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I believe that what the President is talking about is something we all know deep inside ourselves but rarely allow to take hold. Too often our fears feed our sense of insecurity and keep us from taking the kinds of risks that could improve things. We embark on a never-ending quest to find more (money, power, etc) and never recognize that the ground we are standing on is already secure enough to allow us to let go and explore the possibility of our ideals.

The damage that kind of cycle does to an individual is very similar to how the fear-mongering from Republicans affects our country. It is in this way that President Obama embodies what is truly exceptional about the United States. He knows that the richest and most powerful nation on this earth is secure enough to be able to take some risks to promote engagement and the potential for peace.

That, my friends, is the kind of wisdom we get when we elect a leader who has had the courage to take his own personal journey and find the solid ground on which he stands.