Aunt Amy wrote the following on her blog about politics and I wasn't sure how many of you read her blog so with her permission I wanted to share her thoughts. She said it so well and I think it is a reminder to all of us that in spite of who we wanted to become the President we are family first and should show respect of love each other even if we don't agree with the others political views.
As a child I was blessed with three close friends. We spent a lot of time together. We loved each other and we also created a lot of drama. Often times we would create friends through mutual enemies. We would say something like, "do you know what 'Susie' said about you?" Then we would band together in mutual hatred against "Susie" having created a bond. Unfortunately that bond never lasted. We often loved being together but frequently were laden with bad feelings from past drama. I love all of those women today and I am grateful for what they contributed to my young life. But I have seen that pattern replicated in my adult life. It is a very sad pattern and one I wish more people could understand (and be aware of and REJECT). As an adult I confided in a friend that I felt left out from a certain group of women. Later that day I got an angry phone call from one of the women I had felt didn't want to be my friend asking me why I would tell someone she excluded me. I was devastated. The original friend I confided in literally became the best friend of the woman I complained about. Obviously my role in that story was idiotic and I hope I have learned my lesson. Fast forward to today when I am wise and all knowing. Well not really, but I will move forward despite the actual truth that I have flaws and imperfections and I don't understand things fully. I won't have been the only one. But I feel for historical record I want to remember and understand something that has bothered me lately. Everyone's favorite subject: Politics. I don't frequent social media, and I never use it as a news source. I use it to keep up with family and friends. But recently I have felt hurt by friends and family members posts (and comments from other sources than social media) about the election. I came to my political beliefs by experience. I voted democrat in my young adult life because I literally knew nothing about politics. The world has been blessed by me not having access to social media at that time. My young self might have said all sorts of embarrassing things about what I didn't understand. (Let me make clear that it wasn't the party I voted for but the lack of education and understanding of politics that I regret) But today's world has social media to help us find friends through mutual enemies. Here's how it looks today. "Did you hear what X party believes about this? Everyone who believes that way or votes that way is exactly the same! Who is with me? You agree with me? Let's be friends! You disagree? You are one of them!!" It is hard when I see these types of ideas posted or re-posted by family. I feel like they should know me better than to say that I am a particular thing because of our differences in politics. To me politics are very real and important. Policies that I support politically I have come to through life experience. But those policies and beliefs aren't what many believe them to be. I love people of all races, I love people of every sexual orientation. I believe God wants me to love his children. I believe God loves all the family of the earth and wants them to be treated equally under the law. I believe in taking an active role in making and keeping this earth beautiful. I love this earth and I believe God gave it as a gift. I believe women should have equal standing under the law. I am grateful that women are able to participate in the political process and find it hard to believe there was a time that that wasn't the case! I believe history wasn't always pretty. I don't always live up to these beliefs perfectly. I have a paper plate problem for one. But I try to move my life toward the one source of actual truth, Jesus Christ. To me there is only one truth. There isn't a corner on the market for truth in one political party. I believe most people have more in common than they know. And I know that every individual is precious in God's sight and that even with their flaws (and ours), prejudices, and misunderstandings of truth He demands that we love them. I always align myself with conservative politics. I do this because I believe in personal responsibility and I find more emphasis on individual responsibility in conservative philosophies. Notice the use of philosophy. Philosophy is not truth, rather it is an idea. My philosophy is that the role of government should be small and the the personal responsibility of each citizen should be paramount. I connect this belief with my understanding of the constitution and believe I share this philosophy with Abraham Lincoln who said, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." I believe in personal responsibility even in regards to global pandemics. I believe that no person was sent to this earth with greater privilege but that our choices affect our privileges. I think that God has made clear that when we live his commandments we prosper. I feel that blessing is available to all, especially in a free country. To people who disagree with me on this point, I can understand where you are coming from. I know it is hard to watch inequality in the world. But it is my philosophy that personal responsibility gives us the freedom to benefit from our good choices. It is also my philosophy that saying someone else is responsible for your problems is a devastating hopeless place to be and may lead to rage. Most people have experienced the hopeless place of feeling others people's choices have cancelled out ours. But frequently (and NOT always) we can rise above our circumstances if we lift ourselves up through how we choose to live our lives. This is my philosophy and my understanding of truth. It come from my personal experience not my perfect knowledge of truth. Two people whose lives have helped me come to this belief are Clarence Thomas and Gavin Newsom. Clarence Thomas started in poverty and ended as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Gavin Newsom overcame severe dyslexia to become the Governor of California. Do I agree with everything these men have done or believe, of course not. I do admire that people can rise above circumstances. The dyslexia diagnosis hits closer to home. Duncan has been diagnosed with severe dyslexia and I know from personal experience how agonizing it is to have to learn to read and overcome your challenges. It isn't fair, and it doesn't help to be angry. It just takes more work than literally any other 11 year old I have seen read. But we won't give up. One last example of why I vote conservatively is the issue of abortion. I would never support a party that promotes freedom of one person to take life from another. I have personally experienced motherhood. I know the sacred responsibility God gave us when he gave us the power to create human life. I believe if you chose to use the sacred powers of procreation in the wrong way you should be responsible for the life you created. For me rape and incest are not a choice and are not included in that responsibility. I know life is sacred and I know it better than some. I have experienced three losses of pregnancy. Following one of these losses the doctor's office contacted me and let me know that my lost baby had been a girl. I learned then that it wasn't just a loss of tissue but a loss of human life. I also learned that it is our responsibility to protect human life. When I was 19 weeks pregnant with Duncan my water broke. I was told (not by my primary doctor) that his quality of life would not be worth preserving and that an abortion was advisable. Duncan is the light of our life. At 26 weeks he was a little sick human and he was worth preserving. Every moment of our lives we are grateful we made the right choice. One of the things I like about Donald Trump is seeing him with his family, especially his grandchildren. One of the things I appreciate about Joe Biden is that he knows what it is like to lose a child. I also love that he had a child sacrifice to serve in the military. I love and support all good from both parties. I am not a "Trump Voter". I voted for Trump despite the good qualities of both candidates. It may seem like the other party is full of people that all think the same but THOSE PEOPLE DON'T EXIST. It is a myth. Everyone on this earth is an individual, if their philosophies don't align with yours you need not make them into enemies to make friends with those within your own party. Make friends with people who need friends. Simple
