We are reaching the culmination of a political season that has evoked a mixture of depression and anger at the state of the union. The divide in the country and in our region has been laid bare.
To my disappointment, my children are not growing up in the enlightened age that I had hoped we would be entering. Beliefs rooted in racial, religious and gender animus too often trump our inclinations toward moving the country forward on a planet whose climate has been altered, whose people are engaged in wars of attrition replete with atrocities at which many in the West shrug and the mass migration of refugees.
The primary season was ugly, and things went downhill from there. We are now consumed with an election that is more about the candidates' fitness to be president than about the policies important to us all. As the year progressed and revelations came out, my better self was losing out to my baser self. Anger at the other side set in.
So a few weekends ago, when I was all set to put up a sign in my front yard, it was to let those voting for the other candidate know that they should feel awful about their choice.
Two things stopped me. I spoke with a level-headed friend about my plan and he questioned whether any good would come from angering my neighbors. Then I looked at my children. We teach them to respect others and to be accepting of those who hold different beliefs.
I was not practicing what I preached and the world does not need another angry man.
So, instead of rubbing people's noses in my anger, our family bought a flag that is flying outside our house. It has a simple message that is hard to live up to but is something for which we should all strive — peace.
After Nov. 8, we'll all still be Americans with our hopes and dreams. Dissenting opinions are to be expected. Vigorous debate over how to create an economy that benefits the most Americans possible, the disruption to the climate and the impact on our health and the role of the criminal justice system in society is beneficial.
We need to look at the issues and come up with solutions. Blind anger at those with differing views will get us nowhere. With the challenges facing us, we need our best selves to shine.
Matthew Vocci, Towson