When my daughter woke me this morning with the news of the election results, I felt a literal lightening off my heart.
I am more than happy, I'm delighted that Americans leaned just far enough my way, that I am celebrating this morning, instead of angry, resentful, disheartened, dismayed...
I'm sorry that so many others are feeling that way today.
Smart or right or helpful, or not, we have become so tightly polarized to Parties and particular ideas and people, that the day after Election Day is not just an 'oh well' day for those whose causes and candidates lost. I don't think it is helpful. On the contrary, we remain angry and polarized for some time, even all the way to the next Election Day.
How do we all, winners and losers, take that gracious step back, and see in clearer focus that one man, one idea, one term or two, cannot destroy this nation? We have so many safeguards, and we have so many voices, so many opportunities to shape our world, and it is ideas and beliefs that impel us one direction or another: there are few absolutes in the world, and even fewer in a society like ours that is founded on freedoms of belief and speech.
Our success as a society and as a nation lies in our ability to work with what we have, whether it is natural, cultural or personal. We are weakened when we expend our energy fighting against what we have: King Canute stood on the shore all day, ordering the sea to retreat until he prevailed.
Sure, the tide eventually went out, it always does--but what a waste of a day!
I will try to remember all this, next time the tide turns again, and my guy, my causes don't do so well.
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