Seventy-six years ago, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said at his inauguration as president of the United States: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
This week, as the world watched the inauguration of Barack Obama to that same office (with at least one 撸奶社区resident there to see it in person), the only thing it seems we have to fear is disappointment.
It's not unusual for Canada to take an interest in the politics of our neighbours to the south - and not just because theirs tend to be a lot more interesting than our own. More than any other nation on earth, our economy and our security are tied to the U.S., and what happens there will usually echo here, sooner rather than later.
But it seems the whole world is taking an unusual interest in this inauguration, and not just because of the powerful symbolism of the first-ever African-American to become president. He inherits the unofficial title of leader of the free world at a time of unusual crisis, with global economic difficulty, enemies that cannot be fought by traditional means and may never be eradicated, and the planet itself facing an uncertain future.
The citizens of the U.S. appear to have chosen a leader of extraordinary gifts at a time when they are desperately needed. He inspires people to hope, to seek change, to think differently and to believe that they can make a difference.
The fear that he faces - and the rest of the world along with him - is the fear of unrealistic expectations. Whatever the promise, he is just one man in a job with strict checks and balances on it, dealing with innumerable issues and pressures with limited resources and never enough time. There will be difficult decisions that are the right thing to do but bear heavy prices. There will be judgment calls that will anger as many people as they please - sometimes more. There will be mistakes, gaffes and out-and-out failures, there will be circumstances beyond his and everyone's control.
The challenge for the world, as it prepares for the change that has come to America, is to manage its expectations of this new president.
Having high expectations of our elected officials isn't wrong; it's just become rare, as citizens have been disappointed so many times. Expecting one man to save the world is a recipe for disappointment and a wasted opportunity.
But expecting more from our leaders -and from ourselves - is never a bad thing. And, as Barack Obama has already taught us in his unlikely journey which culminated this week in the White House, neither is hope.
