God Bless America

The most contentious Presidential election of our lifetimes is just days away. After the second Tuesday in November, the electorate will have spoken with its votes. The electoral college will have acted and a new President will have been elected. One might think that the election would signal an end to all the divisiveness and contention. But it may well not do so. The election may only be the beginning of the mess.

If the Obama presidency taught us anything, it might be that the kind of division that we have seen lately between parties, races, genders and economic castes in America can negatively affect the potential of any administration. It does not matter who the President is. If there are powerful segments of Congress and society who are against that President, for whatever reason, the presidency is hampered.

I mean to imply here that the United States is damaged in the divisiveness. It is not just the President who is negatively affected. It is the presidency. It is the Country. Those who are led to so narrow a definition of what it means to be a patriot that they can consider no options outside of their own purview entertain no right outside of their own. Disagreement is not tolerated. Differences are not appreciated, but seen as an attack on one's position. Diversity is not embraced. Those who think, believe, act or look differently are not "us." They are not right. They are wrong. They are bad.

If the American political system is to work, then Americans have to embrace diversity. We have to acknowledge together that no race, gender, economic or political stance, appearance, situation or love life is innately better than any other. Some will have to sacrifice their learned arrogance and positions of power and privilege. Some will have to learn to state their case for the needs of those who have been historically victimized by the systems under which we have lived. The system will not work in any other way.

Therefore, I pray that this election is the beginning of the end of all the vitriol, division, ridiculous and meaningless accusation, media hype, party bias, racial and gender inequality, economic injustice, prejudice and hate. I hope Congress will work effectively with whomever is elected. I hope that we will refer to the person who is elected as either Mr. or Mrs. President. I hope that we will show the incoming President greater respect than we showed Barak Obama. I hope that we will demonstrate a greater sense of our unity than we have over the past eight years.

The analysis of why the past eight years have become so contentious I will leave up to each of you. That is not my issue here. My firm belief is that it simply cannot continue if we are to be a thriving America. So, please, let this election mark an end of our hatred of anything other than our own opinion. Let history show that the period of divisiveness ended with one administration. Let it declare that America learned its lesson and turned itself around to a positive direction.

That miracle begins with each of us. Be conciliatory. Be gracious. Be accepting. Walk a mile in the moccasins of those with whom you might otherwise disagree. Say good and generous things, even when there might be options. Act in ways that build others up, even when we have to go out of our way in doing so. It is this attitude that built America, my friends. And it is this one that will allow us to become the country of our potential.

God Bless America!