Finding Hope in a Political Storm

How are you feeling today, now more than 24 hours removed from the first head to head political debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump? 

Energized with fresh hope for a healthy and unified move forward in America?

Yeah…not a lot of that going around.

Sometimes we try and laugh about it all so that we don’t cry. 

(And I did laugh a little at this clip depicting a political version of Godzilla versus King Kong 🙂

More commonly, the wave of hope we ride heading into a national conversation on issues facing us all often grabs us unexpectedly into an undertow of frustration, anger and disbelief.

If this dynamic feels familiar…even beyond politics…you’d be right.

But there is a way to avoid the undertow and to maintain your hope in the process. 

It’s called Love…Looks like Honor…and Sounds like Understanding. 

Look…we’ve all been there.  A friend or co-worker makes a comment or social media post about the political candidate you support and you can feel the immediate twinge of disbelief that runs through your mind.  ‘Did I really just read that?!’  ‘How could they genuinely believe this person will be good for our country?’  ‘I thought they were smart…and my friend?!’  ‘I feel so distant from them now.’

But for most of us, we’ve had this same experience with loved ones in other life circumstances.   ‘How could they have said that?!’  ‘Do they genuinely believe that it’s my fault things aren’t working between us?’  ‘How could they not know I love them?!’  ‘I feel so distant from them now.’

In both cases, we need a new starting point.  Sturdy truth to anchor ourselves in the storms of disagreement. 

Treat others they way you would want to be treated. 

(Ian Walton/Getty Images)

When you share your beliefs with someone else, how do you hope it will be received?  How will they react if they agree with you…and what if they disagree with you?

Our relationships with others will experience maximum enjoyment and optimal health when we remember that we are on the same team together. 

It’s the idea that treating someone else with honor is good for them, but it’s also good for me.

It’s the reminder that we are all human beings trying to make sense of the world around us.

And it’s the reality that we should seek to understand before we are understood.

By most statistical measurements, our country is split down the middle between two political parties and ideologies. 

Do you really believe that 50% of our nation…around 160 million people on each side…hold a view of the country’s problems and future strategies that carry no validity? 

I’m not suggesting that everyone needs to agree on the superior value of one economic system over another.  I’m also not saying that we shouldn’t actively campaign for an individual that we believe would be helpful for our nation moving forward.

What I am saying is that it’s possible to be for someone without being against the other.

It’s possible to believe that a Bernie Sanders supported single payer health care system is the most moral and efficient strategy for our nation’s physical well-being without believing that rich people are evil and at fault for the plight of the uninsured.

It’s possible to believe that building a border wall around your country is the best solution to managing the economic and social realities of the current immigration system without being motivated by fear and xenophobia. 

It’s also completely possible AND reasonable that people would have different opinions on what the best solutions for our country would be. 

But WHAT IF…

What if I didn’t demonize a Democrat who genuinely believes that Hillary is well-prepared to lead our country into the future?

What if I didn’t discard the beliefs of citizens who see an ‘America-First’ Trump policy as a healthy move for our country?

What if I really believed that Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton BOTH want great things for our nation?   

How would that change the way we listen to each other?

How would that change the way I consider the policies of different parties being presented.

In a marriage, if you operate from the belief that your partner is full of ulterior motives, it’s only a matter of time…not if…the relationship will end.

However…if you believe that your partner is really on your team…then when there is a disagreement, you can try to understand each other’s viewpoints as perspectives motivated by the overall good of the relationship. 

When your partner wins…you win.

When you succeed…your partner gets to celebrate with you.

When your neighbor gets a raise…you get to share a beer together.

When your home catches fire…your neighbor opens the doors of their home to you.

When you love your neighbor….the way you would want someone to love you…we all win.

We are all on the same team.

Until you can come to grips with this truth…you will drown in the undertow of distrusting your neighbors and fellow human beings.

Dare to believe that we are on the same team.

Don’t wait for the ‘others’ to prove it first.

Live like you believe it.

And live like you are loved.

Because you are.