Did you hear about what’s happening 163 days from today? We’re going to have another election. Seems like the last one’s still not over? I so get it.
I think that most people would agree that in the larger sense that these days, We the People have lost our way in many ways – especially when it comes to our politics. The pundits tell us every four years how “this is the most important election of our lifetimes” and that if we don’t vote for them, we’ll be broke, beheaded by our enemies, and the world will implode in 3 days. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. It’s always that way, it always has been and it always will be. That’s the American way.
So today on day 163 of the countdown, I’m here to offer a few bits of advice and counsel. Small suggestions that will save you years of your life from unnecessary stress, save you perhaps thousands in attorney’s fees from a civil action, and maybe even save the republic itself.
1. It’s going to be ok.
Let’s begin here: it’s going to be ok. No matter if your team or your person wins or loses, we’re going to be ok – you, me, and us, and we need to remember that first. Think for a minute about what happened last time…and the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that. Apparently you’re still here. My arthritis is worse than last time, but I’m still here. Maybe you yearn for a Canadian address, and if so, see ya. Maybe you just like to bitch about how the rest of the world bitches about America, if so, bitch away friend. Just remember, in this America, both sides get a chance to play, and when one side wins the other side always boo’s. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. It’s the American way. Always has been, always will be.
2. To disagree is to be American
How the hell did we got to the point that if someone disagrees with us, they suddenly become the resurrection of Hitler and Satan all rolled into one? We’ve grown into a space where simple disagreements in our discourse create giant emotional strains between us and sometimes with the people we care about most. In the next 163, we would do well to remember that the idea of America from the beginning was to be a forum for disagreement. Opposing ideas make both sides smarter, more well informed, and able to make better decisions. I couldn’t agree more. We don’t have to agree with each other, but we do need to listen to each other– especially when we disagree. But to do that you just have to be ok with you first. We’ll do that bit of therapy another Sunday.
3. It’s not gonna happen.
Let’s be real here: if you’re a Trump hater, no one is going to change your mind about it. And if you loathe the other Joe in the other Washington, you probably won’t pull the lever for him. If you think you can change someone’s mind about their deepest beliefs, you’re on a fool’s errand friend to nowhere my Sunday friend. Remember that if in the next 163 days you find yourself belly to belly with someone who disagrees with you about abortion, interest rates, or who should be using which bathroom. And depending on how far out you are, keep this bit of simple intelligence at your side always: feelings come and go, but words are sticky.
4. Choose your counsel wisely.
I miss the days of Cronkite, Huntley, and Brinkley. Come to think of it I kind of miss Captain Kangaroo and Sonny and Cher too. These days, your favorite conspiracy theory spiritual advisor is just a click away on your phone and they are all seeking one drug and one drug only: your attention (and maybe your vote too). In today’s America, the one thing that creates clicks more than anything else is conflict, and they’re all about the clicks. If you’re one who makes up your mind and then goes about picking media that validates it, you probably also eat desert before dinner. But hey it’s a free country.
5. Be the change.
My friend has a small magnet on her fridge. It says, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” In the next 163 days, you’ll undoubtedly hear a million times how we’re just one ballot away from either redemption or Armageddon and you’ll undoubtedly run into more than one pundit who doesn’t wear your stripes. Instead of getting in a huff about it, maybe just take a pause for a minute and think for that minute about how you can clean up your side of the street: what you can do to be a smarter voter, a better neighbor, and a good citizen who isn’t a dick. If we can put our attention on those things, we’ll all get through this just fine. Putin will be weeping, but we will be fine. And that, my fellow American, should be the American way.
God Bless America and have a good week.
Joe Still
2024.05.26
Cite
“Politics is the art of controlling your environment.”
– Hunter S. Thompson