Today I was reminded of the Christmas party at the Rogstad's marriage group one year ago. We had a "white elephant" gift exchange, which surprisingly had pretty quality gifts (gift cards, movie passes, etc.). Then come Jon and Laura Krimmel with their "gift". The show up with a microwave sized box, wrapped with white paper, adorned with ???question marks and the word "Mystery" written in several places. We quickly found that despite the obviously good gifts on the table, the Mystery Box became the most sought after. Everytime someone could switch their gift, they DID, always for the Mystery Box. I don't know what the fascination was. Perhaps it was the hope of fantastic contents within... perhaps the desire to see something different than the choices we saw on the table. We were so obsessed with the possibilities, with the mystery, with the spoils, that a serious hysteria had overtaken our civilized group. I was thrilled when I was able to "steal" the Mystery box from Felice, and relished watching the clock run out.. making the box MINE! I tore open the wrapping paper as everyone gathered around, expectant of the bounty inside. What I found was an assortment of 99cent store toys, ranging from a plastic mini bow and arrow, to a gel-tiger that grows when submerged in water. The contents were certainly entertaining, but paled in comparison to what I expected the gift to be. As I looked at the nice gifts others had in their hand and compared them to my box of novelties, I realized that I had gotten overly excited about an idea, ignoring any flicker of reason. When all was said and done, that was simply a game, at BEST yielding $10 gift cards to the luckiest players.
I can't help but think that today, America opened its own "Mystery Box", having been so excited to have won it. The country is going to receive the payout on their decision, and see exactly what Change and Hope produce in the real world. The problem here, of course, is that we're not dealing with a game, but creating the country and legacy we leave to our children and grandchildren. It's disconcerting that the vast majority of people I've spoken to who were most excited about Obama's candidacy can not articulate even a couple POSITIONS Obama holds, citing the need for "Change" and "Hope". If history is any predictor of the future, our nation is in for a very difficult time. My fervent prayer is that all the hope and promise we bought into doesn't follow the contents of my own mystery box... onto the rubbish heap of history.
