Quantum of hope
By Yeoh Siew Hoon
I have to admit, even I had a lump in my throat as I listened to Barack Obama’s acceptance speech.
Yes, even half a world away, esconsced in my tiny living room in a tiny apartment in tiny Singapore, I was moved by the promise and hope contained in his words.
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,†he began.
Even as he spoke, messages were flying into my yet-unconverged devices.
Pinged a message on Skype, “There’s not a dry eye in the house.â€
“Yes!†screamed an SMS.
“Celebration on the streets,†declared a message on Blackberry Messenger.
“Tomorrow, I am having a drink with my only American friend,†said an SMS from an Australian friend living in Singapore.
It was truly a global moment of joy and celebration.
I suppose it’s because we’ve all waited so long for this moment – this defining moment, as Obama said, when “change has come for Americaâ€.
For the past few years, I had personally been reluctant to visit the USA because it had felt more and more like a foreign country. As it had isolated itself, it had isolated visitors like me. And as a Malaysian passport holder, I had felt unwelcome there.
On my last visit to New York City two years ago, I was given such a tough time by immigration I became rather emotional with an officer. Which, you’ve got to admit, is never the right attitude to take with an officer in any country let alone one in New York.
In 10 days time, I will be flying to Los Angeles and I am looking forward to the visit.
I feel like I will be landing in a new country, a land of new open-ness, promise and possibilities. And I suspect I am not alone among my Asian brethren to feel this way.
In his speech, Obama, addressing people in distant shores, said, “Our stories are singular but our destiny is shared, the new dawn of American leadership is at hand.â€
It was an emotional moment and at a time in our world’s history when so much is being driven by the instant spread of emotion – people panicking and withdrawing their savings from banks, companies cutting back on everything, people cutting back on travel – to what do we owe this but to emotion – this moment in American history could have the power to change the mood of the world.
That night, coincidentally, the new Bond movie, “Quantum of Solaceâ€, opened and I trooped along like a true Bond (sorry, correct that, Daniel Craig) fan to catch it.
As I watched Craig save the girl and, in the process, the world, I realised that while he was giving me my quantum of fantasy, Obama’s victory had given me a quantum of hope.
Catch up with Yeoh Siew Hoon every week at The Transit Café – www.thetransitcafe.com
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