Election Day, in case you were not aware. If you were not, I envy you. I really do. I don't think I am in the minority with that sentiment. Most of us are sick to death of the ads, the dialogue, the endless rhetoric and the coverage. The non-stop endless coverage with pundits galore. I've been joking about moving to Canada to live with a moose.
Obviously I don't mean that. The process is important. Does it need fixing, well yes, of course. But it's what we have to work with. I actually DO understand the electoral college, being the history loving nerd that I am, but it doesn't mean that it is relevant in today's age. And other things, which I do not choose to jump up on my soapbox about.
I grew up in a very politically active family. I learned a lot about it. Enough that now, as a parent myself, my views are dramatically different than my parents. And that is OKAY. That means I learned enough and I have enough confidence in my own opinions that I don't just follow along like a sheep, going with the crowd or the popular kids.
That is not why I wanted to post today. I know it happens every political season, but I have seen an abundance of taking politics to a personal level this year. As in, you don't support my candidate, you are obviously ignorant. (I'm not) You clearly don't love children. (I think the four of them might disagree) You are racist and don't believe in the rights of women. (Well, I come from a hispanic family and I have a vagina, so...)
You get the idea. I know it goes on from both sides. I find it abhorrent. Perfectly reasonable people grow balls to say things they would never say otherwise. We get further polarized and grow legions apart with this attitude. How on earth did it become acceptable to hate or look down on an entire group of people simply because they belong to a different party than you do? Simply put, don't assume you know someone, or even that you know what their politics and views are. I believe most people are not firmly in one camp or another.
I was raised in a staunchly liberal household. Vote straight party line and don't even consider anything else. I am an independent. I am still very liberal in terms of many social issues. I have found myself growing increasingly conservative fiscally as I have gotten older and certainly with kids in the picture. I would also like to see God more present in our country. The party I most mirror in my views is the Libertarian party. Pretty diverse huh? My point is this - don't assume you know. Step back and take a deep breath. The vitriol and nastiness is unwarranted and unnecessary. I think most of us just want our country to be better.
I will close with this. Vote as you will, do not judge others if they don't agree with you. Most importantly, pray that whoever is our next president will have our best interests at heart and help those who desperately need it. We need God's love and justice in our country.
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