Today I am thinking about when to be neutral and when to take a stand.
My career as a divorce mediator depends on my ability to embrace the concept of both/and – that is, to really try to understand where each person is coming from and why they feel the way they do. I also value diversity inclusivity and an open dialog. I believe strongly in the dignity of every human being. These are core values for me, and I try to remain open-minded.
All that being said, sometimes you have to take a stand and speak up. Today (the morning after what can at best be called a very rough debate between Biden and Trump) is one of those days. It is easy to be shaken up today – and be worried. Trump really could win again and many of the things we take for granted could be taken from us. They’ve already gone after a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions and to control her own body. And they are going after the separation between church and state. We take it for granted that we each have an equal voice in electing our leaders, the right to express our views, and the right to peaceably assemble among so many other things. But all of that could be gone in a matter of months.
So what can we do? We can do the things that our democracy counts on. Start with a commitment to vote and encourage our good neighbors to do the same. Send postcards. Make phone calls. I’m a member of a Voting Rights Group through Middle Collegiate Church and that sends out thousands of handwritten postcards before each election. Email me if you’d like to join us, or simply click here and they’ll tell you how to get started.
The election is not over. It’s not hopeless. We don’t all have to move to Canada. Stand up for what you believe in! It’s up to us. After all, in the words of the great (fictional) President Jed Bartlett, “decisions are made by those who show up.”