1968 vs. 2008

I was born in 1968, perhaps the most tumultuous year in the recent USA history: war in Vietnam including the My Lai massacre, assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., election of Richard Nixon as president (and the concert return of Elvis the day I was born). It seemed to me that I was born then, in part, to help heal this world. I am encouraged that the US voters chose to elect a person as president who seems intent on healing rather than harming. Having served twice in my life as president of an organization, I know that the hardest part is fulfilling the vision of the people you serve. The challenge now is for national leaders to lead by example and put our money where our mouths are and have been for a long time. Yes, John McCain was humble in defeat, yes Chicagoans turned out en masse, yes Oprah Winfrey and Jesse Jackson cried tears of joy, yes the USA took a step forward...and now the real work begins. I will turn 40 at the end of an era and the dawning of a new time. I am energized and hopeful.