O.K. enough with the “country is gone”. The people have spoken, wrongly I think, but they have. The country I know and love can’t be destroyed by one man, no matter the power he has at his disposal. It is much more durable than that. Instead of holding on to our fear and disappointment, let’s move on. Do what we can to make this country better, and respect the President we have. He was not my choice, but he is MY President. Even if you cannot respect the man, respect the office. Instead of embracing divisiveness and antagonism, let’s embrace cooperation and compromise. These are the hallmarks of our great country.
Instead of fighting to the death to oppose something, get to the heart of what you might accept and propose it. Not everything has to be a line that can’t be crossed. Participate in the discussion instead of forcing an “all or nothing” then whine when you don’t get your way. I am not saying compromise your values, just understand that not everyone has the same ones. THEY don’t like you telling them what to do any more than you don’t like them telling you.
You’re adults! Put on your big boy and girl pants. Quitcherbitchin. Go suck your thumb in the back room or get up and sit at the table like an adult and share. It all puts me in mind of when I was little and one of my brothers and I were arguing over who got the bigger cookie. Dad told us to settle it or he would. We didn’t. He ate both the cookies and sent us to bed. This is kind of what we have gotten to as a country.
We need to remember the diverse views we have and the freedom to have them and voice them is one of the great things about this country. It is what makes us resilient as a people. Not all this technology, not these great planes or even nuclear weapons. Our greatness is not in our manufacturing capability or our work ethic, though both contributed. Our greatness is in the acceptance of differences, getting along with one another and taking care of one another even in adversity. Self-reliance is a trait we do have, but because we are a self-reliant people we became a generous people. An air of live and let live that we had that has been lost. Perhaps it is the times and the shrinking resources for greater numbers of people. Perhaps it is the internet and the social networking that lets us only hear the voices we agree with and not have to pass the time of day respectfully with the “weird” guy down the road or the hall because one day you might just need his help. Binding all of us was a belief in the freedom of people to engage in things you would never think of doing and respecting their choices and listening respectfully to their opinions.
But we need to remember, our diversity is what ensures America will survive. If tomorrow, something happened that destroyed every electronic device we own and left us incapable of making more, we have whole communities of people who don’t use it and can teach us to live without it. If a swine or avian virus came that killed everyone that ate a particular food, a great many would survive because of the diversity of our diets. Almost any calamity that will hit people who do a certain activity, will miss some of us, because we are different. We have different ideas of fun. We have different ways of doing things. This is a strength and not a weakness of those who don’t share your view, preferred activities or ways of doing things.
I guess what I am trying to say is, this too shall pass. Perhaps it will be good, perhaps it will be the worst thing to ever happen to our nation, but don’t wish for the worst to the nation I love. Instead of confrontation and vitriol, try a little humility and self-reflection. Show a little respect to the guy who’s every idea you would oppose at the top of your lungs to your dying breath. Show you believe in freedom, not just YOUR freedom. Believe it or not, as sure as there are people whose very existence chaffs your ass, there are people for whom YOUR very existence chaffs theirs. Instead of giving in to that, treat them as you would be treated, or better still as you would have your child treated. They are someone’s child. (God knows they sometimes act it.)
For over 200 years, we have chosen our Presidents this way, and this nation has survived 43 of them and I have no doubt we will survive 100 more. Some of them made us a little better off and some made us a little or even a lot worse off. But for the most part, these choices have been good ones. And generally the bad ones were corrected by the next one or over time with the next few. But for the most part, this nation has always just tolerated our chief executive, with the separation of powers, he is no king. I have no fear of ANY President destroying this country. Only WE can do that with divisiveness and hatred that descends us into a spiral we can never recover from.
Pray for our President, to whatever God or supreme being you believe in. For me, that prayer will be in Jesus’ name.
God bless America!
