Obama writes the kids
From a Friend of a Friend
I'm writing to share the text of a letter we received from Barack Obama. Our group of friends here in San Diego has a small community service group for our preschool-aged children. We call ourselves "Preschoolers in Action." Our kids (ages 2 - 5) have done beach clean-ups, food bank drives, and other community action efforts.
Last January, we had a "get out the vote" rally, and we wrote a letter to the Obama campaign. This was the letter we received in return. Signed. In smear-able blue ink. Even if his staff wrote it, it speaks volumes about who he is. The image (attached) is faded, so I've retyped the full-text below:
"Thank you for your kind letter. I am impressed by your interest in the democratic process at your young age. I hope that you visit my website www.BarackObama.com to learn more about my campaign and my
policies.
"I hope you always remember to seize every opportunity to make the world better. Now, making the world better is not always easy, and you will probably find in your life that it is more comfortable to ignore injustices that don't affect you directly. Don't take that comfortable road. Challenge yourself to make a difference.
"If you don't already know what it means, I want you to look up the word 'empathy' in the dictionary. I believe we don't have enough empathy in our world today, and it is up to your generation to change
that.
"I leave you with three bits of advice that will make your life more fulfilling: Look out for other people, even when it does not directly benefit you; strive to make a difference everywhere you go; and get back up every time you are knocked down.
"Thanks again for writing me. Seeing young people like you who care about making things better inspires me and gives me great hope about the future of our country.
"Sincerely, Barack Obama."