Wake up! Facebook screams at me. I feel a little jolted but keep scrolling. How can anyone vote for…?! Yeah, that does seem a bit crazy to me too. Later on in the day, I’m still tense. I take a shower to relax and start arguing with a person in my head who I haven’t talked to in years. The closer we get to election day, the more this feeling of dread is heightened. We have a big problem culminating. There is a candidate who scares me, for sure, but there is something that scares me even more- the misunderstanding, volatile arguments and downright hatred we portray to the “other side.” The second big problem we’ve got going on is how much we’ve conflated how you vote with your morality; your identity even. It’s like we’ve decided we, literally, can check a box, and that is what makes us a good person and someone else a bad person.
I am thankful for my upbringing in a rural, conservative town. I am thankful for my Jesuit college education that taught me about social justice. I am thankful for the many communities through work, volunteer, military, church and others that have led me to meet and befriend some really wonderful people: people who fall all across the political spectrum. One of my very best friends texted me the other day to tell me she, painfully, decided to vote for the candidate that scares me. My response was, “I get it. I know why you feel you have to vote for that person.” I meant what I said. I am slightly terrified for our country if this person is elected, but I really do understand her perspective.
No matter what happens in this election, we cannot come away from this year continuing to ignore, accuse, stereotype, point fingers and hate the other side. This is a call to both sides-republicans and democrats-please humbly take a step back, try to listen to what’s important to the other side, try to listen to their experiences.
Conservatives, I know that you care about smaller government because you are really good at taking care of each other. You probably give 10% of your income to charities (if you aren’t aware of this practice called tithing, think for a second how much 10% of your income is and consider if you are able to be this generous). I know that you really, truly care about babies, even though you are called hypocrites. I know you have had metropolitan areas making laws for you that do nothing but complicate, and sometimes decimate, your way of life. You’ve seen your young people leave in droves, and many who remain feel stuck. You still work the land, know the land, love the land, so, of course, it feels condescending when people create laws and red tape on the very land you have cultivated and loved. I know you are hard working and practical.
Progressives, I know you have read a lot of books, learned about history, and have some really grand ideals for how our country could be. I know you are willing to be taxed higher, if it means poorer people get the help they need. I know you have witnessed or experienced the injustices of racism and are willing to protest and stand by your brothers and sisters of color. I know you have read the science about climate change and are alarmed that we are adding to the destruction of the planet. I know that you believe it is better to reform the whole system than to continue to put band aids on serious problems. I know that you’re not scared of change.
If democrats continue to call republicans, “racist” while republicans continue to call democrats, “baby murderers” we will only cultivate a culture of intolerance and violence. If republicans sense we are one step away from communism and democrats sense we are one step away from fascism…who is actually living in reality?? If you truly feel baffled by how the other side is willing to ignore issues that are important to you, rather than concluding they are terrible and monstrous, try finding out what is important to them. I will admit I have felt baffled more than once how it is possible for a particular party to appear so callous to certain issues. I will admit I have gotten some strong political opinions on issues that my Catholic faith teaches are moral issues-abortion, euthanasia, death penalty, immigration, racism, stewardship of the environment, serving the poor and vulnerable. But here’s the thing- neither party perfectly fulfills my calling to respond to these issues justly. Which brings me to my final point. We have placed way too much importance on how we vote and how involved in politics we all need to be. I’m not saying you shouldn’t vote and I’m not saying you shouldn’t do your research and try your best to understand what you are voting for. I am saying that how you spend 3 hours of your life is definitely not the be all end all of making this world a better place. How you vote does not determine your morality and it does not determine someone else’s morality. I thought I would give some suggestions of things that we could do instead of posting about politics, reading about politics (unless you are somehow still undecided), protesting (I’m not opposed to protesting normally, but I think the current circumstances will not be helped by protesting a particular person and will only add to the vitriol going around), and placing all our eggs in a system that beyond our vote, and beyond becoming a politician ourselves, we don’t have much control over.
1. Spend an hour going through your phone or fb contacts and make a list of people that you haven’t heard from in a while. Call them. Your voice carries your presence. We must re-make connections in our bitter and broken world. 2. Spend an hour in prayer over one of the issues that you deeply care about. Ask God how he wants you to respond. I have been given divine inspiration more than once when I stop and listen. 3. Meet your neighbors. Bring them baked goods, flowers, anything to break the ice, (wear a mask!) but we have to start living in the real world more often than the virtual world. 4. Do something nice for your family or roommates- make them a special dinner, play games, get creative. 5. Write a letter- to a friend, a stranger, a vet, a senior
It is wonderful and, maybe divine, that so many of you feel so passionate about politics. But I think, maybe part of the reason, we have also become so angry, is that politics is so “out there” far from us. If we don’t cultivate a life of connection and justice and care right here around us, I fear we will only break farther and farther apart from each other. I believe in you, America. Let’s get back to building the country we know we can be- and it starts in your household.