From an Ordinary American
...living in extraordinary times.
It is strange to think that there are millions of us. Millions who share this country, this planet with others who are like us. And yet, each and every one of us is different. No two of us are completely alike, not even twins who maintain the closest of closeness.
That is how humans were made. Whether you believe in a God who made us or you believe in scientific evolution (or a combination of both) or you believe in nothing at all, no two humans are identical. In fact, we share only that one trait: we are all different.
Each person is a self. Everyone else is an OTHER.
And yet, we choose to seize upon the differences to define ourselves, to divide ourselves, to deride ourselves. The ultimate crime against humanity, committed every day, never arrested, never stopped, never given pause.
We use division to create conflict in stories, competition in sports, earnings in markets, and now—in the worst possible iteration: conflict of unfathomable scale in this country. This country, America, that prides itself on looking out for one anOTHER, has devolved into a place where it is joyfully crowed, “You should have seen the OTHER guy” when we should be seeking out, “Where is my brOTHER, that I may help him?”
Division, my friends, has been weaponized by those who seek to own us, to conquer us, to rule us and our very lives. And not out of misguided concern for our well-being and some lofty concept of knowing best. They are looking out for themselves by keeping the rest of us from trusting and caring for one another. They keep us competing for the scraps they let fall from the table so that we won’t notice it’s all about them.
And it isn’t hard to discern who is seeking that control. For years many Americans have cynically scanned the political scene only to come to the conclusion that no government can be completely trusted. That is true.
It is true because the government is—what? Made up of people like us—all different, with different points of view and different value sets. It takes a lot to get any kind of agreement out of such a group. When you consider that they are trying to please a nation made up of OTHER people just as different…. Well, you can see that no one is ever totally satisfied. That is what compromise is for. That is why we can petition, litigate, campaign, even protest to make our own voices heard. That is why the right to do those things is enshrined in our laws and our Constitution. That is why we have the right to vote, to determine who builds the guidelines by which we run our country and creates and executes the process by which it is done.
America shouldn’t be in this place where we are at risk of losing all of that.
It is up to us to get ourselves out of it. We need to listen to one anOTHER. We need to be honest with one anOTHER. We need to relearn to work with each OTHER to solve our problems and build each other up.
We get there by choosing people who respect the rights we have and who wish to move us forward. Listen critically to those campaigning. That doesn’t mean criticize anyone who speaks, it means listen to their words and think about them. What do they mean? What do they say will they do? What external evidence do we have that they will honor their own promises? What signs are there that they will promote the welfare of the country, protect it, and protect our rights to live as free citizens? If there is no evidence supporting their claims, BEWARE.
Right now, in this time frame, only one campaign shows compassion and respect toward the American people. The Democratic campaign of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Only one campaign wants to move us forward and away from politics of the recent past that elevated 1% of our people above all OTHERs. That’s not a majority, friends, and it is unlikely you and I are in it. I know I’m not. Only the Democratic candidates are willing to work with OTHERs to get things done and keep the country running.
Not happy? I get it. I’m not either. Satisfied that all these people know their jobs? I’m not either. Think they all keep their promises? I don’t either, although I allow for the fact that sometimes the obstacles that prevent those promises working out are simply overwhelming. Like I said, the work gets done through compromise.
But I am interested in my own family and ALL THE OTHERS in America retaining the ability to make change, to decide that we need new laws and methods or that old laws are obsolete. I am dependent upon this country having a future where we and ALL THE OTHERS run their own lives, however different they may look.
As parents, my husband and I educated our children into our beliefs. As adults, they made their own choices as to what they believe and value. They are not merely mirrors of us. They are OTHER people, and they make their own choices. it was always up to us to try to convince them to think the way we do. To convince them, not make them. To show them the way we arrived at our beliefs, not force-march them towards them. It’s an American way that’s not talked about much, but it is perhaps the one we cherish most. The right to make our own decisions. The right to choose. A right all Americans want. Us and all the OTHERS.