Ghosts & Goblins

Our nation's next presidential election is now just days away. As is normally the case, there is much tension in the air and will be until the results are known. And even after a victor has been declared officially, dissatisfaction throughout much of the country will remain. The losing political party and its many members will be upset that their candidate lost. Many, no doubt, will continue to make known their ill-feelings about the "other side" as well as their unwillingness to make any thing resembling an overture toward reconciliation. In many ways, the presidential election will not resolve the differences within our country. This reality is what makes Halloween 2020 all the scarier. The ghosts and goblins, it seems, are not children dressed in an array of creative costumes. Rather, they appear to be the grown-ups. It is easy to identify which ones they are. On the one hand, they are the folks who lovingly chuckle at how cute their kids and the ones in the neighborhood are. But on the other, they also spew forth ugly remarks and attitudes toward those who have political views that are counter to theirs. These are the worst kind of ghosts and goblins because their nastiness seems mindless, unrelenting and driven by a very narrow way of thinking. So, what is to be done with what is one of the worst Halloween's in our nation's history? Given the state of mind among so many people, including many of our so-called leaders, the upcoming election will not produce winners and losers. Rather, it will produce losers unless the ghosts and goblins driving it decide to cease with their intolerant mind-set. Such an act requires courage. It calls for a recognition that as valid as our perspectives might be, it is time to begin working at melding them with ones that are different than ours. Also, this time in our history calls for all of us to exhibit a willingness to communicate.