Guest Manifesto: Call to Greatness
Guest Manifesto: Call to Greatness
January 20th and the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. In many respects, the world looked very different from two years ago when the idea of a black President seemed like a distant hope, when a nation was high on credit & flashing bling as if debt didn’t exist.
Back then, the Dow was at 12,580, on the way to 14,000 that summer. Bankers were “balling out”, lip sinking to “bringing sexy back” while bottle service was reaching the apex of America’s nightlife nightmare. General Motors was making money selling cars even while reporting some concerns about “nonprime mortgages” held by its financing division. 50 cent vs. Oprah. And the greatest worries about China and India were that their economies were growing so fast they could overheat.
Fast forward to present:
Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.
(Obama, Inaugural Address)
“…greatness is never a given. It must be earned.” (Obama, Inaugural Address)
The challenges the G faces are somewhat different in this sobering new landscape, but the fundamentals of the Game still remain the same. The truth is, G’s work well in any given circumstance — Veins of Ice and a diverse skill set unique to upheaval & adversity: agility, adaptability, smarts, smoothness, and belief in greatness. Real Game floats above the fray, Buddhist monk mentals & clarity of focus. International bases of operation on tropical islands with sunshine 365 days a year also play a key part in the Game.
Over the past few years, the U.S. government, originally crafted as a system that would serve the interests of the People, has devolved into a system of plutocracy where corporations control both the government and the People. Our nation’s policies on health, finance, environment, national defense and even education are increasingly slanted towards enriching corporations, usually at the expense of the People.
The only difference between a G and a Wall St. broker is that the latter is Government assisted money laundering, while the former — which gives back to small business — is prosecuted as criminal.
“Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class.” (Al Capone)
But with Barack’s message of hope and with a willingness to find meaning in something greater than ourselves, it mandates a shift in the way we think about our goals, our range of action, and our commitment to values beyond self-enrichment. After all, our life on this small bubble is short… what kind of legacy are you going to leave behind?
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those that have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” FDR, Inaugural Address 1933
“A nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.” Obama, Inaugural Address 2009
With this blessing from two great Presidents, I’m going to take Obama & FDR’s call to action and inject cash back into the economy and to the People who need it. To the struggling exotic dancer trying to make ends meet for college (education); to the Casino’s and Luxury sector hit by slow times (tourism & hospitality); perfect the ‘art of the grease‘ (arts); donate regularly to charity …and what more noble pursuit than that of robbing yuppie drug dealers like a modern day Robin Hood?
Welcome to the new Era of Responsibility, play your part.
I’m thinkin of a master plan
Cause ain’t nothin but sweat inside my hand
Cause everything’s possible, nothing’s impossible
Gotta keep ahead, gotta keep my head
– Tafari
aka By the People for the People
aka Putting the G in Gentlemen
Click Here for More by Tafari:
Guest Manifesto: Pick Up Artists vs. The G
Barack Obama Inaugural Address (Speech) (1/2)
Barack Obama Inaugural Address 1/20/09 pt. 2
