Skip to main content

It Makes a Difference


Today’s election is more than a local election and this post is more than a local post. It has to be. 

I saw a meme circulating yesterday to the effect that, no matter which Presidential candidate wins, the poster will get up tomorrow and lead a peaceful and happy life. I’m guessing it was well meaning. Perhaps it was meant to be brave in the face of possible chaos in the aftermath of Election Day. 

It was hard for me to swallow.

In this election the choices are clearly defined. If you can look at them and think you’ll be fine either way, then you have a privilege that many Americans do not. If you, or people you care about, are:

  • LGBTQ
  • Muslim
  • Have pre-existing conditions
  • Black Americans
  • Refugees
  • Immigrants
  • Women
...then it will not be fine either way. 

Only one candidate for President, Joseph Biden, is running with a commitment to govern for all Americans and not a select few. The other, incumbent Donald Trump, has made statements and taken actions that promote actual harm to those I listed above, and more. 

It makes a difference who wins. We will not be fine either way. 

Now, God willing, we will all still be alive - - and feel the need to work for a better world - - no matter who wins. But there is a difference between working as a part of a greater team and working in the face of outright oppression. If you know people who are experiencing terror and dread right now it is because they clearly understand the difference.

Positive thinking, certainly not a force to be ignored, is not enough to overcome organized oppression after the fact. 

It is, however, a strong motivator to get people to vote, to stay in line, to volunteer for candidates, to work at the polls. The power of positive thinking says your vote makes a difference, your efforts make a difference, your caring and helping make a difference. If you have not voted yet: today is your day. Do not miss your opportunity to create active good. 

There are many choices to be made on this year’s ballot, from the Presidency to the Howard County Board of Education. All of those choices call us to think of others as well as ourselves. “We, the people” is not a proclamation of “me first, by myself.”  It’s an important distinction.

Our choices show whether we define ourselves by who we include or who we exclude. 

Please vote, and please encourage family members and friends and anyone in your social sphere to vote. Encourage patience as votes are counted. Postive thinking and positive actions today are a valuable investment. Do not underestimate their value.

I don’t have a readily-shareable meme about how I will feel tomorrow. I only know that today will be a long day, with a long night to follow. 





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...
Post a Comment
Read more