YES, We Can

“Yes, we can!” ~Barack Obama

As we are about to enter this daunting consequential year of 2025, the electoral college map of the 2024 Presidential election paints a picture of America awash in a ‘red tide’ (32 of 50 states). Most folks who were the cause of this ‘rosey’ state of affairs, the disgruntled, disillusioned and disinformed lot who see themselves as the victimized ‘down-and-outers’ of a ‘woke’ society, believe this tide will float their little row boat to a new level of economic prosperity.

[The Urban Dictionary, explains that “being woke means being aware… knowing what’s going on in the community (related to racism and social injustice)’. Today, ‘woke’ is now best known as a negative political buzzword used to describe anything deemed too liberal or progressive.“]

History, however, has shown that the economic strategy soon before us under the Trump regime, deregulation and tax breaks for billionaires and oligarchs, lifts only the luxury yachts of the economic elites while sending the rest of the population out to sea in life boats.

Those who understand the toxic nature of a true ‘red tide’ (algae blooms harmful to the environment and humans), and see the future neither through ‘rose colored glasses’ nor shades that filter out the light of reality and truth, enter 2025 with a palpable sense of foreboding. They see a world in which rising tides, rising seas, and melting glaciers along with expanding authoritarianism and sinking democracies threaten the moorings of a stable biosphere and just society.

Facing the reality of such a foreboding future, one can find oneself feeling like a passenger on the luxury liner, Titanic. While everyone around you is partying on this modern marine marvel designed to be unsinkable, you awaken from a nightmare to a resounding ‘thud’ only to discover that it is not a dream, but reality. You are in the bleak frigid North Atlantic on a sinking ship whose designers promised it would be invincible against the forces of nature.

With this dire new year looming before us like a predatory iceberg, and in need of an emotional life boat, I recall the Roman god Janus after whom the month of January is named. Janus presided over the beginning and ending of conflict, and was associated with the transition between peace and war. He was depicted with two faces, allowing him to see forwards and backwards without turning around.

Conjuring the mythical spirit of Janus, without turning around, I need to be able to look to the past in order to face the future. In this negative space of the now and not yet, I seek a positive vibe from the past. I need hope from the past infused into these ‘dry bones’ that they might live. I want to hear the clarion voice of “Yes, we can” in the midst of taunting shouts “Oh, no you won’t.” With the iceberg staring me in one face, I look back with the other to a kinder, gentler, more humble and just Presidency of the Obama era, a hope-filled era of “Yes, we can.”

I urge you to rediscover the hope, joy and inspiration of those years from 2008-2015 through the witness of both American citizens and citizens across the world who shared their uplifting ‘Obama Moments’ on medium.com. Search your favorite internet browser for Yes We Can: Your Most Memorable Moments from the Obama Presidency. Watch the short video and read all the heartfelt testimonies of people’s lives who were touched and changed by their interactions with our 44^th POTUS.

Here are just a couple examples of the inspiring stories you’ll find:

Randy from Arizona writes –
Mr. President,
Your stand on climate change inspired me to champion this position in the Forest Service and in my research, writings, and on-the-ground projects. Climate change is one of the most important challenges for the world and your support has been extremely important. Even with that, there are still climate deniers even within the ranks of my agency. Please keep up your support for climate change research and legislation as you transition to private life. Job well done.

Skip from DC writes –
Dear President Obama,
The greatest moment of your eight years in office for me was the night that the Supreme Court affirmed all Americans’ right to marry the person they love. My partner and I, who are not yet married but will do so soon, came to the White House to see the rainbow lights projected onto the facade of the President’s House. As a historian, I was overcome with the symbolism of the moment — that the colors signifying LGBT rights should be illuminating this historic structure. Your advocacy and leadership on diversity and inclusiveness, respect for all people regardless of their innate characteristics, and you and Mrs. Obama directing that the White House be lighted thusly on that great day in LGBT history was overwhelming to us both. It was a moment of great happiness for us. Thank you Mr. President and Mrs. Obama.

Cristina from Iowa writes –
It was the first time I voted in America. I grew up in a military dictatorship and hadn’t been an American citizen for long. I remember coming out of the precinct, overwhelmed by feelings of accomplishment and belonging. There was something else, though. Conviction. Respect. I knew I had freely chosen a leader I would follow even if he were not the president.

A few weeks before, I had heard the then-Senator Obama speak. He asked us to knock on doors for him, make phone calls for him, fight for him. I hesitated, as I had never done anything remotely like that. My belief in him was so strong, however, that I felt called to “just do it.” My then ten-year-old daughter went with me, wearing a “Kids for Obama” t-shirt, her ponytail bouncing in the air as we walked from door to door. She didn’t even hesitate when a woman explained that, “Obama will raise our taxes.” “Why do you say that?” she asked eagerly. “Don’t you understand he will only do that for incomes higher than $250,000 a year?” Unlike me, my little girl didn’t grow up apolitical. She grew up believing that good men like President Obama were worth fighting for.

Eight years later, I feel sadness but also pride. Sure, we have a few tough years ahead of us. President Obama, however, taught me that democracy is not free. Great leaders can do little without their followers’ support and determination. Our future great leader — someone who is ready to take us back to the path of hope and social justice four years from now — cannot get elected without our help. And right here, right now, I pledge my help.

I’ll close this final post of 2024 in a “Yes, we can” spirit with these 10 Tips from United Methodist Creation Justice Tips suggesting what we can do in 2025. How many are you already doing, and how many more will you commit to do? Can these be a part of your New Year’s resolutions?

WE CAN renew our commitment to be good stewards of our Earth. Choose one new thing to do throughout the year to care for creation.

WE CAN make our homes and churches more energy efficient. Fix the air leaks, use drapes to block the cold, change to LED lights, investigate possibilities for solar or Energy Star appliances.

WE CAN embrace zero waste. Create a reminder: Put a recycle bin next to your trash basket. Offer composting. Challenge family, colleagues, and church members to be thoughtful about their habits.

WE CAN learn and teach. Dig more deeply into the connections between science, the natural world, and faith. The more you learn, the more you can help others in your family, your circles of influence, and your congregation seeing themselves as faithful followers of Jesus and doing what is right for God’s planet and people.

WE CAN clean up. Review your closets for items to donate for reuse, to repurpose, or to recycle. Challenge your clean-up crew of family or congregation to avoid letting anything go to the landfill. One church’s campaign netted 220 serviceable winter coats that they donated to an organization helping unhoused persons.

WE CAN consume less meat. Explore the options for foods that are kinder to earth and to health. What we eat does have an impact on nature and climate change, as well as our own bodies. Try a new recipe. Host a meatless potluck and invite people to share their recipes.

WE CAN avoid single-use plastics. Take your own reusable bags when shopping. When eating out, bring your own non-plastic take-home container. Substitute bamboo, silicon, cloth from natural fibers, glass, or aluminum products for ones made of plastic.

WE CAN support the creation justice efforts of others. Help fund organizations that care for the environment and for communities that are vulnerable. They can gather resources and amass power that creates greater impact than individuals can.

WE CAN reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Minimize the use of paper, which comes from chopping down trees. Choose instead email, texting, recycled paper, or reusable scrap paper. Change to bamboo toilet tissue, which is not wrapped in plastic, and that spares trees so they can continue to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

WE CAN speak up. Talk to your family, friends, and church members about what you are learning and doing. You are a trusted resource for them. Your example and your encouragement are key to spreading wider the circle of caring for God’s planet and people.

We alone cannot solve the creation justice mess by following these 10 tips. But by practicing them together we can all be less a part of the problem and more a part of the solution. Yes, we can.