Love on the ballot

Vote for whoever you want. We can still be friends.

One of my favorite things about living in the tiny, historic town of Jacksonville, Oregon is the annual Britt Music and Arts Festival. Every year, a variety of musical legends plays the outdoor venue on the western hill of our little town. Over the years, Diana Ross, Willie Nelson, The Beach Boys, Gladys Knight, along with many other generational talents and up-and-coming musicians have played the evening stage up on the hill. One of my favorites every festival season is Michael Franti and Spearhead. I’m not sure how long he’s been playing here, but at least for the last several years he’s been on the docket every summer. His music and his shows bring an infectious level of joy and hope for humanity, as the lyrics are often a call to love and support one another through the craziness of life.

Why does everybody in the world seem so divided? Why does everybody gotta hate each other, who decided? – Michael Franti

Why does everybody in the world seem so divided? There have always been divisions between religions and philosophies, races and socioeconomic factions. But it seems to be ramping up exponentially, especially when social media gives us the ability to spread a hateful message without any real personal cost or consequence. Not to mention the misinformation that gets disseminated at the click of a button. At this rate, we are spiraling into divided chaos, and may actually be circling the drain. However, before you (or I) point a finger at one side or one party, we should be honest and admit that it’s coming from both sides. Republicans and Democrats alike are both screaming the same alarmist and catastrophizing message: “If (they) win this election, it will be the end of democracy in America”.

The fact is, nobody wins when this is our approach to freedom of thought in a democratic republic. The constant attack and distrust between political parties is akin to a game of tug-of-war, both sides pulling to gain an inch in one election only to give up two inches in the next. Back and forth, round and round we go, only to find ourselves digging in deeper for our chosen party and we’re all ending up in the mud. But is there a better way? What if we focused more on the good that “our” candidate was doing rather than throwing shade on “their” candidate. What if we chose to actually give each other the space to have different opinions and views without having our fragile egos shattered because someone doesn’t agree with us? And what if we all take a couple moments to verify the truthfulness of something before we repeat it so we aren’t contributing to the confusion? What if we said, “Vote for whoever you want and we can still be friends. I’ll vote for whoever I want, and we’re still going to love and respect each other.”? Can we do that? It seems like such a radical shift from where we’re at, and yet I think it’s actually very achievable if we all just take a breath, drop our stones, and filter our words and actions through the call for us to love one another.

Love and Hate are on the ballot every day in the way we treat our neighbors, coworkers, and even the random people online that you may never know. Your vote counts. My vote counts. In a world full of voices shouting for their position and opinion, I hope love breaks through and becomes the prominent voice that brings peace in our homes, communities, and around the world.