Amazing times in New York

John and I went to a little watering hole on the upper west side on election night, figuring that being out and about in one of the most Democratic neighborhoods in the country would be quite an experience if Obama won.

True, the bar did erupt in applause when CNN declared Obama the winner, and we did hear yelling and noise makers on the streets as we walked home. But it turns out the real festivities were in Brooklyn, where revelers poured into the streets, blocking traffic and creating impromptu festivals of democracy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUiqs6GT-zo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFpp28yeJCk
http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/archives/2008/11/barack_obama_ce.html

Just a few days before the election, the New York Marathon shut down many of the major streets around us. I'm not much of a runner but I was curious to see all the hubbub, so John and I wandered into Central Park, where the finish line was maybe a five-minute walk from our apartment.

I found myself unexpectedly getting weapy as I watched hundreds of runners concluding the final yards of this grueling ordeal. To my surprise, many of them didn't look sweaty and exhausted, but instead thrilled and jubilant. They waved at family members and smiled for the cameras.

Part of what really got to me, though, was the people lining the course. They were shouting things like "You can do it!" and "You're almost there!" and "Good work! Keep going!" But they weren't just yelling it to one person they seemed to know. They were doing it for all the runners.

It seemed like such a beautiful example of how life should be. The runners were pushing themselves to do something that's mostly about achieving a personal success, not about having to beat someone else to achieve, and all around them, people who had no vested interest in their achievement urged them to continue.

Too much of American culture has held up cynical snarky criticism as the height of funny. Hey, I'm not saying I don't find Jon Stewart brilliant. But we aren't all Jon Stewart, and there's a difference between satirizing American government and directing that hostility toward individuals around us.

What if we directed a little of that snark into cheerleading for each other? Like, "hey, congratulations on trying something new at work!" Or, as really happened to me recently, a taxi dispatcher actually yelled out "Great shoes!" Or whatever it is. Just giving each other a little love?

Yes, we can.