The election is over and no matter the victor, Americans remain deeply divided. But that’s how a democracy works. Sometimes your side wins, other times you lose.
Beyond being the way America has survived since first forming this “more perfect union” almost 250 years ago, it’s the right thing to do.
When children are playing games together, there comes a time when they must pick up their marbles and go home.
As adults, we emphasize the importance of being graceful in both victory and defeat. So, why don’t adults accept the same ideal? Despite what some may say, there’s no proof or evidence that elections were rigged, that illegal immigrants crossed the border into America to vote or that ballots were destroyed. We may not know who won the White House, yet but when we do, no matter how close the outcome, someone will lose. Accepting the truth is what being a responsible adult is all about.
Sadly, there are a handful of Americans who never learned how to lose and who want ordinary people to take up arms and engage in allegedly justified conflict. They are the ones who have already filed countless lawsuits claiming election irregularities. Again, the facts say otherwise.
In a 1966 interview with Mike Wallace on “60 Minutes,” Dr. King said, “riots are the language of the unheard,” suggesting that this style of protesting represents a way for those who feel powerless and frustrated to make change. The insurrection on the Capitol nearly four years ago on January 6, 2021 showed the nation and world that this way is ineffective – at least in a democracy.
King’s reflections were further developed in his final collection of essays, published in 1967 prior to his untimely death one year later in “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” King was convinced that true justice is about the equitable distribution and the right use of power – for example with love.
James Baldwin emphasized in his 1963 book of essays: “The Fire Next Time,” in which he said that to create a healthy nation, we need each other, color notwithstanding. His warning: if Americans fail to come together, destruction and fire will come.
But if America implodes, there will be no winners – only losers – especially our children who have yet to begin dreaming about tomorrow and who are years away from fulfilling their destinies.
Come on America! Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.