Today’s Political Climate
I want to share a story. Maybe not so much a story, but a detail from my life that is real. My father voted for Trump. I have no reason not to believe he would have, had he made it to November 2024 (he passed away in July 2024), voted for Trump again.
Let me say from the get, I loved my father deeply. Those of you who knew him and know me understand this. There was so much good to him. So much he taught me and my brothers about the value of being a good human. Him and I, we had many conversations about politics over the years. It strained our relationship when I came out as gay in the early 2000s. But you know what? He evolved. It became a non issue. That's why it was so hard for me to grasp his view on Trump - from rolling his eyes to Trump being a candidate, initially, to full on supporting him. I wrote about this publicly a few times. My father and I talked less and less about politics over the years, especially his last. I believe he grew disillusioned to a point. It became no longer voting for someone he truly believed in, but voting for the lesser of two evils (in his eyes).
It saddens me that our political system has devolved into this. I could go on about that, but I want to keep the focus on the subject at hand. I'm an independent. I am a gay woman. I am a believer in human rights and democracy. I am not a Trump supporter ( I think this is obvious by now) but I am also a believer in the human connection. When it got down to that, I connected with my father through love. We loved each other deeply. Like I've said so many times before - political affiliation is an add on, it's not innate. What is innate is our humanity. I continued to love my father because of that connection, despite our different political views.
This is all to say that we've got to move past this two party bullshit or this republican/democrat narrow view. Love wins. Love prevails, always. We've got to remember our humanity. We've strayed so far from that in our interactions, thanks in part to social media and the degrading of real human interaction. I will never hate anyone because they republican. I would rather talk to them face to face and see if we can connect from a human perspective. Studies have been done on this. It's a proven approach. And honestly, I've seen it happen in my own life.
My father was my best friend, through love I forced him to challenge some of his beliefs. He rose to the occasion. He loved me more so. Anyone who knew us as a family can attest to this. Love is the only thing that can conquer hate. I believe this fully. I have experienced this first hand. I guess my point is this:
Love harder. Be vigilant. Trust that love wins. Misinformation is rampant. So is hate. That's why we have to dig deeper into the love. Spread it far and wide. It's as simple as smiling at a stranger at the grocery store. Remind people what living and being is really about. All this political nonsense, there's no winner. What matters in the end is the connections we've made, the lives we've touched, and the hearts that have expanded in our presence. All the hate that has been so prevalent lately is on a timer. It's going to expire. Because in the end, its flame burns out. Hate doesn't last. Love is the only thing that ever endures. Its flame burns forever. Even in the darkest of times.