What most inspires me about this historic inauguration?

On November 4, President elect Barack Obama said about his win, "This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, or responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."

I have always been committed to service. From serving at my local thrift shop that served low income residents in the City of Gaithersburg in high school to serving at my local soup kitchen when I came back home from College, I have always been committed to service. But to heard President-elect Obama mention this as a duty in his speech renewed my commitment.

Coming from Africa, this message of responsibility to not only ourselves but each other has always been apart of my everyday life. Hearing this from the President-elect is what truly inspires me about this historic inauguration.

As a naturalized citizen of the United States, I was encouraged to think much too often of myself. This dichotomy of serving self before others and serving others before selves really bothered me to be honest. Now, in the twenty-first century, this dichotomy has been resolved in this historic election of a president that said in so many ways, it is our duty as a nation "look after not only ourselves but each other."

That is what inspires me, the possibility that exist with this call to action. Just imagine what all of us together can do. The possibilities are endless....