Let Us Do Better … Together

The election is finally over! As is usual with all our American presidential races, that means one political side won the election, and the other lost. There may be wailing and gnashing of teeth on one side, and lighthearted, celebratory gloating on the other side.

I don’t know the response exactly, because I don’t have a crystal ball, and I am writing this a little early, simply because I plan to stay away from the majority of social media for the next couple days.

I recently wrote about history repeating itself, and how this election really made me think about how, if we aren’t careful, our society is going to make the same mistakes as others did in the not-so-distant past.

That realization made me sick, and I am still heartsick.

Regardless of how the polls look tonight, as the election booths close, and regardless of how the outcome looks tomorrow, when this post publishes, I am still saddened for our great nation.

This election season was, by far and away, one of the most negative, vitriolic election seasons I can remember. Friends turned on friends, family members stopped speaking to other family members.

As a collective society, we began to descend into hard-hearted, uncompromising, unintelligent mammals. As a nation, we became nothing more than slightly intelligent primates.

And, for what purpose?

Did the name calling really change the mind of another voter? Did disavowing friends based on their political views really change the course of this election season? Did the temper tantrums we exhibited (both verbally and figuratively, as well as literally in some instances) really make others “see the light,” and sway their decision?

I’m going to venture to guess not.

And now, it’s the day after.

In four more years, we will have another presidential election which will likely also be hotly contested.

Quite frankly, I don’t have the heart to see the temperament we saw this year rear its ugly head again!

Yes, we have differences of opinions in how to achieve the making of a great nation, but it doesn’t mean we can’t sit down and listen to, and hear, the ideas of everyone involved in the discussion.

So, can we please focus – on our families, on our friends, on our neighbors and communities?

Can we please focus on healing together, after an abysmal campaign and election season?

Can we please cross the political spectrum, extend a hand, and say,

“Let’s do better … together”?

Congratulations to the side that won the election – if we can consider the results a win, given the nature of this election. Better luck in four years to the side that did not win – let us hope we show our children how to accept defeat gracefully. As I mentioned earlier in this piece, I don’t have a crystal ball, and neither does anybody else – so, who is to say the next four years will not yield a beautiful, united country?

Can we please begin the healing our divided country so desperately needs?

For the sake of our children, is it too much to ask?