President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden on TV screen (Photo by Han Bui)
“Together we shall write an American story of hope, not fear, of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness.”
That was part of Joe Biden’s inaugural address as he took his Oath of Office and became the 46th President of the United States at 8:48 a.m. Pacific time on Jan. 20.
The previous night, Biden, his wife Dr. Jill Biden, along with Kamala Harris, now the Vice President and her husband, Doug Emhoff, hosted a ceremony where 400 lights were lit around the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool to honor the 400,000 people in the U.S. who have died from COVID-19.
The ceremony came on the last full day of Donald Trump’s presidency, and exactly one year to the day after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in the United States.
Harris breaks ground as the first woman, first Asian American, and first Black woman to ever hold the vice presidency.
“This is a truly meaningful moment in history for our country, including for so many women, people of color and immigrants,” said fellow South Asian Rep. Pramila Jayapal.
For some, it might feel like waking up from a nightmare that lasted four years. For others, it might feel like disappointment in the changing of the guard. Whatever the case for you, we must remember that we all have one thing in common—we all want the same thing. We all want to live and go about our lives in peace, to love and be loved, to be safe, for our loved ones to be safe, and to experience joy and fulfillment.
While we may disagree on how to get there, let’s not lose sight of the importance of diversity of thought, and contrast. We cannot fully appreciate joy without sorrow, or health without sickness.
Let’s choose to see this new administration as an opportunity to focus on common ground, on love. To focus on solutions, not problems.
In his book, “Love is Letting Go of Fear,” Gerald Jampolsky wrote, “We are always expressing either Love or fear. Fear is really a call for help, and therefore a request for Love.”
In his inaugural speech, Biden said, “May this be the story that guides us, the story that inspires and the stories that tell ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the moment, democracy and hope, truth and justice did not die on our watch but thrived, that America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world.”