YES WE CAN

In his first speech to the public at Grand Park, Chicago, as the US President-elect, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama, made an affirmation to the nation and I believe to the rest of the world that 'Yes We Can'. He had earlier used it on 8 January 2008 in his remarks in New Hampshire Democratic Party Primary Night. This has become a common phrase, at least in the mailing lists I subscribe to and the circles I socialise in. The question is, are we just borrowing words to spice up our e-mail messages or simply using the phrase in our speech to sound relevant to the talk of the moment or are we also taking heed of the deep advice in there?

It is so easy to quote from an eloquent speech but it is another thing taking time to reflect on what message the speech sent / intended to send to the rest of us, the listeners or readers.

What does 'Yes We Can' mean to you and I? I am aware that some of the readers of this blog might not have been in Chicago at the time, nor are they US citizen but wherever you were and whichever country you belong to, those words have a message for you.

In an attempt to understand it, one may look at the words individually (reductionist approach), then collectively each time doing that in some context. To Obama, there is a context; to me or you, there are possibly others. What therefore do the words singly or collectively mean to me, you, Obama and all of us?

'Yes' is an expression of agreement; word of affirmation; a positive response; etc. 'We' could mean collective responsibility as it refers to the speaker and one or more people or even refers to people in general. 'Can' may be used to imply that the necessary ability, knowledge, money or equipment to accomplish a task or do something exist.

What do these words mean collectively? They possibly suggest the need for an agreement by all of us that we collectively have the capacity to accomplish tasks to cause the change we can believe in. The phrase may also be seen as a call for responsibility with our sight on the hope for a better future.

The other question is, do you think we can derive some message from the 'Yes We Can' phrase that applies / is relevant to our context? My response is, 'Yes We Can'. You are most welcome to make comments highlighting how these words apply in your context.