“We have not loved you with out whole heart; We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves”.
Since President Trump first announced his run for office, we have increasingly failed this most important commandment. I should know, I have seen both sides.
When he first announced his bid for the Presidency, I genuinely believed Donald Trump was kidding. I thought he was messing with us. As it became clear that he was serious I figured he would never win. As questionable behaviors and inappropriate sound bites emerged, I took a more liberal stance than I usually do. I was surprised when he won. But I was raised to be patriotic and to always respect the office of the President, even when you didn’t vote for the victor. So, I didn’t join the “not my President” movement. As someone who doesn’t see the point in public protests or marches, I stayed indoors.
The hatred toward President Trump grew, and I started to feel badly for him. He is the leader of the free world and needs our prayers, I decided. So I spent lent of 2017 praying for him everyday. Every single day. This humanized him for me. In addition to any ill will I may have had, I also recognized that he is a father and grandfather whose family is close. As I stepped back from the divide I saw the painful truths about all the media bias, fueling the fire of hatred. And I watched the venom spew back and forth, sometimes having it spit at me, for sharing my opinions and often being misunderstood. It seemed if I didn’t hate Trump, Liberals hated me and if I didn’t support him, Conservatives hated me. The middle ground was gone.
But this is not a new problem. In 2014 the following chart was created from research about the mudslinging between parties. These are the frequency of common insults used by the opposing party, when describing the listed party, from one study.
Sadly, in 2014, it appears we were nicer. More recently, Conservatives have used words like “libtard” and “snowflake” to describe Liberals, while Liberals have talked about “bombing the White House” and make threats veiled as satire or jokes about killing President Trump.
Despite all of the unrest, President Trump survived. He served four years successfully, bringing the economy to all time highs, signing more executive orders and passing more bills than any of his predecessors. He promised to get things done, and he did. Soon he will step down and return to the life of a billionaire.
However, the political divide in America will not secede with him. While a divide has long existed, it has grown deeper and wider over the past four years. This article from The Scientific American published in 2012 provides some insight, and maybe hope.
At the end of the day, we need to remember to love our neighbors and follow the Golden Rule. Found in most major religions all over the world, literature, music and art, it is something we all learn as early as Kindergarten.
Do unto others as you would have done unto you. Treat others as you wish to be treated.
And remember:
“Be kind. Everyone you know is fighting a harder battle.”
Listen. Try not to judge or jump to conclusions. Be gentle with each other. Respect each other. We are trying to survive a global pandemic as well as so much unrest all over our country, and the world. Love is the only way out.
