Final Thoughts on the Election of 2012
The Presidential election has passed. It was laborious campaign that had more ebbs and flows than the tides in Coastal Georgia. The result of the campaign is that nothing has changed.
We will continue to have divided government, with two parties in control of the Presidency and the Senate and another party in control of the House of Representatives. Perhaps that is not such a bad thing. A government that cannot do anything will at least be prevented from doing the wrong thing.
Needless to say, the outcome of the election brings a feeling of vindication for supporters of the President and a feeling of frustration for his detractors. Historically second terms haven’t been very kind to Presidents; at least they haven’t been during my lifetime.
Sadly, we are left with a country that is divided. As the clock moved past midnight last Tuesday and the election’s outcome had been determined I retired for the evening but sleep would not come. I have found in recent months that if something is preventing my sleeping it is best to not fight it but to deal with what is bothering me.
What I will do is get up out of bed and put my thoughts down on paper. Having articulated my thoughts I can then sleep. This is what I did in the early, early hours of Wednesday morning. The result was an e-mail that I sent to my parishioners at the First United Methodist Church. Deadlines prevented the publication of that e-mail in last week’s edition of The Monticello News but I offer it now for your consideration.
“The Presidential campaign and election is over. It appears that President Obama has been awarded another term by the voters of this country. I am quite certain that there are many in our congregation who are dismayed by this development while others are quite happy with this outcome.
“It is a little after midnight on Wednesday morning as I write this letter. The thoughts that I have at this moment are somewhat conflicted. That said, I felt it important to share them with you.
“Tonight I am very fearful for the future of our nation. This fear is not necessarily based on who won the election but rather on how divided we have become as a people. I don’t believe that most of us understand how divided our nation really is.
“We tend to live, work, play and worship with folks who think as we think. Our associates are, for the most part, people with attitudes and views similar to our own. Rarely do we encounter those who think differently from us. Honesty compels me to say that most of my friends viewed this election as I did.
“There are, however, people who do not view things as I do. Though we may not encounter them on a daily basis there are people in our land whose views on the issues of our day are the polar opposite of ours. The results of the election certainly prove this to be the case. The issue is quite simply how in the midst of this polarization do we bridge the chasm that exists between so many of us?
“I believe the starting point is to understand that while we may choose different paths to accomplish our goals, most all of us, regardless of our political views, have the same hopes, dreams and aspirations. The folks on the other side of the political divide from me want a safe country and an economic climate that provides people with good jobs that pay a decent wage.
“Those with differing political views than mine still wish to provide for a promising future for our posterity, to be a righteous and just society and for all persons to be treated fairly and equitably just as I do. Our differences lie not in our vision for out country but rather in the route to take in pursuit of that vision.
“The core truth is this—in the end, Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative we all have more in common than we are different. The ground on which we all stand is our common ground.
“The one thing that we all share is our need for Jesus Christ. In the end, the great truth is that regardless of who resides in the Oval Office, God is on the throne of all creation. For that reason, even in the midst of my fear for our nation I can affirm that we have hope, a hope not from a political philosophy, but rather a hope that flows out of the love of God.”