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| "I wish I could quit you!" |
You know when you reach that point in a relationship where
it’s just not fun anymore? Where your nausea and racing pulse aren’t because
you’re love sick, but heartsick? That’s where I am, dear politics, my old
friend. I can stomach the abuse no longer.
I will fondly remember the old days when the worst thing
anyone did was steal a yard sign, and negative ads were risky and frowned upon.
No more. The campaigns themselves are bad enough, but the splinter groups which
claim lies as truth, and fiction as fact, are like out of control adolescents—impulsive,
dodgy, polarizing and non-apologetic. The difference? There’s no growing out of
it. Nasty videos and spiteful blogs ignite on the web faster than a California
brushfire.
When friends can’t discuss candidates or issues without
anger, judgment and hurt feelings, something is definitely wrong. Some say,
“It’s just politics; don’t take it personally.” But you know what? I’m a person
and that’s how I take things. It’s not “just” politics, especially if it’s
UNJUST. If a party or candidate favors a
social policy that discriminates against certain members of my family… or
prevents me or my sisters or my daughter or my son’s girlfriend from making
personal choices about our own bodies… then you bet it’s personal.
Yesterday, not only my politics, but my faith, were attacked
by someone with whom I did not agree. Perhaps I should have taken the high road and simply deleted the email, but I didn't want her to think I agreed with or approved of what she sent.
“I thought you were a ‘true’ believer,”
she said.
Wow. Did she seriously judge my belief in God because I asked her not
to send me hateful, fear-mongering, extremist videos? (Videos which ostensibly
speak on behalf of the world’s largest Christian denomination but, in fact, do
not.) Well, my oh my. Whatever happened to “judge not, lest ye be judged?”
It helps that a week ago I made a radical decision. After a
semi-sleepless, tossy-turny night, I decided that between now and election day,
I would pray for Barack, Joe, Mitt and Paul by name each day. In that prayer I
ask that God’s will be done in them, that they are protected from harm, and for
my own knowledge that He loves each of them equally.
This is not evidence of virtue or altruism, by any means. It
is a blatantly selfish move to regain some balance, perspective and serenity
before my brain explodes and my heart breaks in two. Jesus said, “Love your
enemies and pray for those who curse you.” (Matthew 5:44) The 12 Step tradition
suggests we pray for the people on our “resentment list.” And if we can’t bring
ourselves to pray for them, we ask for the willingness to do so.
One day, maybe I’ll have to account for my beliefs and
behavior, but it won’t be through e-mail nasty-grams, Facebook postings or Tweets. It will be face to face with my maker and, if He
tells me I was wrong about my stand on various issues, I hope He’ll be able to
say, “At least you were nice about it.”
