Dear America: Please Don’t Implode on November 9th
Dear America,
Please don’t destroy our great country. Regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s election, democracy and freedom don’t have to implode because our preferred candidate isn’t elected. America won’t fail because of Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton; our great nation can only fail because of us. It will only collapse if the choices we make every day after the election create more division and distrust. American democracy will only crumble because we close our hearts and minds to the perspectives of those who disagree with us. We only fail when we stop hearing each other.
Every day we have a choice, to cast a vote for further divisions, or to vote for unity.
Our future is in our national motto: United we stand, divided we fall.
Democracy thrives when we break out of our safe little belief bubbles, recognize the dogmatic and hardened views we all form around our political and social beliefs, and choose to consider that we don’t always have all the answers; that sometimes our own views are wrong, or at least incomplete.
Conservative policies aren’t always right, liberal policies aren’t always right. Neither party will consistently lead us without error.
While I may find Donald Trump to be the most horrifying political candidate in my lifetime (I’ve honestly had nightmares that he is elected President of the United States), I have come to realize that many people I know feel the same about Hillary Clinton. While I can’t understand how Trump has so much support, and Clinton gets so much hate, I have come to understand that others experience the polar opposite. There is no doubt each candidate is flawed, but we disagree fiercely about who is more flawed.
I see people all around me, good people, hard-working and educated, who support one or the other – yet each side accuses the other of being idiots, who simply can’t see the truth, of ignoring the facts, of being led astray like good little “sheeple”.
Truth, it would seem, gets stretched quite violently these days to suit our needs.
How can we see such opposite realities?
Seeking to understand that question is at the heart of a healthy democratic society. We have different views, needs, and goals; it is up to us to learn how to work with often conflicting goals. It is our duty as citizens of a great democracy to learn more about the political system, to question our views, to expand our understanding of the causes and consequences of political choices.
We do this by being willing to sit down together and hear each other out.
We do this through dialogue, not shouting.
I’ve been as guilty as anyone of shouting down my friends and family members who hold different political beliefs. But I’ve also learned a great deal more from them this campaign season during the very brief moments in which I’ve made an effort to listen to my conservative friends, than I’ve ever learned by holing up in my own ideological cocoon.
I’ve also seen that all of us, from both sides of the political spectrum, love this country and the values it stands for very deeply – however different our perspectives might be on how to best uphold those values.
This country and its government is far from perfect. If we truly love America, though, we will make the difficult decision to fight not against each other, but to fight for democracy every day of our lives, in every aspect of our lives. Not just every four years. Democracy will prevail when we fight for the rights of all people, not just for the groups we support.
We have some healing to do after this divisive and toxic campaign season. In the days, weeks, and months after this election, I hope to hear from you, to learn from you, to hear your viewpoints, and to learn together how we can best save America from itself.
If we want to make America great, we can only do it if we’re stronger together.
May our States continue to stand, forever United.
“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”
– Evelyn Beatrice Hall (often attributed to Voltaire)