Thoughts - Monday, November 3, 2008 13:24 - 0 Comments

WE wait to exhale

No need to squint any longer – the finish line is, at last, in sight.

As Tuesday marks the end of the U.S. campaign trail,  it appears as if a big chunk of the world is holding in their breath, anxiously waiting to exhale.

Hours away from arguably the most important election of our lifetime, the U.S. and the world population, fatigued and fed-up, are poised for either heartbreak or jubilation.

The road has been long (can you think back to when the frenzy started, almost two years ago!?) and downright draining.  It’s been catty, ugly, and circus-like at times. And it’s been inspiring, and has even managed to dust off the concept of Hope, bringing it back into the lexicon of a grateful nation.

If anything, the race has been effective in its ability to mobilize people. Not only in the U.S., but around the world.

From social network applications designed to ‘get out the vote,’ and strategic viral video campaigns (it hasn’t been dubbed the YouTube election for nothing), to mock voting experiments such as ‘If the World could Vote‘, it seemed as if everyone on the planet had been granted a free pass to pitch in their two cents.

Despite the political sparring spilling into living rooms and water cooler talks everywhere, a notion of solidarity and community emerged. Naturally, it hasn’t all been Kumbaya-like. Tempers often flared (as they ought to in an issue with so much at stake), but the notion of ‘WE are all in this together’ was clearly felt.

Barring any last minute bombshells, every pre-election word has been uttered; every possible editorial has been penned; every political analysis has been made. Now, the protagonists of this drawn-out showdown join their nation and the global population in the arduous waiting game.

While polling stations close tomorrow, WE’ll sit tight and wish with all our might – here comes the bias, folks – that the Hope that we’ve been given a glimpse of, will have the chance to make good on the promise of Change. And that this Hope will stick around for a few years, say, oh, for another four years or so. Maybe longer if WE believe – as we rightfully should – that WE are worth much more than what the status quo has lined up for us so far.

What a ride to the finish line it’s been.

p.s. Get out and vote on Tuesday. WE all depend on it.