Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I just finished Barack Obama's autobiography "Promised Land". It's a big, dense book, but his writing is so good it propelled me right on through it. He seemed pretty candid, as did Michelle Obama in "Becoming", though they are very different books. As he described various events and crises, I remembered them vividly. He certainly conveys the complexity of being President, and the huge number of people involved in all decisions. his first rate mind is showcased. He sounds grateful and appreciative, and he respects the positions of other world leaders. I still can't decide what I think of him. He's mysterious, even as he's appearing to be forthright. I also found that his sympathy for Michelle's situation made my empathy for her the greater. They really are very different people, and yet, they are classically male and female. The home front belonged to her, and his ambitions were allowed free reign. His amiability is genuine, but also his drive to make a lost boy beloved. Michelle gave him the family and roots he'd been sorely missing, and he gave her the push to step outside her box. I feel like that happened with me when I married my first husband. He was another race, another religion, from a place half way around the world. It was scary and amazing, life altering and wrenching. I have more understanding of them both, and on looking back I appreciate "Becoming" more than I did when I read it. Together, they show all the complexity involved in marriage and making lives together.