Hope Heals: Obama words give hope

By Mallory Stiles
Editor in Chief

One thing I tell everyone who struggles with anger issues is that anger is a secondary emotion. I prod them to dig deeper and get to the core issue, but something I never tell anyone is that I am angry all the time.

I am angry because the world I live in just feels wrong.

People are supposed to be happy and safe, but they aren’t. Those in charge are supposed to do the right thing, but they don’t. We shouldn’t have to worry about another mass extinction, but we do.

I think MY anger is stemming from extreme disappointment and it hurts to admit it.

Acknowledging all of this, I didn’t turn on the news today. Instead, I went hunting for motivation and, fortunately, stumbled upon a 2024 exclusive interview with Former President Barack Obama.

It was wonderful. From the moment he started to speak, I immediately felt safe and wanted to tear up a bit because I realized how long it had been since I had felt that way.

It was a panel-style interview. One panelist talked about how Obama often speaks about the power of a good story and asked what story should be told in today’s political climate, when democracy itself seems to be at stake.

Obama, being the absolute genius he is, knocked the question out of the park and told the origin story of America itself; a story about a country founded by immigrants and of a governing body that was never perfect.

“I think the argument we can tap into now is about reminding people that we’ve been through stuff like this before,” he said. “We’ve been through eras, not that long ago, in which Black people were second-class citizens, in which gay people were in the closet out of necessity; otherwise, they might not be employed or worse. We have been in situations in which women were subordinate.

“It has never been perfect; it’s always been messy.”

It was the leadership in his words that took my breath away. It felt like a great coach forcing us to remember it was only halftime, and that our team had come back from worse.

I know we are all tired, angry and strapped for cash, but we have to rally. We can do this you guys. We can show out in elections, get involved in government and be the change we want to see.

“Democracy was never exactly as promised,” Obama said, “and then we had a bunch of people who worked together to realize that promise.”

To watch the interview, click here.