The Election: An Appeal for Calm

Once more, another election has passed us. I think we all can agree that this one passed through us like a kidney stone, and I only pray that this passing has not left any lasting infection on the minds of people. The infection that I fear is blind hatred for the opposition.

    I do not have to tell you that this election has created a toxic environment for American politics. It has left a blemish at home and a black eye on the international scene. Regardless of who wins, America’s prestige is likely to be negatively affected in the coming four years,

    This has not been an election; it’s been a three-ring circus where the ring master is a slow-burning, midsummer dumpster fire. That environment has created a lot of hostility between men and women who ought to not fight at all. Families, coworkers, and classmates are being torn apart and torn down over who they are voting for, or whether or not they are voting at all. Just look on social media: everyone on Facebook and Twitter over the past few weeks has been bickering and fighting, with no real discourse or rational arguments being shared on either side. 

    On the one hand, one side has accused the other of being racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic bigots who will plunge America into a new dark age. Meanwhile, that same side accuses the other of being accomplices in corruption, lies, scandals, and has called them out for supporting a candidate whom they think will plunge the world into a third world war. Meanwhile, many of these people seem to ignore the flaws of the candidates they are supporting, and heaven help you if you wish to vote for a third party, because that would be “throwing your vote away.” 

    People from all walks of life have fought and died for your right to vote for centuries now. They also died for your right to not vote. Conscientious objection is not a disease, and you should not be made to feel ashamed about who you decided to vote for, or if you decided not to vote at all. That is how freedom works. You are allowed to do whatever you want, provided that it does not infringe upon someone else’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Whether or not someone voted against your wishes or did not vote at all is not your business. 

    What is your business, however, is how you treat your fellow humans. You are responsible for what you do and say to others. When you tear down someone for what they believe without even trying to understand why they think the way they do is both shortsighted and dehumanizing. We exist, as far as any of us know, for a brief time upon this earth. Life is too short and wondrous to constantly be sniping at people that disagree with you. Do not tell someone that they’re bigoted, prove that they are through your own deeds rather than picking apart others. 

    By the time of this printing, either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be president. Whoever it is, I only hope that the toxicity present in this election does not continue into the coming years. We are all Americans and members of the human race. So, before you complain about who won and how the people that voted for them are stupid, just remember that you are going to have to carry that weight. If you burn all of the bridges around you, you will have no one left to support you. In these trying times, we all need to support each other as much as we can.