I Don't Quit

I have a good friend, he is the CEO of a small company. I am proud to consider him my friend.

I heard President Obama state at the end of his speech tonight. I Don't Quit. I was inspired and remembered my friend.

Without revealing too much about my friend. I want to describe here, my idea of this American character trait. I really don't know where it comes from, but if President Obama has it, and my friend also. I believe it is very likely a trait that explains why the US is the leader of the free world at this point.

Let me start with a description of where I am coming from.

I am a Mexican intellectual, I can see in my mind, the not very pleased expressions of some people in my family, my workplace, and people I've met during my life here in Mexico, when they read what is in this note. Intellectuals around here are very sophisticated, you know, and we know that US people don't do good from the goodness of their heart, as they themselves believe. What they do is, look for their own self interests, just like Adam Smith said many years ago: Be greedy, and everybody will benefit. Nevertheless, Americans believe they do it out of the goodness of their hearts. We are not fooled, we comfort each other in our superior understanding of human nature, and smile. In other words we are cynical about the intentions of Americans, President Obama, and my friend the CEO.

Here I part ways with the Mexican part of my dual identity. This people don't know my friend, and I feel they don't understand what President Obama just said at the end of his State of the Union Speech.

My friend's father was almost killed in the old country, he escaped, and made it to the US. My friend grew up in the states, went to school, and most of his life he took care of himself and his family. I met him when I was looking for a job in the US. We worked together for a few years, but the business was not doing very well, so I moved on. On the other hand he stuck with it. It seems that the company he founded finally is going to make a profit. You know, I haven't met any businessman like that in Mexico. I have some ideas about why this is so, but that is not the point here.

Today I heard the son of another immigrant that made it to the US shores, after much adaptation and suffering, he made it to the highest leadership position of his country. I just know he is not going to give up.

These are very hard times for the World, and the US. I feel better now; after I heard Barry.