . I didn’t see a point in trying any of that . 

Sassier side of our President | circa 2012

circa 2016

Here comes Barack Obama , the 44th president . the first black President with a message of hope , and message of “Yes , we can.” He’s the first president of the social media generation , elected largely by the social media generation . 67% precent of voting age American citizens are active on social media and 66% of those citizens engage in political activism on those networks . He won nearly 70 precent of the vote among Americans under the age of 25 . The highest percentage since the U.S. exit polling began in 1976 . Much like President Kennedy , he found the right avenue and the right time to deliver his message .  

Maybe it is because I’m in the right age group , but I was moved by him from almost the beginning . Through the many years that followed , he offered a brand of presidency that at the very least , made me want to tune in , wanted to be informed , wanted to be apart of . 

I didn't always agree with all of his moves in the White House . But in a country of 318.9 million citizens , 89,004 local governments , 50 state governments , 435 House Representatives , 100 senators , and lord knows how many government agencies , it is an impossible task to please everyone at the same time . The American government is set up as a complex system with many moving parts all pulling and pushing in many directions each with their own agenda and representing their own segment of the American public . Not a single government official, even as Commander and Chief , can shoulder all the issues and be responsible for every decision that comes to pass . Often times , a decision on one issue is rarely done singlehandedly , many people are involved in one decision and as shown by every conceivable television show or movie ever made about government work and the Presidency , the job is more attuned to playing a couple games of chess simultaneously than checkers . Every move has fall out , some public and some quite the contrary . I've held that scope for every President , not just President Obama . 

I imagine that it looked a lot like this except instead of chess pieces , they're playing with human lives

The Commander and Chief does have a task that no other position requires and that is to act as a figure head and a public face for the American Government . He stands in front of the American public , in front of the international community , and speaks in representation of what America is and stands for . He’s there to offer inspiration to the disenfranchised , solicit eyes and ears to prominent issues plaguing the nation , and to be an unequivocal representation to the dignity and standards of America . 

And to that , President Barack Obama had in spades . 

He made me proud and he made me care

You can disagree with his politics , you can argue against his policies , and you can stifle laugher at his White House correspondents’ dinner speeches . His legacy is still to be decided but you can’t deny the fact that he engaged the public with a gravitas that we haven’t seen in quite sometime .  

I will be completely honest and state  that I haven’t done everything that I can to be more politically active . As I’ve said , “to get in the streets” and dive into the issues . But as someone , who 8 years ago , gave no shits about what was happening in the world around me , I will say that his time in the Oval Office , has made me open my eyes and offered me hope for a chance to not let the world just happen to me but that I can effectively take part in the process and be proud of it . To that , I can’t thank him enough

circa 2016

To President Barack Obama ,

Thank you sir . Thank you for 8 years of incredible service . Thank you for bringing dignity to our country’s leadership through the hills and valleys of changing times . For the millions of people you have inspired to participate , seek knowledge , made to believe and to gain faith , we will never forget 

It was an honor to have lived in this time and bear witness

In spite of people of different political power publicly declaring that they'll do anything and everything they can do stop him , he still managed to find a way to be great . If that isn't an all American story I don't know what is 

*the photos used for this post are not my own .