Maybe we are finally growing up.
Our country may be growing up - moving through adolescence toward maturity.
2016: Electors voted, formalizing Trump's 304 - 227 win.
2020: 538 electors voted, formalizing Biden's 306-232 win.
Acceptance is the key to sanity. Let's move forward in acceptance and request of ourselves service to the causes that matter most in our lives.
Protests, riots, violence... these are different things. I have witnessed all three by a variety of people for a variety of reasons over the past year. I don't agree with some of the displays, but I respect their right to express themselves. Similarly, I believe some displays were long over due.
Human beings are messy. There is both good and bad in each of us, the capacity exists within each of us to be both kind and volatile. It's part of what makes us human. We are more alike than different.
What we must be conscious of is the choice we each have. I believe we are moving through adolescence in this country and finally growing up. Becoming mature and recognizing what is important - we all know that adolescence is hard to watch.
In my opinion, what is critical is looking closely at our education system... that it look closely at it's responsibility to build character, democratic understanding for citizenry, empathy, personal accountability, personal responsibility, and cooperation with others (both like us and not like us) for the successful future of our planet and it's inhabitants, our global economy and the Beautiful Democracy in the United States of America.
Please look yourself in the mirror. Everyone. All of us. Each of us.
Would my favorite grandparent be proud of who I am today?
Would my favorite teacher be proud of who I am today?
Would I tell a child to become who I am today, in all ways?
Can I do better?
One Country. One Destiny.
Let's learn from this.
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Someone I love has a shirt that says:
"It's the Bill of Rights, not the Bill of Feelings"
A funny shirt, no doubt. :) I have a sense of humor. AND it speaks to our capacity to isolate issues and create caricatures of each other. It ignores the fact that both exist and both are necessary.
The Bill of Rights to our Democracy.
Feelings to the Human Being, and therefore our Democracy.
We must learn that feelings are designed to inform our decisions rather than incite our behavior. This is a skillset to be learned.
Feelings can elicit behaviors if left unchecked. Acknowledging them first, then allowing them to exist within the process of decision-making is a skillset.
Humans use behaviors to feel differently when we don't have the skillset to deal with our emotions ourselves. We may use blame, control, alcohol, the idea of "more", food, power, status, money...
We aren't seeing each other, family.
Let's review how our democracy works, AND learn to do our own emotional work, AND listen to and respect each other. Enough speculating, blaming, judging, warring, and screaming. Take responsibility for yourself, and live as an example for each other.
Let's grow up collectively and each take mature responsibility for our Beautiful Democracy in these United States of America.