I am one of the luckiest people alive to have benefited from personal achievements over seven decades. In 1971, I stood on the rooftop of Tower One along with my assistant a few days before it was completed. I was accompanied by two engineers from the World Trade Center operations in order to take the first photographs of Manhattan from the city’s greatest vantage point.
The event I just described took place about a year after an associate and I started our own company on West 45th Street. In those days, I competed against the best photographers for assignments from the largest ad agencies and corporations in the world.
More than 38 years later I sit at my desk completely awe struck by the accomplishment of our new President, Barack Obama. While I can relate to his tenacity and confidence, there is no way that I can imagine how this new status in an American culture must feel to him.
In my view, Obama’s strongest asset is his poise, which emanates from a combination of sub-attributes. President Obama has more universality than most public figures ever acquire; and his vision of the future for this country is both admirable and phenomenal.
While listening to his inaugural speech today, I never questioned his audacity and confidence. I was rapt with the quiet self-assertion he exuded when he made key references to the fallacies of greed and short sightedness in our society. I took aim at those kinds of malignancies in my recently published novel, "Stock Power". There is no doubt in my mind that President Obama has the ability to lead. I simply hope he maintains his balance as he adjusts to his new mantle of power.
America has an obligation, in the meantime. The citizens of this great nation must realize how important it is to rally behind our new leadership. We cannot afford to sit back and wait for change to jump off our TV screens and wave its magic wand. My personal commitment is to editorialize on my ambitions for my community. For example, I plan to engage young people in the town where I live with the aid of my journalistic skills. I believe the cost of education can be reduced when we contribute our time and talents to the next generation.
Am I inspired? You had better believe I am! However, inspiration, alone, has a short shelf-life. Thanks to the media, we will be reminded of the stirring inaugural event that took place today. During the coming weeks, American citizens should find their respective work gloves and put them on.
There is enough "construction work" to go around. The moment of opportunity has come for all of us to help make it happen.
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