Election days can be hard to navigate for many. If nothing else but the campaigns are doing their jobs well then most Americans feel invested in what happens today.
The race is close. Which means the outcome will be disappointing for almost half the country. For those of us that lose it may feel like we are headed in a terrible direction. It may take time to process it and come to terms with the outcome. For those of us that win it may feel like we dodged a bad outcome. But winning or losing a close race will make us all wonder how could so many people be on the other side of this?
A close race is a testament to a healthy democracy. What a close race means is that candidates were able to represent a set of issues that almost half the country could at least stand behind. A 50%-50% may seem frustrating. But you know what would be really bad? How about 70%-30% (Russia)? The fact that most of us feel that we are so close to winning or losing, means the system is actually serving its purpose. It’s not the best; but it’s the best so far.
Let’s look at the issues themselves. The parties evolve enough that often what divided them at one point ends up being accepted by both at another time in a matter of few years. When I say I want sugar in my coffee, I’ll be happy if you put two cubes of sugar. But if you then offer me another cube of sugar I’ll say I don’t want sugar. Does that make me for sugar or against sugar? Neither. It just means I like some sugar, not too much.
When we recognize that is all that is happening around most issues we feel divided on, we may learn to see them differently. To value the amount of something rather than getting lost behind ideological stands that rarely make sense in the extreme.
For all the progress we make, we still haven’t figured out how to turn back time. So all we can do is move forward. Those of us that win, let’s remember to lead with humility and accountability to everyone; those of us that lose, let’s remember that we are always moving forward even if it may not seem like it and that everything adds up to it.
