As of this writing, the country Americans call home is holding its breath.
Last Tuesday, our rusty electoral pendulum creaked to the right. It reached its apex at around 10 PM Pacific Coast Time, then began to creak left. Three days later it’s still moving left, though more oiled now, like a locomotive.
Many of the states claimed by one party four years ago are being reclaimed by the party ousted then from presidential power; the rust belt is turning blue and, now, in a corner of the southwest, there may soon be a new sheriff in town.
Public servants of all stripes continue the painstaking process of processing, counting and recording provisional, mail-in and overseas ballots in the presence of keen observers. Progress is slow, but this is the price of getting it right. A rapt public watches, on the verge of bursting. Even if a winner is declared minutes or hours from now, our presidential election may be litigated for weeks to come.
The how’s and why’s of these political objects in motion — and my personal opinion about the gravitational results — is not the point of this post.
Within some communities, there is a sense of impending relief that long-suppressed populations may be enfranchised. Other communities are roiled by perceived malfeasance within our most sacred and truth-tested democratic process.
Patience is low; tempers are high. Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, are butting heads. Friends are ex-communicating one other. Alliances made during “peacetime” are sacrificed on the altar of self-righteousness.
Our greatest danger is not loss of pride, but loss of consciousness. As responsible adults, we must be mindful of the fallout from our volatile displays. Impressionable children and companion animals lay in the path of the flames we fan. If the warmth of our hearth erupts, their spiritual earth is scorched.
Moments ago, I listened intently as one of our candidates proclaimed, “We may be opponents, but we are not enemies.”
Let this fundamental truth wash over us. In reality, we grow and excel only when vaunted beliefs and philosophies are challenged. One party does not hold a monopoly on patriotism any more than the other holds a monopoly on compassion.
I have been friends with persons of both parties who were ardent pet lovers to the point of self-sacrifice. I don’t believe their devotion to their most impressionable family members to be any less in times of dissonance than in times of harmony.
For the sake of those who trust us most, let us rise to be our best — even if we’re feeling our worst.
Stay safe, everyone . . .