Bigotry impedes growth and must be shunned
Vivekananda once wrote: “Religion is a question of fact, not of talk. We have to analyse our own souls and find what is there. We have to understand it and realize what is understood. That is religion.”
Barack Obama (Photo: AFP)
Outgoing President Barack Obama on Tuesday said goodbye to the US citizens in a dramatic reinterpretation of a presidential farewell address.
"I first came to Chicago when I was in my early twenties, still trying to figure out who I was; still searching for a purpose to my life," CNN quoted Obama as saying.
"This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it," added Obama.
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He said that he received a lot of messages and it was his turn to say thanks. While noting that America was a better place now, Obama told his supporters that they made him a better President.
"After eight years as your President, I still believe that, and it's not just my belief. It's the beating heart of our American idea — our bold experiment in self-government," he said.
Instead of the Oval Office or East Room for his last formal set of remarks, Obama chose Chicago — the city where he declared victory in 2008 and 2012 — to address a sold-out crowd of supporters.
Earlier, he wrote on Facebook that he was returning to the city "where it all started."
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