Written and Performed by Melissa Etheridge
I believe if I look hard enough I will see
That there can be enough
I believe I can think clear enough
To conceive
A place where there's enough...
If not now, tomorrow
What Happens tomorrow...
I believe a woman can work hard and succeed
And we could be content
To believe that she could be in charge
Of the free
And be the president...
If not now, when
If not today then
What happens tomorrow
What happens tomorrow
If you become the change
You want to see
You change
What happens tomorrow
What happens tomorrow...
I believe that we are waking up from the spell
That those that profit from the fear
Cast so well
And good people of the earth now can tell
There is no us and them...
If not now, when
If not today then
What happens tomorrow
What happens tomorrow...
All is love
All is choice
Everyone and every voice
All of life that you see
All are possibilities
As above so below
To wed the sense into the soul
This is truth
I believe
I believe
I believe...
Truth is of the people
By the people
For the people
Why I chose these Lyrics: Most of you know I'm a democrat. You know I'm liberal fiscally and socially. However, my readers have a diverse range of political beliefs, and I debated a long time whether or not to post how I really feel about this election. I've been watching my friend, Tess, write openly on her blog about her passion for Barack Obama. I've admired her for doing so. I hope you'll hear me out. However, the glory of the computer is something called the 'delete' button and you are welcome to press that at any time.
The other night I popped The Awakening into my CD player. When this song came on, I knew it was this weekend's lyrics. I knew that I would state the following (Marla, hon, please take a slow deep breath, exhale, and then eat a few M & M's):
I am passionate about Hillary Clinton for president.
Why? That is worthy of an entire blog entry, which I still intend to write. But for now, as we approach the March 4Th primaries I want to state what I believe.
I love politics. Dad is a political junkie. Mom loves politics. And during these past few months, one of my favorite passions (and distractions from being sick) is politics. I feel so incredibly invested in this election on a deep personal level I have never experienced before. I have never felt so strongly that a particular candidate has the opportunity to change my life and this country dramatically for the better.
This song also brings up some food for thought specifically about having a woman for president:
Why, in our 200 year history, have we never had a woman lead our country? Almost all other industrialized nations in the world have already had women leaders. Why not us? And, if not now, when?
There is no other woman on the political horizon who is expected to run for president any time in the foreseeable future. Hillary Clinton is our opportunity to see a woman president in our lifetime, and especially the lifetime of our mothers.
Have we as younger women (who are the women most likely to vote for Obama over Clinton) forgotten what our mother's generation did for us? Have we forgotten that we have all of the opportunities we have today because THEY fought for US? Hillary is someone who has lived this change her whole life. I'm not sure how she became to many, especially in comparison to Obama, the antithesis of change, hope and inspiration? She is here to possibly break the greatest glass ceiling a woman can break. How is this not change, hope, and inspiration? I have heard my mom's stories of pursuing a PhD and trying to succeed in a 'man's world' and they are horrific. I think many of us would have given up a long time ago facing the obstacles she did.
Have we forgotten that 50% of our population is women? How a woman thinks, leads, approaches and solves problems is profoundly and fundamentally different than a man and in that case, any president in our history.
She will be the first president, I believe, to remember the value of families, women, and children. Our care for women, children and families in the form of family leave, maternity leave, childcare, work-family issues, healthcare and education have been sorely neglected. As a working woman, a wife, and a mother, Clinton will bring a much needed perspective to our presidency.
If I'm ever blessed enough to be a mother, and if that child is a little girl, I want her to know that she can be anything, including president of the United States of America.
I am not voting for Hillary Clinton simply because she is a woman. I am voting for her because I believe that she is the most competent and qualified candidate. I believe in universal health care. I believe in what she believes in. And I believe that she is the person who can truly, truly 'hit the ground running on Day One.' Why? Because she's been fighting and training for this her whole life and she's proven to me that she can 'get the job done'.
While I chose this particular song in light of the political climate we are in right now, no song on this album disappoints. I received Melissa Etheridge's album, The Awakening, as a holiday gift. It has been consistently praised by critics, and rightly so, as on of the best albums of 2007. I have always liked Melissa Etheridge, but her music tended to be a little more rock than I prefer. This album is much more mellow and lyric focused, with more emphasis on acoustic guitar rather than electric guitar.
The album is the result of Etheridge's own personal soul-searching after her bout with breast cancer. She has created a concept album, meant to be listened to from start to finish without interruption. She has, I believe, succeeded in powerfully speaking from her heart and boldly speaking about her spirituality, political views, and sexuality. Etheridge wrote all of her own lyrics--and I am always easily seduced by singer-songwriters who write from their souls.
She writes of the album:
This album is my story, my journey, and my hope is that it will ring universally.
There are many political and spiritual statements made in this project. I in no way wish to judge, but to shine a light on our collective feelings about the state of our politics, our religion , and our sexuality. I came to my own understanding of God, what God is, and where God is. Consequently, I feel that if we have any kind of belief in our reality and earth, we have to know that the time is now to become the change.
We are the ones keeping this paradigm of fear in place, and it is up to us to shift it if we wish. That shift and change will materialize through our thoughts and intentions.
So, I have taken my cue from Melissa Etheridge to say: This is what I believe. I also think her words are important because she states that she is NOT standing in judgement of others. As an American, I am stating what I believe, and you can state what you believe. And folks like Marla and I? We'll have fun battling it out politically in our back and forth emails. But in the end we love each other, not for our political selves, but for our inner beings. (Can you tell Marla and I like to go at it and tease each other a lot? I'm picking on her in this blog because she can dish it out and she can take it too! :))
The comment section is open for your views! :) Believe me, I know that 80% of my readers disagree with me on this issue! :)
Blessings,
Emily
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