Let's talk about the election

 2020 has been a hell of a year. A global pandemic, protests and riots, fires, murder hornets, Sean Connery, the Lakers and the Dodgers, and now the US presidential election. 

As I write this, Joe Biden’s projected win has caused elation on one side and threats of legal retaliation on the other. Both sides are certain of final victory, and yet, I can’t shake the feeling that there are no winners here.

 

Regardless of who ultimately sits in the Oval Office, we have all lost where it really matters. We have shown who we are as a nation, and what I’ve seen is both tragic and terrifying.

 

They say that Trump brought out the worst in people. They say that racists felt safe to show their true colors, and hate came out to play. What I saw were suppressed emotions that were given an outlet; emotions that were already there and will still be there, regardless of who the president is. I saw a pressure cooker letting off steam, and I fear that Biden will simply be putting the lid back on. I recently joked to a friend that I’m glad Biden got elected so I could go back to being a decent human being, but it’s no laughing matter that so many people in this country base their inter-personal behavior on one man in Washington.

 

Living in a blue state, I am surrounded by celebration. Social media is overflowing with expressions of relief, hope, and tears of joy. I also see so much hatred and condescension towards Trump supporters, and it’s a very large fly in my tea. People seem to believe that Biden will bring peace. I don’t understand why.

 

“Peace is not the absence of war, but a virtue based on strength of character.” –Baruch Spinoza


As long as we are attacking and alienating each other, there will be no peace. You can't spew vitriol and then blame the opposition for creating conflict. You cannot mock and insult the millions of people who voted for Trump and then hope that Biden will bring unity. That's not how this works.

 

There is still conflict and tension in this country. Biden cannot change that. It is up to us as individuals to do that in our communities, families, and homes. Opinions will still differ, and until we make some drastic changes within ourselves, this nation will continue to be divided.

 

You cannot vote out hatred.

 

What some see as a return to normal, I see as prepping the stage for the next Trump. As long as we continue to suppress others rather than win them over, we are contributing to the recipe that got him elected in the first place.

You cannot defeat hate with more hate.

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