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President Obama

by Sr. Mary Margaret Funk

I took a day of prayer and fasting yesterday and read the book Obama From Promise to Power by David Mendell.

This book was an eye opener. I can see why there was such a fear of him from his liberal leanings in Chicago and I also had not realized how black he feels is his identity.

Again, seems like with a white mother and his home family living in Hawaii he’d not be so conscious about being black. But perhaps the book stressed his multicultural identity growing up.

I guess it is amazing to have a black president with only 12% of the country of black origins, but I certainly do not feel his mixed racial genetics define him.

I remember traveling with Rinchen Dharlo of the Tibet Fund. He said ethnicity and race are not a helpful categories. He said that when he fills forms out about his race, color he has no category to mark. I feel we must transcend gender, racial and class identity restrictions.

Consciousness eventually transcends ego consciousness that has those limitations of being gay, black, rich, poor, fat or beautiful. Those consciousness patterns are from the self. Our goal is to be Christ conscious....that is, walking in the Presence and holding ourselves lightly in being. This is closer to adoration of God rather than esteeming our own being. The freedom is to be lifted from an attachment to thinking about ourselves or thinking about what others are thinking about us (conceit or vainglory).

We all have a new opportunity with this election to start over with our support and whole hearted gratitude for such an opportunity to select leaders and to assist in any way we can for a wise governing of our resources.

On another matter, the shift in Indiana from eight years ago is radical. For Indiana to go Democratic for the first time in 44 years is amazing. Living as I do with so many nuns that mostly vote Democratic there was little notice of this historic event. I feel this shift represents that multicultural diversity is already here and that as a people we must change to keep up with reality.

The hope now is to continue the dialogue skillfully.

I feel strongly that the polarities of conservative and liberal get us nowhere and keep the splits spinning into chaos. The liberal agenda is to protest the status quo. The conservative agenda is to maintain a status quo. But who has the status quo? What we do have is a people longing for peace and generosity, especially to those in most need.

Yesterday I took a day of prayer and fasting. It was sobering to see how fragmented my mind was about all the election negativity. Purification is at work in all of us. There is a new day here in Indiana. I am grateful to be a part of this amazing country called America.


Barack Obama's Columbia and Harvard training as well as his smart wife will be quite an asset. He's a star and many good things happened to him to poise him on this world stage.

I am grateful for the generous transition. John McCain's concession speech was a class act. I did not hear it today, but some of the nuns said President George W. Bush gave Obama a hearty sincere welcome to become President #44.

Hope is now reigning. With good dialogue skills and our inner striving for purity of heart this hope will become manifest to our tired world and enliven a new generation ready for the next challenge.