Greetings. I am a voting constituent in rural west Texas.
Just got back from voting. Which is always a great feeling. Poll workers were happy and helpful. Neighbors got to meet and greet. We all left feeling like good citizens. A part of a whole. A rare moment of unity.
Then I came home and had another of a lifetime of epiphanies. Specifically I started reading about how the Biden administration is working with countries that are experiencing a mass exodus of their people because they can no longer find a viable means of existence where they live. An attempt is being made to help those countries help their people stay in their countries, which in turn would help address the influx of migrants heading towards America.
And that made me realize a difference between our two political parties. One side seems to look at the big picture and tries to address the underlying problems of an existential issue. The other seems to want to leave it ‘every man for himself.’ Build a wall. Get a gun. Be suspicious. Ridicule a common quest for a common good. Create distractions to avoid addressing real problems in a real, cooperative way. Blame it all on someone else.
There seems to be a current belief that democracy is a flawed system. That the strong, the rich, the powerful, even the righteous, are more deserving of the fruits of a good life than those who find themselves in less fortunate positions. That helping your fellow man, while a lofty Christian tenet, always elicits a cry of ‘socialism.’
A recent example. While driving through treacherous weather recently I commented to my companion that it was nice the way all our fellow drivers were cooperating in various ways to try and help all of us involved in traveling safely. The comment I got after making this observation was ‘You’re such a Democrat.’
Who knew that cooperating for a common good and hoping for the best for all of us would get a political label attached to it? I just thought I was being a decent human.
My wish is that we could try and overcome the worst parts of our tribal natures and work towards a better world for all us. I don’t think that’s a vision deserving of ridicule.
Just call me Pollyanna.
