Image by Idhren via Flickr

Without assigning any judgement, it is safe to say that the past year has had a profound effect on many individuals,

For many, like myself, there was a political awakening that took place that began with a primary season running so long and so heated, that one could not help but take notice and began to feel, as did many Americans, that this election was going to be one that many people had not seen in a very long time. 

From a personal standpoint, regardless of the medium, whether it is sports, history or politics, I am drawn in by the personalities.  It only figures that I was intrigued by the man who would go own to become our President, Barrack Obama, who at the time appeared both mysterious and intriguing.  Truth be told, his mystery probably had more to do with my own lack of awareness of the political scene, but at least in the scope of this election, he appeared to come from nowhere and bring with him a message and a mentality that others have not been able to so successfully convey to the population at large.

But now, more than 100 days after his office began, I still find him to be a curiosity.  Who is this man?  Who is the man that over the course of the year, his story would unfold in such a way that it would not only capture the attention of an entire country and many others around the world?  For these answers, I have begun to work my way through his first book, Dreams of My Father.

On the surface, the book appears to be quite genuine, expressing strongly the hopes, dreams and fears of a young man, who had a very varied upbringing, all told with the terse cadence that we are growing accustomed to in our regular press conferences that are becoming he hallmark of his young term in office.  In many ways, it is the book I fear I would write some day, displaying both a passion and naivete that borders on saccharine, that I don’t believe I would have the courage to share with others.  For this, I give him great credit as he is providing a voice to many who can draw from similar experiences.  

What I particularly enjoyed are the lessons he learned from his trip to Kenya to see his father’s family… his family.  He makes the point that when you finally come home and meet the family you do not know, you somehow take responsibility for your part in the family.  This is something that a person must come to terms with and somehow make peace with as well. 

Just recently returning home to see my family, whom are far from long lost, only living an hour and a half from me, I think I understood what he was talking about.  When I came over, I greeted my grandmother and quickly went outside to see the new above ground pool, the same one they could not help brag about, and the same one that I helped pave the way for by helping my uncle dismantle the decrepit old pool that the new one replaced. 

It certainly looked good, especially given the time and effort I invested to help make it a reality.  What I noticed however was the large pile of dirt next to the pool and the large area that had been dugout around the outer pool area.  When my uncle came over I asked him about it and he explained that the installers were not responsible for filling the hole back in and that he had been working on it since the early morning in the rain so that it will be ready for his side of the family to visit later in the month.  In my eyes, it felt that despite his efforts, he had a long way to go if he were ever to finish and without hesitating I offered my help. 

Unlike last time when I was asked to come lend a hand, this time I offered it on my own.  We worked for an hour, took a break and then I returned alone to shovel until I couldn’t anymore.  On many levels, this effort wasn’t anyhting special, however to me this was what President Obama was talking about.  Sometimes a person will be called by their family to lend support and other times they will get that support without having to say a word.  For him, it took a trip to Kenya to better understand the burdens that come with balancing the longstanding values of family commitment with the new world realities that can often make doing this so difficult.

What this reminded me was that although this balance is delicate, it only exemplifies the need to embrace the love and kinship that comes with family and continue to find ways to express it.  For me, this was stepping up and helping in the yard.  For others, the contribution may be more significant, however what is clear is that the first step must begin somewhere.

Now, I think I will argue that I am the one becoming overly saccharine, however this speaks to the point of the book.  I have great appreciation for someone willing to share this type of story, but an even more appreciative that we have an opportunity to read it now, before age and experience have a chance to affect the sure to be seen post presidency memoirs that will be written later in his life. 

This book is filled with many themes on race and identity, as well as family, all of which I would encourage you to discover.  Being able to read it, knowing now that he has continued to grow and now sits in one of the most powerful seats in the world, will only serve to make the book even more appealing.

Image via Wikipedia

While at dinner tonight, my wife and I were completing a self assessment from the book, How Did You Score That Gig? by Alexandra Levit.  Normally, I think these types of quizzes are fun, but I don’t put too much stock in them.  Tonight I was quite intrigued as both of us were fairly accurately categorized with my wife being the consummate “Adventurer” and my results placing me as an “Entrepreneur”, with “Networker” and “Investigator” running as a tie for a close second.

What does this mean?  Well, in my opinion, it is telling me that although I am suited for my job, there are other jobs out there that might speak more to my skills and interests.  I am sure there are many in the same boat :)  Seriously though, when looking at the potential jobs it lists as a good fit for the Entrepreneur, I had to chuckle, when “Blogger” came up.  When I saw it, I smiled and said, “I can do that! I am doing that!”

But wait, am I really a pro at this?  According to the book, it looks like I have a way to go.  Pro bloggers spend hours upon hours a day following their topic(s) and post many times a day to keep people current.  I became even more amused about this topic when I turned on my computer a moment ago and found the following article on techcrunch, one of my favorite blogs:  Do Any Of You People Actually Work? This is a site where they live and die on people spending hours surfing the net, however they have the sneaking suspicion that we are too… everyday… at work.

Maybe we are all closer to being pros than we think?  51% of people who responded to their quiz, as of this post, already spend 1-5 hours a day while at work.  Too bad I am busy with all of my meetings and projects to have that kind of dedication.

Interesting article (but kind of long).  Good description below.

infoneer-pulse:

austinkleon:

Great article. Bottom line: there will always be gatekeepers, and the more and more books that get published, the more readers will look to gatekeepers to tell them what to read.

we’ll still wind up with a literary marketplace in which a handful of blockbuster names capture most of the sales and attention, personal connections are milked for professional success, and relatively few authoritative voices have the power to lift some artists into the spotlight while others languish in obscurity. Writers who are charming in person and happy to promote themselves and interact with fans will prosper, while antisocial geniuses may fail. (It’s unsettling to wonder how the Salingers, Pynchons, Naipauls and David Foster Wallaces of tomorrow will fare in a world where social networking and glad-handing are de rigueur. Why should extroversion be required of a great novelist?) The result: not a whole lot better than the system we already have, but also (hopefully) not much worse.

Not necessarily related to education, but very important to the future of books and subsequently the whole book finding/reading experience.