E. Boyer
I’m writing this column on the Saturday before the election, but as you’re reading it, we’ll likely know the outcome of things long debated. I hope, no matter the outcome, we can go back to being civilized. Nice. Dare I say...polite to one another? I’m not sure what happens during an election year, but it’s as if we lose our minds! The aggressive nature that surfaces is shocking. There was a time when people allowed others the luxury of privacy in their voting preferences. These days, such boundaries have all but vanished. Recently, I was in a grocery store and while standing in the check-out line one man said to another, with sufficient volume to guarantee that anyone in earshot would hear him, “Anyone who votes for _______ is an idiot!” All I really wanted from my trip to the grocery store was a quart of milk and a bag of spinach. A perfect stranger deciding that I’m an idiot wasn’t really on my list. Interesting, isn’t it, how comfortable our society has become with overbearing unsolicited opinions? How I long for boundaries.
For my part, once I’ve cast my vote I’ll accept the outcome. I’m not inclined to flatten the tires of any neighbor who voted for the other candidate nor will I snarl at anyone at the next city council meeting if we had differing views on local measures. Oh, sure, I’ll do some eye-rolling, but...I’ll do it privately. Good Lord...the absurdity of politics.
I came across this message on a blog devoted to leadership, the name of which I can’t recall. The message was intended to help young adults, high school and college age, who lost an election. It’s a good message and although not my own words, I offer it sincerely to the also-rans of this year’s election..be it Measure Y or the Presidency...a little post-election pick-me-up...
“...Thank you for taking a risk and putting yourself out there as a viable candidate. Thank you for recognizing your strengths and giftedness and your willingness to use those for us. Thank you for giving us a choice, a good choice, for the position being filled. Thank you for wanting to make a difference. Thank you for being the one to step up and stand out when a lot of other people sat back and blended in.”
Chicken pot pie, anyone?
