The Real Danger to Democracy

The real danger to democracy and our country is not the leaders but the people. 

I'm not big on politics, but I want to make things clear about people. Did you know that people try their hardest to do what they think is right? You might disagree with their methods, but that doesn't mean you need to be unkind. I've seen too many angry and scared people on the left say hateful things and too many excited people on the right turn their joy into cruelty. 

I wish I could put both sides in time-out until they stop acting like children. You don't need laws and policies to force or justify you to be good. Don't get me wrong; we need laws and policies, and we need significant scale change. But more than that, we need individual change.

I see too much polarization. We need to recognize the common good. The Democrats in my life have taught me about love and empathy. While the Republicans have taught me that we need financial security and personal values. 

Before you get mad, both value these things; they just emphasize/show it definitely. This is the problem, both sides have shown me they care about people but have lost the ability to care for each other. 

If you stand on a seesaw, you can balance the farther away you get. That is what we are doing. However, you can also have balance if you choose to come together. 

I'm not naive enough to think we can have both parties hold hands and skip together. But I hope we can come close enough to hear each other without shouting. 

I have seen outstanding examples in my life on both sides of the line. It's not all loud name-calling out there. There are also incredible people and progress on both sides. 

Last thought, if you want to change a person, don’t call them names and shame them. Encourage and educate them, but leave room for yourself to be educated too. This is empathy. And this is what we need, and this is what we are losing.