Applying the "Spirit of '76" to our own lives during Obama's 76-day transition period

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

- Barack ObamaBarack Obama, Feb. 5, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama based his entire campaign on two central themes: hope and change. It was a winning combination at the ballot box, but as he reminded Americans during his August acceptance speech in Denver, “I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me; it's about you.”

On Wednesday, the day after Obama’s historic win over Sen. John McCainJohn McCain (R-AZ), numerous reports made mention of the 76-day transition period until Inauguration Day. Being somewhat prone to assigning poetic or metaphorical meanings to the arrangements of numbers, Punditty immediately associated this time of transition with “The Spirit of ’76.”

The Spirit of ’76, in the original sense of the term, refers to everything as a whole and nothing in particular about the revolutionary zeitgeist dominating the mood of Colonial America some 232 years ago. It was a time of great hope and optimism, yet tempered by war with Britain and the enormous challenges faced by colonists who would soon be Americans. In their unwavering commitment to overcome all obstacles and secure their vision of independence for themselves and posterity, they chose hope over fear in a way that those of us alive today -- Republicans, Democrats, Independents and even the apolitical -- can all be grateful for.

The election of Barack Obama to the presidency, as well as the election of every president before him and the peaceful transfer of power that ensued, is testament to the staying power of this always intangible but ever-accessible Spirit of ’76, a factor which played such a central role in the birth of our nation.

During this 76-day transition period, those who want to begin implementing changes on a personal level have the ideal metaphoric framework on which to build.

Perhaps it’s something as simple as taking off that extra 10 pounds that have been hanging around the last few years. Maybe it’s volunteering a couple hours a week at a shelter, or reading to children, or visiting the elderly. It could be that you’ve always wanted to learn a second language but never made time to do so. Maybe it’s something as basic as getting enough sleep every night, thereby improving your demeanor and energy levels throughout the day. The options – small, large and everything in between – are as limitless as there are individuals.

For people who feel inspired by the Obama victory yet not entirely sure of how to direct those feelings, one option would be to apply the spirit of hopefulness his win awakened in you toward to opening up to the idea that yes, things can change, and yes, they can change for the better. The size of the ripple effects may astound you.

You may find yourself being mocked by others and even sense a kind of self-mockery inside for having the audacity to hope for such positive outcomes. Don’t let that stop you. With gratitude for a new dawn and faith in brighter tomorrows, keep going.

We have a golden opportunity to relegate the nihilistic cynicism that has defined so much about post-Vietnam America to the role of Occasionally Useful Coping Mechanism (OUCM) and instill something more hopeful as the central defining quality of our worldviews. There’s no need to wait for the new year or Obama’s inauguration; the Spirit of ’76 is alive and well. Breathe it. Live it. We are the change we’ve been waiting for.