A Birth and a Death

First, the birth: it is the birth of a "new order", as news-websites put it. This is in relation to the victory of Obama in this US Presidential elections. While I was not able to vote (OBVIOUSLY because I am not American, nor do I live in that country), I amused myself with the thought: 'It would have been fun to agonize over the decision of whom to vote for- if I were an American'.

It was clearly a choice between two great men. In my own country (for the past couple of elections at least), the candidates numbered by the half-dozen, yet when you come right down to it, everything was choosing for the least evil, instead of the "better of the best".

In my conversations with my current-events-minded friends, almost everybody agreed that an Obama victory would put an end to the "racism", "blacks versus whites" issue that have been around for the longest, longest time. Yes, the racism issue for the past decades is not as pronounced as it was a century ago, but like cancer cells, they remain there. Even if not malignant. This Barack victory not only eradicates the cancer cells, it pronounces the patient on the way to Full Remission.

Still and all, even if I were American, there was a fifty percent chance (in my heart of hearts, 51%) that I would have voted for McCain. For a singular glaring reason. For those who do not know it, this guy used to be a POW- and he was given the chance by his captors to be let go- ahead of all his co-prisoners. HE DECLINED. While most guys in his position would grab at the offer before you could finish saying "Presidential elections"- this guy took his time and declined it. You have to be very impressed with moral virtues such as this. He declined it not to be different, he declined it not to be a hero later on. It is actually safe to assume that when he declined the "generous offer" of his captors, he already assumed he would die in that place. This is what I call "moral strength of the highest order". Would Obama have done exactly the same thing? Maybe yes, maybe no. We could speculate until the Next Presidential US Elections comes in, until all of us are blue in the faces, everything would be pure speculation. However, McCain proved it by doing it. "Been there, done that"- he could claim when facing our Supreme Creator when his time comes to be judged.

Such a shame he lost, but another part of me is very glad that Barack won, for other reasons I will no longer elaborate here. The part that I have something concrete to say about is this: I am happy for the Afro-Americans -both citizens and those simply forced to stay) of the US. For the very first time in the country's history, they would be able to enjoy one thing that all of their ancestors combined never had the luxury of having. For the first time, Afro-Americans would feel, really FEEL in all the shades of meaning, that America's head of state cares for them. Really cares, in all meanings of the word, after all- Obama is one of them. The amusing thing- and the laudable aspect of it all is - this win over McCain proves that the non-blacks of America also are confident that Obama would care for them too, individually and collectively. At first impressions, Barack will take care of blacks and whites (and the other races) equally well, but first impressions are not actuality. Only time will tell, but as far as gut feelings are concerned, I think this New President is going to be one hell of a president, and I mean it in the positive sense.

Well, that is that. Here is wishing both of them something. Barack, that he exhibits humility on this conclusive victory. For McCain, that he realizes that this defeat, albeit significant in his life, DOES NOT lessen the fact that he is one great man, one intelligent man, and that his supporters would wish him well until the end of his life. I am a writer, Mr McCain (on the very off-chance you get to read this), and it hit me that maybe one of these days, I will use your "I decline the offer of getting freed" experience as a good storyline for a story, a novel even. Believe me dear readers, this is the kind of act that would never die, it would be told over and over again, generation after generation. It is just a step away from the act of offering one's life so that others may live, or be saved.

Still and all, I would not dare argue that Barack's victory was not earned, unlike the elections of my country (I hate to admit it but there it goes)- America's elections are inspiringly honest and transparent. Hello Mr Obama, this birth of a new America (and world maybe) order is in your hands. (Most of it would be in your hands anyway, for as long as you would be there at the White House).

==================

So much for the birth of a new American "order", now we go to the death. My favorite fiction writers are Stephen King ('king of horror') and Dean Koontz ("master of gene-engineering speculative fiction")- however, Crichton is near the top of the list as well. He just passed away, and went on to grace the Great Halls of Writing in the Afterlife. I don't know him personally, I never even went within 10 kilometers of his person anytime when he was alive. However, I have read many of his stories/novels. Just to mention some of them: Airframe, State of Fear, The Lost World, Disclosure of course, and Timeline. The last one is what I consider as his ultimate best, disregarding the few works of his that I have not read to date (if ever one exists). Fact is, I've read Timeline at least twice, and I would not mind reading it for the third time. It was about a clique of professionals who had to travel back in time to 14th Century France to rescue a comrade. It was a most engrossing read. Such a pity that there would never be another novel like this, at least one coming from the pen of Michael Crichton. It pains me truly, thinking about it. Well, there are two inescapables: taxes and death. May he rest in peace, and may the tribe he left here on earth increase. The Crichton-genre writers (I am referring to the professional writers) may not be able to duplicate his mastery of words, or come up with the same breathtaking imagination, but they could at least try. You may be 13 or 14 or 15 years old right now, but every time you watch any of the Jurassic Park series, remember this guy. We all owe this fiction series to him, and now that he has just joined the "spirits" of all the T-Rex's, let us make him smile as he looks down upon us.

We can do this by making sure that his novels (whether translated to films or not) would be read by our children, and our children's children. Goodbye Mr Crichton. It's been fun. Rest well sir.