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The Election

As an Obama supporter, naturally I'm glad that my guy "won". However -- you'll get no gloating from me.

I've come close to shedding tears in this last few months over the incredible vitriol poisoning our country. Nobody wins until we can get past the "our team vs. your team" mentality.

Divisive politics is good for cable news network ratings . Their polarizing rhetoric garners a loyal following. And political campaign managers believe that they must sharply distinguish their client's beliefs from his/her opponent's in order to generate interest.

But, we have some serious problems to face and we're not going to solve these through name calling, stonewalling, and petty bickering. We must not be our own worst enemy... there are plenty of REAL enemies to take that honor.

If you're a "liberal", spend some time listening to the concerns of your "conservative" neighbor... and vice versa. If you listen to Rush, spend a little time with Ed... and vice versa. If you're an evangelical, invite an atheist to dinner and listen, don't preach... and vice versa. The more time you spend with one who disagrees with you, the more you'll find a good person with a different life, and a different viewpoint.

And finally... take a pledge right now. Instead of writing nasty notes on Facebook, posting poorly researched inflamatory memes, taking the easy pot-shot... instead WRITE YOUR CONGRESSPEOPLE. Every day if necessary. You might be surprised how good this will make you feel.

This is NOT a football game... there is no "opponent". We all win and lose together... and we just get one shot at it.

Comments

  1. Tony BarkerNovember 7, 2012 at 10:42 AM

    Precisely the healing we need, thank you.

    I believe that this sentiment is more prevalent than it appears; the question is how to create a "platform" large enough to cut through the hate, and give our leaders enough courage to compromise.

    ReplyDelete

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