On November 8, my stomach was in knots as I watched the election results. I was shocked and surprised. I watched the numbers flip flop so many times in just a single state. It was close. Too close.
On November 9, I woke up and found out the new president-elect. I was surprised. I was also deeply disappointed. I had listened to some of the things Trump had said. The hateful words that were said on the campaign trail horrified me. About the same time, I had heard about his acceptance speech. I heard that it was tactful, almost graceful, that missing from it was all of the hateful things he had said for over a year.
November 9, I also had to wake up really early and get on a plane. I was scared, not of the plane ride - those are nothing to me at this point. The election results scared me. Not because Trump was elected. But because so many people had voted for him - either because of the hate-filled things he said, or in spite of them. So, as I contemplated what this meant for our country, for my beloved friends who will be significantly impacted by the hate that has been incited, and for my God-given neighbors (which means all of humanity), I had to go spend time with hundreds of strangers for the next 7 hours.
Honestly, that was the best thing I could have done. Life moved along. People were in all sort of moods, but smiles seemed to be most prevalent. No one was mean, or hateful. In fact, it seemed to me as though people were even nicer than usual. No one acted entitled. No one acted as if they were better than another. People were just kind and compassionate.
I was watching "Dead Poets Society" this morning. The character, John Keating (played by the late Robin Williams), had the students stand on the desk. He told them that sometimes, you need to gain another perspective on what's before you. Once on the plane, and in the air, I gained another perspective. We flew over trees, homes, roads - but what stuck out to me was a baseball diamond. It was so tiny from where I was. I could see the whole thing with just a single glance. Yet, people run around it with some amount of effort to play the game. Things have a way of changing when you step back. What normally looks like a struggle, simply doesn't anymore. Seeing the world - my world - from a radically new perspective helped put everything (the election included) into, well, perspective.
This election campaign was hard. The election results have revealed that this nation is divided. We can no longer honestly say the Pledge of Allegiance. Not when the last line contains "One nation ... indivisible..." We are divided. We all know that now. It is painfully and abundantly clear. But there is hope. There is so much hope. I posted an observation on my Facebook page last night. Within an hour, it had exceeded my most reacted to post in my history of being on Facebook. I'll share it here:
Y'all, I think we're going to be okay. I'm sitting on the plane. A young family, who doesn't speak English, got split up in the seating. Several people worked together to help them sit together. That's what God's kingdom looks like. That is what makes America great!
There is hope. I've seen it already. We have to be willing to come to each other, approach each other, out of a state of love and compassion. The only way to overcome this deep, hurting divide is to approach each other with kindness. Christ calls us to "love our neighbors as ourselves." Sometimes, I feel like we don't quite get what that means, or what it looks like. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that everyone has their own story, their own reasons for things. It's time we all replace anger, fear, and hurtful ways with kindness, compassion, and deep Christian/Godly love for each other.
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