November 4: What Do We The People Do Now?

As I write this, the United States is deep in election mode.  The countdown has begun toward November 3 and the only thing we can all agree on is the division that awaits us when the counting is done and the balloons are deflated.  Very few voters are still undecided at this point, so we’re just looking for the final count to see which segment of our country will be the least unhappy going into the next four years. 

Regardless of the policies that will be put in place by the next resident of the Oval Office, and the continuation or redirection of our Nation’s presence on this planet, now could be a good time to remind ourselves that our leadership doesn’t determine the health of our nation; we do.  “We the People” are charged with forming the more perfect union.  We may have created expectations for those we elect up and down the ticket next Tuesday, but the real question is “What are the expectations we have created for ourselves after November 3?”  

Democracy is government of the people by the people - not government of the many by the few who managed to get a job in the administration.  The Election process is supposed to be the fair way of deciding who will speak for us, adjudicate for us, balance the scales for us...represent us.  This was the original intention in our Constitution so We the People can ensure our domestic tranquility and promote our general welfare. 

The greatest joy of democracy is the freedom to argue positions, policies, plans and solutions for achieving objectives.  Today, we do this on street corners, in Facebook posts, Twitter threads and blog commentary, all without fearing that we will be abducted and sent to a gulag.  We might not like the blowback we get from society, but speech is a freedom we choose to exercise - or not - without fear of governmental repercussions…so far. 

The key word in all this, however, is “argue...”  which brings us back to expectations. 

The expectations we set for ourselves going forward must be a high bar as we argue our way around the landmines cultivated and inflamed over the past 250 years by those in power bringing us to the division we experience now.   Understanding how we got so divided is important and must be one cornerstone helping us move forward, but we don’t need to re-litigate the past.  How we put our history into context will determine where and how we go from here.   If we begin with acknowledging the arc of our story, we give ourselves a chance to respect how young we are in this grand experiment of self-governance.  We can use all the platitudes of the shining city on a hill (Ronald Reagan) or a melting pot turned mosaic (Jimmy Carter) but in any case, deeply acknowledging the expanse of who we are and the progress we’ve made since our birth could be a good start.

Since our Declaration of Independence a mere 244 years ago, and the signing of our constitution eleven years later, we have created 50 states, with 50 individual constitutions and houses of congress; those 50 states combined share a total of 350 languages, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Less than 100 years later, Ellis Island began admitting more than 12 million people as immigrants who willingly came to this country.  Another 500,000 came unwillingly as slaves in shackles and chains, and were processed on auction blocks up and down our country’s east coast.  In the years since, these immigrants and slaves along with Native Americans formed the mosaic in President Carter’s quote.   With them came cultures, traditions, ideas of “right and wrong,” what “freedom” looked like and, most of all, dreams of lives of opportunity for themselves and their children.   How to make it all work with everyone all the time has been the intention We the People took on all those years ago.  

I believe we are entitled to some kudos for all we have done - and all we still intend to do.   So, with appreciation for our youth, history and potential in mind, what do we intend? 

At the heart of all intention – individually and universally – are expansion and abundance.  Without a unified environment, however, neither can survive.  Division and separation cannot be part of any thought process in our choices and decisions as we go forward from November 3.  There is no right or wrong, only what works or doesn’t toward a goal.  If we can agree on that, expect it from ourselves, each other and our leadership, we stand a chance.

 So where do we begin? 

We begin with setting the bar high for ourselves and making demands on ourselves.   Tone of voice, choice of language, courage in telling the truth and calling out lies when we see them.  Being respectful and vocal in the face of injustice, insisting that our homes be a refuge for the spirit it takes to be all this and more.  We must demand that the people we elected show the same intentions for themselves, because what we expect from ourselves we expect from them.

There’s a continuum of our division today.  Republicans, Democrats, Liberals, Conservatives, Progressives, Constitutionalists – it doesn’t matter what the label is (and in our history, many of these labels have switched positions, but that’s another blog).  In the last few years we found ourselves arguing positions of zero or 10 on that continuum colliding – not communicating - in the process.  The question going forward is, “Can we talk with each other so we de-escalate each extreme and find the 4-5-6 in the issue?”  Can we agree to argue with some ground rules for respect and truth, a willingness to admit there’s another side to what we see?  A good way to start that conversation might be “What am I missing?”  Then take the time and care to listen and really hear.  We don’t have to agree on the 4-5-6, we just have to agree that we’ll try to get there.   

Full disclosure - the Intention I state here has been one I set for myself for the last four years and, in truth, has not been sustainable.  I have failed many times in trying to hold to that bar… I have very strong opinions about where our current administration has taken our country and I failed over and over again with my own good intentions in the way I thought through and shared my opinions.  I intend this writing to be one way I can begin to succeed so the next four years are not as painful and do not resemble the last four.

Today begins the one week countdown.  I’ll be watching the returns next Tuesday and beyond along with everyone else, praying that my people get in and we can begin healing.  Whoever gets in, We the People will determine what our country looks like four years from now. 

November 3 continues the process of growing the democracy we began 244 years ago.  November 4 begins the continuation of the arc of our history.  Let’s see how we do with both.