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It is the morning after Election Day. Here in western Montana, it is exceptionally beautiful outside. A few scattered remnants of fall color enliven a graying landscape. Clouds paint a pattern from densely black to translucent white. Sunlight penetrates here and there, casting a spatter of highlight and shadow across the valley floor.
On the morning after Election Day the sun came up, just like it did the day before.
Over the past year or so, I have alternated responses to the political process. I am inspired by the dedication of those people willing to seek public office and to serve the rest of us in a thankless role. I am in awe of the complexity we face as a society striving to solve our thorniest issues. I respect the difficulty of satisfying a diverse and vocal constituency. On the other hand, I grieve when the process of making needed distinctions between parties and among candidates generates divisiveness and acrimony.
I am by temperament a harmonizer. My mental style is to find common ground. My emotional style is to build bridges. In 1960's terms, I would rather make love than war. It is not, therefore, surprising that I avoid political debate. I avoid posting partisan links on Facebook. I avoid political discussions at the beauty salon. I avoid the evaluation of candidates and issues around the dinner table.
I am not sure whether the reluctance to reveal political views arises from cowardice or courage. I do know that it comes with a desire to feature ideals we hold in common, and to de-emphasize our divided views of the means to those ends. It comes with respect for the diversity of values, and a belief that those values are deeply personal. I hesitate to challenge the values of others, or to argue an opposing view.
Election Day is over. We have decided whether or not to vote, and if so how. Now is the time to embrace underlying truths and release the arguments pro and con. The earth still turns. I pray that we will now move forward together, under the sun that still rises and warms us all, to work for the basic human needs we hold in common.
How do you engage the political process? Where do you find common ground with those who see the results from a different angle than your own?
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