Most of us are experiencing some level of grief over the outcome of this election. Some of us were hoping for a progressive landslide that would give President-elect Biden a mandate for reform and a Senate majority to implement that. Others were hoping for four more years of Trump, with different outcomes regarding our pandemic and economic woes. I believe that the majority on both sides of this disparity long for an end to the divisiveness that has led us to this current crisis. We all long for a government that works together for the good of all Americans and actually makes progress on the problems facing us. Yet despite the largest number of citizens voting in over a century, we are looking at a more divided government, with potentially even a 50/50 Senate, after all the votes have been counted. The Biden-Harris team won by over 4 million popular votes and a potential electoral victory that Donald Trump described as “hugely significant” when he was the victor in 2016. In his acceptance speech Biden declared his intent to work across the aisle and serve as a unifier; but can he?
Einstein observed, “Problems cannot be solved with the same thinking that caused them.” Despite Trump’s assertion that “we are rounding the corner” with the pandemic, this past week we have had over 100,000 new cases and over 1,000 deaths per day as we cross the tragic barrier of over 240,000 deaths of our fellow citizens. Wearing a mask has become politically divisive rather than a patriotic commitment to protect each other and ourselves. When fear controls our reasoning, we revert to our reptilian brain in that “fight/flight” survival mechanism that short circuits insight and self-correction. We lose sight of what truly unites us, our humanity, and succumb to an “us vs. them” approach to everything. However, if we think about our children and how we want to parent we can find common ground.
As parents we all want to teach our children basic values. We want them to be kind to others and to not bully those who are weaker or make fun of disabilities. We want them to be honest and tell the truth even when it’s painful and to be respectful of those in authority and to abide by the laws and rules of a civilized world. We want them to learn to ask good questions and keep an open-mind when solving problems. We want them to feel good about themselves without sacrificing healthy humility and to be helpful and generous with those who are hurting or have so much less. We want them to acquire empathy and to trust that people are basically good, even when they’re different from us.
How can they learn this if they don’t live it?
We all want clean air and water; jobs that provide a sustainable wage and the opportunity to pursue our dreams; equal justice and accountability for everyone (even the rich and powerful); preventing unplanned pregnancies; protecting our planet so our children and their children have a safe and beautiful world to grow up in; laws and taxes that are equitable and protect everyone. President-elect Biden’s desire to unite us depends on our willingness to rediscover what we have in common, rather than what we disagree about, as members of the American family.
Randy Voeks, Tofte
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