America Decides

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What is important can change very quickly.

Anyone who has been laid-off, suffered an injury, lost a loved one, defaulted on debt, experienced trauma, and on and on knows the whiplash shift of focus accompanying unforeseen circumstances.

We, the people of this planet, wish to live our lives the best we can.

There are those who would seek to take that right away from us, however.

The dark hearts of men with self-serving intent have plagued this world since the beginning, and this time is no different than any other in that these dark-hearted, selfish beasts still linger.

This time is different from any other in that the ease at which the poisonous pill of confusion is so easily swallowed.

If you or your child or anyone you know was bullied, you know the corruption that herd mentality causes even in the hearts of typically good people. You have watched the face of a friend turn cold as they choose the side of your abuser and kick you to prove their allegiance is with the ring leader and not you, the childhood friend.

Darkness comes in all forms and will always emerge when we are complacent, unclear, and divided. When we assume the good side is static and the darkness is defeated, we hand over responsibility for our part in the equation.

I write to you, dear readers, on the eve of another presidential election in the United States of America. America, once a beacon on the hill, or so we told the world, a light of democratic values and togetherness, abdicated our responsibility in truth before we ever succeeded in achieving it.

Every four years, we have a schizophrenic conversation amongst our political echo chambers in this country. After billions of dollars in ad campaigns are spent, one person gets to lead. Then there is the House and Senate, which decide if the person who will lead us can do anything at all.

For the past number of decades, the political left in this country has been the dumping ground for everything that protects people from the bitter void. We do not actually have a safety net in this country. You can argue the reasons for or against this, but if you fall through the cracks and you aren’t able or don’t know how to find help, if there is any, which varies wildly state by state, you will fall until you hit the ground. The ground is the curb upon which you will sleep, your belongings rolled up in a tarp and stashed in a stolen shopping cart.

The political right in this country has done an excellent job of claiming all the seats for religion and identity as good, clean America, deregulation, and oversimplification of global politics. As we stand on the eve of this election, political grifting from so-called libertarians like Elon Musk is well underway. Over 75 million USD in direct campaign contributions from Musk plus a lottery with a daily million-dollar prize attached for encouraging people to register to vote. Trump already has a political seat in mind for the king of the rockets, Musk.

If you aren’t concerned yet about the state of American politics, I would ask where have you been living for the past decade.

I fear a sort of bloodlust has been worked into many of us in the US. The fear-stoking and “othering” have boiled over to a point that, if left unchecked, will reverse us back to the 19th century, if not worse.

On the one hand, we have a voice asking us to listen, respect, wait, and remember what is actually important. On the other hand, we have a bully who demands allegiance, stokes violence, and has a proven track record of lying and blatantly defying norms that have held us together as a nation for the past 200 years.

I don’t care about left or right, but I do care that I don’t have to live the next four years under a bully as president. Another four years of being told each day that I, as a woman, do not matter.

I escaped abuse, like so many of us warriors (thanks for that one, Diana); we had to believe our worth was more than the circumstance we were in. As a warrior who escaped the clutches of an abuser, I am here to say that no one should be put down, demeaned, belittled, threatened, or in any way dehumanized for the pleasure of a sadistic bully.

In this country, next week, a decision will be made by the voting demographic.

The decision is simple: do you want to live your best life, remember that your neighbor is not your enemy, know that your teacher can teach your children the history of ALL of the people who built and were forced to build our nation, or do you believe the doublespeak of a man who has never tried to earn your trust and has done everything in his power to show that the ideals of our society are not for him?

In the end, you, as a voting American, decide.

Does it matter? That is to be seen.

Have we lost the faith of the world? Perhaps.

Can the faith in the beacon on the hill be restored?

Perhaps, if a rebrand is applied.

Suggested rebrand:

We, the people of all walks, genders, races, and creeds, choose to believe in a future built collectively. Despite our many differences, this nation is stronger because of our shared vision.

In our differences, we will seek to see the common ground between us, and for this collective of Americans, young and old, we will work on building a future we are proud of. We will aim to create a future that is noteworthy for how we treat those with the least among us, for the paths we lay to brighter horizons, and for the integrity of our decisions and our actions.

We believe in the right to think, believe, and live in joy and abundance, to generate wealth for our nation and the planet, and to create long-lasting systems and structures designed to evolve dynamically.

We agree that science has taught us that change is inevitable. Those living today cannot know the trials of those living 200 years from today; we can only do our best to improve things for ourselves and for those who come after us.

We, the people of this country, have always been a melting pot, from the indigenous nations to whom we owe solemn honor and debt to those who came against their will and those whose ideas brought the great change that grew us into the country we are.

We come from all corners of this world to build a brighter possible future.

We will be imperfect, but we will try.

We may not agree often; however, we will see our sisters and brothers as partners, not enemies.

We must never forget that, first and foremost, we are one another’s ally, or we are nothing at all.

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With that, my friends, I sign off for the week.

Back to coding and living my life as best I can. Until next time, I hope that you may do the same.

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