A letter to red and blue friends...

Most of the nation has been preoccupied the last few months with the presidential race. That all came to a stop on Tuesday evening when President Barack Obama was re-elected. I don't shy away from the fact that I was disappointed. Yes, I did vote for Mitt Romney. He stands for those values I believe in and hold dear. I was very upset and didn't really want to talk much about it. In fact I cried. Not just because our current president won but because our country is so messed up. A dear friend of mine Dan Hall posted a letter on Facebook to his friends and I really like what he had to say. It sums up how I feel.

To My Red and Blue Friends:

I KNOW IT'S LONG, but I really don’t care if you read it. I needed to say it so that I could get on with my day and more cheerily work with Ohio University’s awesome students!

Please remember that while approximately half of the United States is elated at the results of the election, the other half feels acutely disenfranchised. It would have been so regardless of the outcome.

People on both sides of the aisle are genuinely – even profoundly fearful for the future of the nation – worried about their kids; worried about their ailing parents and special needs siblings; worried about fundamental physical and spiritual rights; worried about the planet; worried about spotted owls; worried about financial, social, and constitutional collapse. This fear is real, it is not paranoia, ignorance or lack of education and has precious little to do with whether our roots run red or blue – whether we prefer NASCAR or NPR. Instead, it stems from the legitimate concern that perhaps we “have” been on the wrong track – that things truly are no better than they were four years ago...or eight for that matter. Blame Bush, blame Obama, blame Vermont, blame Texas, blame Washington or Al Qaeda, blame me if you want, but here comes the reality check folks: Half of the citizenry thinks we may have just committed a grave and irreversible error. They feel the change, but not the hope.

Referring to slavery, Lincoln said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Our current societal division is stark and alarmingly acrimonious. We are still standing, but on such feeble knees and shifting sands. I have heard Barack Obama impugn Congress, but they have also blamed him. Many fingers have been pointed: black ones, white ones, old and young, gay and straight, herbivore and carnivore, godly and atheistic, but gridlock is gridlock. Sure, compromise can often be beautiful, but let’s be real here: there are precious ideologies that neither side will EVER be willing to surrender. I hold many things sacred. So do each of you. I will not relinquish my right to say and act accordingly anymore than any other citizen ought to do. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

We are currently mired in the medium, and it is not a happy one. I guess we just go on agreeing to disagree....or is it disagreeing to agree? I’m just not sure anymore. I do know this: Our ultimate goal must be to love and serve one another while still fighting passionately and respectfully for what we feel is right. I need to believe that this is still possible. I hope we can do it. We certainly haven’t been. We know it and the world knows it.

Unitas Per Harmonium (Unity Through Harmony)...the motto of the Singing Men of Ohio. Dissonance, when correctly handled is what makes harmony so beautiful. We don't have to be the same to be in tune!