Returning to the World

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Well, not exactly.

Received a text from a great friend...he wanted to simply bust my balls about the election.

I took it!

Yet what I didn't do was either watch or think about protesting anything. I see the validity of the protests. I understand it and Americans certainly have the right to raise their voices and shake their fists.

They shouldn't be vandalizing their own neighborhoods though or damaging property. That's a little much, and what will change?

Nothing.

Let's get great, right.

You know what no one is doing at all?

Listening to someone else's point of view.

I had a work situation this week where someone looked at something through their own eyes. What took me a solid 25 minutes to explain was the thoughts and feelings of the OTHER person.

I've been stunned to silence because I can't fully comprehend all that went into the election.

I saw what I saw.

Understood what I understood.

And couldn't see it clearly from the other side.

We had debate class in college. I was tasked with debating about the death penalty.

It wasn't the side of the death penalty debate that I believed in!

I had to argue the other side of the argument.

My heart wasn't into it, but I took up the fight. I actually did a pretty decent job of spelling it all out...

...but even though I battled hard...

...it didn't change my mind.

I will never change my mind about what I heard during the course of the election. Some of what I heard was not forgivable.

Not tolerable.

How do I switch gears?

How do so many others suddenly accept what is unacceptable?

I still don't know.

But the sun comes up.

Hope springs eternal.

What buoys me through the aftermath is that I know that America is the greatest country...

...because of the people.

Some of the people are unsure.

Others are thrilled.

Life goes on.

We'll be all right.

I think back to The Grapes of Wrath.

Tom has just killed a man and he has to leave the family. Tom's father asks Tom's mother what they can possibly due to survive and she says:

"We move on."

And as Tom is leaving his mother asks him:

"Tom how will I know you're all right?"

He says and I'm paraphrasing:

"You'll know Mom because if there's a cop beating a guy, I'll be there. If there are people being treated unfairly I'll be right there in the darkness that surrounds you. I'll fight for what is right. I'll be there."

And that's what is making me get back up...

...some very not fair things have been proposed.

Plenty of people will stand up and fight if horrible ideas are suddenly presented as facts.

We have plenty of checks and balances.

We'll need 'em.

And if fighting back is needed. I'll be there, trying to argue the point from the other side.

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