With charity for all

October 30, 2020

I think I know who’s going to win the election this Tuesday. But I’m afraid that, whoever wins, we all might lose. Regardless of the outcome, I intend to rise above my inevitable anger, disgust, and fear, and keep my eye on the prize.

If the state and national polls are more accurate than they were in 2016, Joe Biden and the Democrats will win in a landslide. But there has already been widespread voter suppression by the Trump campaign and the Republican party, and there is a very real possibility of voter intimidation and even violence at some of the polling places. I hope it will be a peaceful and fair election with a rapid conclusion and a smooth transition to a new administration. But if we know one thing about Donald Trump, it’s that he is not a gracious loser. My concern is that, in the aftermath of the election, he and his more radical true believers might try to cling to power by sowing even more seeds of discord and hatred than they already have, thereby tearing the country further apart for weeks and possibly months and even, God forbid, leading to armed clashes in the streets.

Should this worst case scenario occur, or even if it doesn’t, we may be in for a rough ride. The American people have been badly divided for the last four years, but even before President Trump we experienced political, class, and racial tensions. Add a pandemic, economic woes, and climate change to that mix, and we’re left with a volatile and even combustible social milieu.

I hold Mr. Trump personally responsible for most of the chaos, animosity, and division that his presidency has engendered thus far, and for whatever mayhem might follow the election. Having said that, it must be acknowledged that he still manages to enjoy the support of 40-45% of Americans, which means that he is a reflection of a very large minority of our fellow citizens. In other words, as toxic as he may be, he is truly representative of the state of our disunion. In that sense, he is us. And we – Mr. Trump and the rest of us – are indicative of the primitive state of human evolution on this planet.

But evolve we must. No matter what happens on November 3 or in the weeks and months that follow, I believe that it’s essential for our mental and spiritual health that we stay positive. I hope to elevate my perspective by letting go of my attachment to the way I think things “should” be, and instead allow events and people to be the way they are at this time.

That doesn’t mean that I’m giving up hope.

One strategy I have for keeping my spirits up is to read uplifting stories and watch upbeat movies. Recently my friend Kay recommended two wonderful non-fiction books. Adrift is the true story of Steven Callahan, a sailor who survived 76 days alone on a raft in the Atlantic. An amazingly resourceful young man, he endured great suffering by maintaining hope in the face of terrible conditions. And I’m currently reading the second book, A Woman of No Importance, about World War II American spy Virginia Hall, a heroic disabled woman who aided the French resistance behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied France.

Tomorrow or the next day I’ll re-watch Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis as my favorite president. And if Tuesday’s election turns out badly or drags on interminably, I’ll re-read and re-watch The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, more stories of courage in the face of overwhelming odds; hopeless quests that turn out well.

I do hope that Joe Biden prevails in his long quest for the presidency, because unlike his opponent, he appeals to the “better angels of our nature,” in the words of Abraham Lincoln. But regardless of the electoral outcome, I aspire to live up to Lincoln’s compassionate approach to his defeated enemies: “With malice toward none; with charity for all.”