yesterday's election extravaganza I felt a sense of deja vu.
Having been here, done that I re-read my 2016 post (below).
Back then it was gloom and doom but today I'm optimistic.
Did yesterday's results indicate America is on its way up?
Or has nothing changed since November 2016?!
As I write this blog, I've no idea who won
the presidential election. Rather I'm still
in the midst of the swirl struggling to find
some light at the end of the tunnel. Hence
rather than be swayed in my perspective by
whatever decision is made, I prefer to offer
up whatever wisdom I've gained from this
political process. And trust me friends, even
if my candidate wins, in my opinion we've
all come out of this mess as nothing but a
bunch of losers. In part because we allowed
a minority to drag our democracy down to
the depths of degradation. And shame on us.
Much like the passengers on the S.S. Poseidon,
our sense of balance has completely flipped.
Leaving us to wonder whether whoever was
elected President yesterday can right this ship.
In essence we've been in denial much like the
passengers on the Titanic. Given the lights are
still on we hope that somehow our ship of state
won't sink due to this disaster that has befallen
us. And so, rather than board the lifeboats we
hold on hoping for the best. As of last night,
the floor fell out from under the feet of at least
half of us given our candidate lost. And so,
what does one do? Shall we sink or... swim?!
Gloom and doom aside, a new day has dawned.
Yet it's certain that those negatively impacted
by the prior day's split decision feel like they're
still in the dark. Many years ago my father gave
me some advice about the world. In essence he
warned about scared individuals who will attack
if backed into a corner. Hence while one hopes
that as members of our republican democracy
we can all rise above this electoral cycle. That's
because if we don't, theres no doubt that all that
we hold true will be jeopardized by our lack of
cooperation. Isn't it time to end this foolishness?
Why not consider this the day to start anew?
On the short term, nothing has changed. Walk
around your house. Look out of the window.
Kiss your lover. Send your kids off to school.
In reality, all of that fuss may have been for
naught. Or was it? What lessons have we all
learned? Even if you're not happy about the
outcome, what do you plan to do about it?
The true outcome of this election is that we
allowed our political process to get to a point
of seemingly no return. As we sat back and
literally did nothing, others dug a line into
the sand for us. And quickly that split grew
into the deep schism that is ripping us in two.
This election was all about hatred. One or the
other or... both of the key candidates seemed
to be loathed by most Americans. Names and
faces aside, the real battle was between left or
right, Republican and Democrat, red against
blue, right versus wrong. Sadly in my opinion
all of that mania has been fueled by the apathy
and myopia of most Americans. Rather than
be engaged in our political process, we opted
to sit back and let others fight for us. The end
result being whoever got the job last night. Now
our only option is to deal with it and... move on.
Our challenge being can we do so together?
Given I've no idea of what happened, I'm still in
a state of extreme anxiety. What will happen if
one of the candidates rejects the outcome? Will
all of our bickering continue for months on end?
Or are we about to move into a state of vitriolic
vivisection? Can we ever find common ground?
The answer is simple. Rejoining as one isn't up
to the politicians. Instead it's the responsibility
of each and every one of us. One of the greatest
benefits to our collective good is our political
system as a whole. There within lies a plethora
of opportunities to work together towards the
advancement of the American way.
Whether I'm happy or not, one thing is certain
on this morning of November 9th. And that is
that I've been changed by this election. Rather
than hope for the good, I've learned that we've
got to fight for the better. No longer can I abide
others spewing fiction as fact. If nothing else
my newfound responsibility is to do my best
to keep things within a literal context. Rumor
and innuendo, myth and malevolence are why
we're in this mess. Therefore like it or not, we
must speak our truth in as clear, concise, and
fact based manner as possible. And fight any
and all conspiracies of lies and deception.
In the end I hope we've all learned is that we've
no excuse for not being involved. On the local
front many of us have spent months attempting
to right a process gone wrong. Said error in our
ways is that we didn't step in earlier. Rather we
sat back and hoped for the best. If nothing else
all of this mania has proved that unless one has
skin in the game one can't complain about being
left out in the cold. Whatever our differences -
all of us need to drive our destiny. And thus,
another old adage rings true today. "Whether
you win or lose doesn't matter. It's how you
play the game!" So as of today, GAME ON!
