The Danger of Rhetoric
Is there anyone who has not heard a variant of one or both of these statements?
‘If Hillary Clinton is elected, the world as we know it will end.’
‘If Donald Trump is elected, the world as we know it will end.’
It’s compelling stuff, right? Statements like this get our blood churning, spur us to action, and accomplish action–but on the flip side, it also incites us to shut down centers of the brain responsible for rational thinking and impulse control.
That’s a problem.
The Greatest Nation–The Shining City on the Hill
Like most citizens of the U.S., as well as great numbers of non-citizens around the globe, I am of the opinion that the U.S. is the greatest nation ever developed.
True, I may consider it to be the greatest nation for different reasons than you do. Mine would include commitment to social justice, equal opportunity for all, a belief in caring for all of our citizens, etc. Yours might be that the U.S. provides opportunity to acquire wealth, opportunity to live a life unimpeded by a hostile government, a nation secured from danger by a mighty military, or … take your choice.
All of them would be true. All of them are honorable. None of us are wrong.
We simply look at the world in different ways, and sometimes my priorities are more popular with the electorate than yours. Sometimes your priorities are more popular with the electorate than mine. So we hold elections to figure out which priorities should take precedence. And if it doesn’t happen to be our priorities, then we wait until the attitudes of the electorate change, and then we make progress on our issues.
That’s how our country works. That’s how it’s worked for over 200 years. That’s how it could continue to work for the foreseeable future.
But There Are Dangers
We are in a period of extreme intransigence with respect to others’ opinions and world views. This has completely shut down Congress, resulting in the Executive and Judicial branches being the only ones that can get anything done.
We are in a period of extreme distrust of government. Rightly or wrongly, whether our wishes are practical or fantasy, the government overall has failed to provide us what we want.
We are in a period where citizens are more likely to take up arms and defy the rule of law to get what they want–probably since any period since prohibition or the Civil War.
Our Civic Duty
As is being drummed down our throats right now, we have an obligation to vote. So vote.
But there’s a more important civic obligation regarding the preservation of our country. If the election reveals that your priorities are in the minority and will not be given precedence in the immediate future, you have an obligation to do this: Absolutely nothing.
You have an obligation to our great nation not to take up arms and take to the streets. You have an obligation not to enact revenge on those who disagree with you. You have an obligation not to burn churches and polling places, assault elected officials, or otherwise violate the laws that have made this country great.
So do your civic duty: Vote. Help your fellow citizens vote. Let the elections play out as they will, accept the results, and correct any errors that arise along the way. If there is criminal malfeasance in the election, then force the public official you just voted for to deal with it using the law of the land.
But do not: Take matters into your own hands; Do violence upon your neighbor; Enact rage-based actions that damage the country; Enact rage-based actions that kill people, such as the police and firemen that put their lives on the line every day to keep this country great.
You would dishonor so much of our history as a great nation if you did any of that.
The Future
In my assessment, our future is sunny but perilous. It will remain sunny if we hold to our values. It will be fraught with danger if we ignore or misinterpret the warnings of history. So let’s make the right choice.
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