A Republic, if We Can Keep It

You may know my calling is for people to experience hope and revelation with me. So if you’re not in the mood for some hope and a little revelation today, then this isn’t for you.

Then again, perhaps this is exactly for you.

I’m glad and relieved that the assassination attempt on Former President Trump did not succeed yesterday. That shouldn’t be a political statement and I deserve neither your praise nor your scorn for feeling that way.

I feel this way for two equally important reasons:

One: I don’t believe for a second that the way we solve our political, cultural and ideological disconnection is through that kind of violence that would have surely plunged this nation deeper into chaos and division than we already are.

Two: as a human, I don’t want to see the death of a person, just because I disagree with them, even vehemently so. Whatever I think of the former president and his previous term, and no matter what I believe a second term will mean for our country, we should not kill our political rivals. We should not turn political rivals into national security level enemies. And yes, I’m well aware this nation has a “rich” tradition of doing exactly that domestically and aboard, but that doesn’t mean we should be fine with it or gleefully perpetuate it.

I have to accept the fact that a lot of my fellow Americans believe the former president is precisely the right person for the job even though I don’t agree with them. That’s part of democracy. It would be no better of me to want to see them deprived of their preferred candidate through violence, than it would be for them to see me deprived of mine in such a fashion. (Yes. I know. January 6th. See below.)

Let’s not pretend political violence hasn’t been part of this nation’s existence since its beginning. Again, that doesn’t mean it’s justified, that just means it isn’t new. Unfortunately, it is and has been part of the American experience. If and when we want to get serious about dealing with violence in American politics, I’m totally here for that. And, in the meantime, let’s stop with the fake outrage. And by fake, I mean outrage that is one-sided, biased by recency, gaslighty, etc.

It should not be lost of people that the weapon used to almost kill the former president was reportedly an AR15-style weapon. From several hundred feet away. A near catastrophe was averted by mere inches, and a bystander was killed with two more critically injured. From several hundred yards away. Absolutely, quick reaction from Secret Service prevented further loss of life. But I imagine the shooter was pretty clear on which weapons would best help him achieve his goal and were easiest to get, and he chose accordingly. I know responsible gun laws are the last thing on many people’s minds, but there is an intersection between ideological extremism, political violence and access to weapons that can do grave harm.

By definition of a spectrum, there is political extremism on both ends. However, I am deeply concerned of the so-called Christian, nationalistic, “reclaim our country” armed militia-style violent rhetoric that I see as part of the core identity of some of the former President’s support. Whatever the underlying sources of their anger are, they just had gasoline thrown on them. I get it. But the immediate response I have seen from this political/ideological minority is a rapid escalation of threats of more violence, and it seems to me that this is very excuse these people were looking for to justify the political violence they were already threatening. I hope that some of the leaders who share some of the political beliefs as these people but do not share their belief that more violence is the way to achieve their political aims will speak up and speak to those on that part of the political spectrum.

Do I think we barely averted the start of a civil war yesterday? I do. Because some people have been itching for one for years. And had the former president been assassinated yesterday, we’d be waking up to a very different America today.

The hypocrisy I’m seeing in some people is staggering. When people who are outraged — OUTRAGED — about the attempted assassination of the former president, are not and have not been equally outraged at that same former president’s attempt to steal the 2020 election, to encourage the January 6th insurrection, to sit back and do NOTHING while our nation’s Capitol was under attack by his supporters who wanted to murder the vice president and any elected leader they could find who would not stop the lawful and peaceful transition of power, when that group holds those two positions with zero daylight between them, well, it’s hard for some folks who took January 6th a little personally to express empathy on a personal level.

Speaking for myself, it requires me to work extra hard as a human to practice what I preach — empathy and hope. And, I need to, in order to participate in our national pain, as I have done and as I should continue to do, alongside others who feel our national pain differently, in order to participate in our eventual national joy. As hard as this is, I do believe it is crucial for all of us to do it. Why? Because, while truthfully, some of “them” do wish some of the “others” harm, I can’t let that change who I am inside. And I have to find a way to be a light in darkness.

And this is the hard part y’all, ooh this is hard: if I stoop to the level of those who see me and my existence as a threat to theirs, who see the America we are becoming as a threat to the America we used to be, if I turn a blind eye to the tit for tat rhetoric, if ALL OF US keep playing back and forth political retribution, and then playing with what we see as “political” violence, then we surely will find ourselves in a civil war. And then we have all surely lost.

So if you represent the part of this country that really does want to see all of us succeed, if you believe our greatest days are still ahead of us, despite the darkness we experience in this present moment, here is what I’m inviting all of you, all of us, to do.

For starters, we need to shift the dialogue right now. If you disagree with the former president, please don’t act like he deserved it no matter how much his presidency and actions have angered you, caused your harm, or how much you believe his re-election would cause harm to you and your loved ones. Please don’t revel in his near-demise. How would you feel if that were President Biden? Or Former President Obama? Please don’t let your ideological opposition weaken your morality. If you feel so strongly he is not the right person to lead us for four more years, then vote.

If you are a Trump supporter, please don’t invoke God in your anger. I know some of you share a political identity that is an expression of your faith. I get it and you are entitled to it. I grew up in the church and I’ve been in almost every denomination there is. And I have yet to see a part in the liturgy where God chooses political parties or selects presidents. Nah, God left that up to us. That’s something that we the people do. Presidents aren’t anointed, but they are determined via election. So if you really believe Trump is the best person to lead us for four more years, then vote.

If you pray to a Higher Power, God, the Universe, then please pray for all of us, not just your “side.” Everyone is hurting, people. Do you want to contribute to one another’s pain? Or do you want to help relieve some of it? Use your energy, your thoughts and your prayers accordingly.

Vote. That’s our best chance at keeping this experiment we call American Democracy alive.

The social media algorithms are not our friends. Divisive, angry content gets more visibility because it gets a lot of reaction both within one’s own network of shared viewpoints, and when people outside one’s echo chamber engage. Don’t fall for the trap.

I plead with you: resist the urge to be pulled over the cliff by those who share *some* of your beliefs, but don’t believe you’re entitled to disagree with them on others. Resist the urge to follow leaders, influencers or anyone else who tells you that half the country is evil, amoral, and worthy of destruction. Resist the urge to follow leaders, influencers or anyone else who tells you half the country is ignorant, stuck in the past, and doesn’t deserve a voice.

There is another way, people. It is defined by the political middle ground, and there are a LOT of us in this country who really are this way; it’s just hard to find your voice and be heard when the extremists are shouting. Here’s the thing: we don’t have to agree on everything under the sun to belong to the middle. It means that we agree that a few critical shared values are much bigger and more important than our disagreements, and that our policy and political differences have to be worked out over time at the ballot box, in the legislative process, and in our communities through civic engagement at a grassroots level. I get it, when you feel your life is one on the line, compromise feels weak. When you feel you’re fighting the country you grew up in and wish you still had, compromise feels weak. “Win at all costs” may feel good when you’re winning, but it sucks when you’ve lost. And it the fastest way to our mutual destruction.

No, compromise is not weakness, it is a tool that can help us work towards something much bigger and better: Unity.

In this current political climate, Unity is not for the faint of heart, because Unity requires a backbone that is moral, ethical and just.

Unity requires an acknowledgement that neither you nor I alone can possibly represent this country’s True North; rather, our goal and purpose must be found in something greater than ourselves, a collective identity which includes all of our individual ones.

Unity requires a commitment to see the humanity in all of us, rather than just some of us.

Unity requires a belief that coming together, rather than dominating one another, is the only way to survive.

People, we’re letting politics dictate our values. Let’s stop that. Let your values dictate your politics. Then go ahead and vote. And when you’re done voting, do your best to be a good human, a good neighbor, a good member of our society. Even when — no ESPECIALLY when — you disagree. We can align on shared values even when we don’t agree on our politics.

Today, I choose to believe the best in us, not the worst in us. I choose to believe we are better collectively than our individual flaws and shortcomings. I choose to believe unity is possible if we are willing to work for it, together. It won’t be easy, this more perfect union, this republic — if we can keep it.

But it is possible.

I have seen it in my dreams and we have glimpsed it in our journey so far. And I have hope.

Sojourn, America.