Tag: president

Inauguration

On Inauguration Day, not everyone is talking about the inauguration of the next U.S. president; some (like me) are talking about the animals hidden within the word itself. Listen to my radio commentary for NPR below (or on KQED’s website). Here is the transcript for your pleasure.

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On January 20th, not everyone will be talking about the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States; some of us — well, probably only me — will be talking about the word INAUGURATION itself and the animals hidden within.

An INAUGURATION is the act of starting something new — like a business or a presidency — and its origins go all the way back to the religion of ancient Rome when priests called augurs interpreted the will of the gods by studying the omens aka the auguries to predict whether the undertaking in question was auspicious or inauspicious — a practice referred to as “taking the auspices”

They did this by reading the flight patterns, songs, and eating habits of birds, a practice called “inauguare.”

So, through the root avis meaning “bird,” our feathered friends reside in the words auspices, auspicious, inauspicious, inaugurate, inaugural, and inauguration.

And inauguration became the word we use to elect politicians into office with the hope that their inauguration foreshadows an auspicious tenure.

Today, we know we don’t have to interpret the will of the gods to predict the future; and we don’t need to read the behavior of birds to tell us whether or not an elected official will carry out their duties favorably and with success. (We never really did.)

All we need to do is look at the behavior of the candidate — their experience, reputation, and ability to lead; their honesty, empathy, and vision; their ability to communicate, their commitment to the public good, their allegiance to democracy.

That should tell us everything we need to know.

With a perspective. This is Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

I Wonder What the Gods Are Thinking Now

Posted in Blog.

INAUGURATION: ON A WING AND A PRAYER, the first episode of the Animalogy Podcast, is all about the word inauguration and the ancient augurs (priests) whose role it was to interpret the will of the gods by reading the habits of birds. This is the root of the English word inauguration to refer to electing politicians into office with the hope that their time in office would prove to be auspicious—or inauspicious.

I can only guess what the birds signs would look like today.

For your listening pleasure, I’ve pulled out the excerpts of inauguration speeches from the INAUGURATION episode of Animalogy. Listen below. (Of course you can listen to the full episode here.)

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READ EXCERPTS OF THESE SPEECHES:

“This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” ~President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” ~President John F. Kennedy

“On this occasion the oath I have taken before you and before God is not mine alone, but ours together. We are one nation and one people. Our fate as a nation and our future as a people rest not upon one citizen but upon all citizens…They came here—the exile and the stranger, brave but frightened—to find a place where a man could be his own man. They made a covenant with this land. Conceived in justice, written in liberty, bound in union, it was meant one day to inspire the hopes of all mankind. And it binds us still. If we keep its terms we shall flourish.” ~President Lyndon Johnson

“My friends, we are not the sum of our possessions. They are not the measure of our lives. In our hearts we know what matters. We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend; a loving parent; a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood, and town better than he found it.” ~George H. Bush

“The divide of race has been America’s constant curse. And each new wave of immigrants gives new targets to old prejudices. Prejudice and contempt cloaked in the pretense of religious or political conviction are no different.” ~President Bill Clinton

“We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” ~President Barack Obama

I’m Not Leaving This Country

Posted in Blog.

The night of the 2016 presidential election, I made a tearful but sincere vow to meet every word and action that lies ahead with fierce compassion, love, non-violence, and inclusiveness. Nothing good is built on fear — neither the fear that is real for me nor the fear that is clearly real for others. I did not vote for this administration, and although it’s tempting to disavow this country and to disengage from politics, neither of those are options for me. Even though I’m afraid for all of the humans and non-humans who will be negatively impacted by harmful policies that were promised during the campaign, I’m also grateful for the democratic process and vow to become even more engaged in it. I think the greatest gift this man will give us is unity against tyranny.

I vow to find the best within myself and the best within others and to stand for everything that is good and true in this world. Today, I am mourning the hopes that have been dashed, but I’ve also got a lot of work to do to make this world a better place for all, and I ask that you join me in holding a space for both sadness and compassion. Fierce compassion.

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There is reason for hope. (Read why the past gives me hope for the future.) There is always hope, but having hope isn’t a license to be idle. Action is our only way through; hope is the light that guides us. In this blog post, I talk about the local actions I’ve taken that I’m most proud of and how we must continue to be a voice for compassion. One way to do that is to participate in the democratic process that is the foundation of this country. That means showing up, speaking up, and engaging with elected officials who we must urge to act from the highest that is in them.

And we can’t do this without acting from the highest that is in us.

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