Not About The Election

OK, it is about the election

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Encinitas, California – I woke to a golden autumn sunrise. Poured coffee and went outside. The sky was deep blue, the air dry. 42 degrees, which passes for cold around here. 

I had been awake about an hour before the election crossed my mind. That was a good hour. 

It was a text. Someone had forwarded an editorial that, to them, explained things. Soon after, another person sent a different editorial, one that proved their point. Moving over to a social media platform, I found that some soothing words I had posted the night before had received hundreds more likes than anything I’ve ever posted. 

I was unmoved. I told myself none of it matters, all will pass, the earth someday will be gone and no one will remember me, us, or elections. I told myself, “I don’t care.”

The first part of that thought is true – this will indeed all be forgotten. Sad as it may seem, earth is a temporary gig. The second part of my thought, however, is not accurate. Try as I might to brush it all off with a Gen X “whatever,” I do, in fact, care. The dude minds, man. 

One way to tell that Wally is upset by societal issues is I am wearing a Clash t-shirt. For better or worse, The Clash are my socio-political compass. When things get weird, the Clash gear comes out. Protective armor, like superhero pajamas on a five-year-old. 

In a moment, my level of caring struck me. As I poured coffee into a Clash mug, I realized I was wearing a Clash hoodie over a Clash t-shirt. If I had Clash shoes I’m sure they’d be on. I guess Joe Strummer will now be speaking on my behalf.

Things must be bad. I must care. 

I went back to the editorials people had sent to me. None rang true and most I quit after a couple paragraphs. I looked at social media again and saw a lot of people speaking a lot of words. What is this all about, I wondered. Why do we need to talk about this so much? What is it about humans that make us want to hear and be heard? 

People have a need to process significant events in ways that support their beliefs, provide emotional relief, and make sense of complex realities. After a major event, regardless of which side they’re on, individuals feel compelled to frame and explain, to create a narrative they can lay their beliefs on, like a well-curated coffee table book.

In the search for meaning, people often look to others to say what they can’t quite articulate themselves. Writers, analysts, and commentators—the ones paid to speak for the many—take on the job of expressing what others feel. Sometimes they speak to higher values; other times, they don't. It's easy to pander to an audience, but it’s far more challenging to bring people together.

Rarely does a partisan step up after a heated debate and admit any admiration for the opposing side. More often, people want total victory. We’re taught that anything less is a sign of weakness, and perhaps that’s why we find ourselves in an age of polarization. If compromise and mercy ever did exist in America, it was probably on a sitcom.

I’m going to keep looking for signs of life. When faced with turmoil on a global scale, my first move (after putting on a Clash shirt) is to check on my friends and neighbors then work my way out from there. Putting myself in someone else’s shoes is always a great place to start. Maya Angelou said, “I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.”

By the way, the words I posted on social media (Threads) which so many people found soothing were not written by me, but by a person in my family who is wise and too humble to take credit for it.

They go like this: 

“Shock has worn off, disappointment is still there, acceptance has kicked in. Doomscrolling has tapered off, but needs to continue decline. I need to remember that every terrible thing I can imagine (or I am told to imagine) will not necessarily come true. Some will of course, and we have all come through dark times before. I can only do small things to make my little spot in the world better; hopefully small good things will ripple into bigger things. Kindness still reigns.”