Do You Believe in Life After the Election?

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We can't let this election - or any subsequent elections, for that matter - tear us apart. 

Our great nation has endured for nearly 250 years, and we will endure past this election, whether Trump or Kamala wins. 

Don't fall for the hyperbole that "democracy is on the ballot," That is utter nonsense. 

Everyone take a deep breath. 

I am, however, very much concerned by the unwillingness of people with disparate ideological perspectives to converse civilly with each other. Political division can, sadly, be our country's death knell. But only if we let it...

We must make a concerted effort to see the humanity in everyone, from the MAGA hat-wearing Trumper, to the pro-Kamala, liberal Democrat. Even the Zionist waving the flag of Israel must, at some point, see the good in the student protestor donning her watermelon pin and keffiyeh. 

All of this may seem radical, utopian, and naive, but I don't care. If we cannot treat each other with love and grace, we will definitely come apart. 

I'd like to share with you some examples of people - with a lot more influence than me - who have conveyed similar sentiments of national unity. 

Former Democrat Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson has been a great unifier. 

See here:

I could not have said this better. 

Princeton University professor Robert P. George, a conservative whom some know for his friendship with left-wing political activist and third party Presidential candidate Cornel West, lays the groundwork for how we can be friends with people "with whom we have deep moral and political disagreements."

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, too, has been sounding all the right notes regarding political polarization. We all remember that horrific day at a Trump rally in Butler, PA when a disturbed gunman fired shots at the former President, killing volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was, by all means, a patriot. 

Shapiro, during a press conference, remarked that "Corey was an avid supporter of the former President, and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community... Corey was the very best of us. May his memory be a blessing."

I was emotional watching this. But I wasn't alone. 

For a long time, I've been a religious listener of Robert Wright's Nonzero podcast. I was taken aback to see Mickey Kaus, Wright's former co-host, on the verge of tears when recounting Shapiro's beautiful remarks. 

Skip to 23:40 HERE.

J.D. Vance, to his credit, was exactly right to say that we would be terribly mistaken to "cast aside family members and lifelong friendships. Politics is not worth it."

And the Harris campaign, to their credit, released what I thought was a brilliant ad. In it, Kamala says that "the vast majority of people in our country have so much more in common than what separates them... We see, in our fellow Americans, neighbors, not enemies." 

There are, I'm happy to report, myriad examples of this spirit of depolarization that I've found on the web. 

The sanguine notes are, however, drowned out by a cacophony of negativity and disdain. X, especially since Elon's takeover, has become a sort of internet Wild West, where hateful voices, motivated by likes and impressions, are more visible than accounts promoting national unity. This is troublesome, but It is a reality we must come to terms with, at least for now. 

What you can do, however, is unfollow hateful and divisive accounts, and follow thoughtful accounts that don't engage in cheap attacks and demagoguery. Folks like Dean Phillips, Andrew Yang, Sohrab Ahmari, Robert George, Marianne Williamson, and others inspire optimism. Follow them. 

Again, there is plenty to be hopeful about, no matter who wins on Tuesday. We must, though, drop the platitudinous bickering and didactic rhetoric. There is humanity and love in all of us. And I mean all of us. 

Communities that shun pluralism inevitably become tribal. We can't let that happen. 


Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 4, 2024 at 9:07 AM

    Remember, it takes two to tango. Many people are polarized and uncompromising and, therefore, do not make good communitarians.

    ReplyDelete

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