“Lord, when we are wrong, make us willing to change. And when we are right, make us easy to live with.”
Peter Marshall
“My sister and I have different memories of the day our mother died. Hers are incorrect, of course. When I hear her tell her memory, I live and let live. Life is better when I don’t try to force my memory as truth. Unbelievable to me, I am frequently wrong.”
Kay Langin
That second quote is an example of being easy to live with. I’m well acquainted with Kay Langin. She is indeed easy to live with, but I suspect it didn’t happen overnight. Especially now, we need to practice that skill on a daily basis.
Election day will be over by the time this is published. Whether the people you supported won or lost, I hope you’re being easy to live with because continuing the hate speech that was used in campaigning for office is the greatest danger our nation faces. Lack of unity is the downfall of any nation or, for that matter, any family, or organization.
Chances are that if your candidates lost, you haven’t changed your mind about disasters you are sure lie ahead. And you may be right, but demonstrations and shouting won’t be helpful. There are more effective ways to prevent collateral damage. Get to work alongside of people who are putting their time into doing the next right thing. The next right thing may or may not be what you are certain of, but one way to tell is if the decision allows people to have more choices and fewer mandates. Here’s another quote that might serve a guide to our involvement.
“Morality shouldn’t always have to be written down to be lived.”
Rod Miller
You may have noticed that each of the above quotes contains the word, live. Living has many facets. Sometimes it means minding our own business, sometimes it’s getting involved. Always, it’s about accepting what is, and deciding what that means for us.
As they say in the South, “it’s all over but the shouting.” Please don’t shout. We’ve heard enough of that, and nobody likes to be yelled at. The Good Book tells us that a soft answer turns away wrath. If you encounter any wrath today, give them a smile and a soft answer. It may not convert anyone but it’ll probably confuse them.
Meet me here next week and meanwhile do your best. Somebody might like it.