Yes, I care about the presidential
election. Yes, I support one of the candidates. I do have strong
opinions. I do have deep convictions. However, so do my friends and
family who support the other candidate.
Elections always have a way of
polarizing the population. If I thought the elections in the last
decade were brutal, they are nothing compared to what is happening
now. The stakes are higher. It is no longer about just surviving the
next four years if your candidate doesn't win. People are scared. I
know I am scared to death about what will happen if 'the other'
candidate wins.
It's easy to fall into an 'us' and
'them' frame of mind. I read Facebook posts by my friends and
acquaintances all the time. I watch snippets of news clips, though I
refuse to let this election eat up my whole life!
Instead of ignoring or sneering at
posts I didn't agree with, I decided to take a little time to read
comments supporting 'the other side', and to actually listen to what
some people on the news were saying. (Not the commentators! Real
people!) Do you want to know what I discovered?
The people who support the other
candidate are just as passionate about their beliefs as the people
who support my candidate. Everyone wants a better future, a great
America, a good life for their children. Our views may be different,
but that shouldn't make us enemies.
We all have close friends and family
who see this election differently than we do. Sadly, in some cases,
the dividing line is so deep the relationships are strained beyond
repair. I can't believe the vicious comments on Facebook. Someone
posts an opinion and someone else replies against it and a battle
ensues. I don't always know the people arguing in the comment
sections, but I can tell that they have some sort of relationship
with each other. They are at least 'Friends'. But they are so angry
and hurtful, and basically ask how the person they used to care about
can be so stupid. And then, people who don't even know them at all
jump in with their opinions.
Reading the comments, and hearing what
is said on TV and in conversations around me, it is easy to see that
no one is going to change anyone else's mind this way. No one is
taking into consideration the other person's reasons for how they
believe, and everyone is putting up such big walls that they aren't
even open to hearing the other view point.
Why? Because sticks and stones never
have created a safe environment for conversation! They do hurt, and
they do create defense mechanisms that filter out any sense of
reasoning. White flags, a temporary truce, and a meeting in the
middle of both camps is the only possibility of having any kind of
fair discussion.
When I started reading comments and
really listening to the 'other side', wanting to understand why they
believed the way they did, I realized that we really aren't all that
different. We all want the same basic things, just in different ways.
One of the things I heard most was,
“Ya, but your candidate is worse than mine!” And the rock
throwing went back in forth. Why are we fighting each other over
candidates whose best attribute is that they are at least better than
the other candidate? It's a sad reason to vote for someone, and an even sadder reason to ruin a relationship over!!
When this election is over, someone is
going to win and someone is going to lose. Half the country is going
to be ecstatic and half the country is going to be upset. But more
than just upset, they are going to be scared about what will happen
next in this country.
The thing is, WE THE PEOPLE are
America. Not Hillary, not Donald, not Democrats, not Republicans, but
WE! What are WE going to do to live together in some kind of
understanding and respect of each other? What are WE going to do to
ease the fears of half the population when this election is over?The
media are the ones dividing us, making us believe it is 'us' verses
'them'. And WE are letting them!
I for one refuse to quit loving someone
because of this election. I for one refuse to say 'them' when
referring to those voting differently than me. I for one refuse to
think someone else is stupid because of their party status. They may
still feel that way about me, and I can't change that. But, I can
choose to smile, use kind words, and respect their opinion. I can
also chose to change the subject to something that makes us laugh and
remember what binds us instead of what divides us!! Like puppies. I
love puppies!!
Oh, no, now the cat people are after me!!!!
