It ain’t what you know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure, that just ain’t so. Mark Twain
Everyone was surprised by the election results. This is good; not necessarily that Trump won, but good that we now know that pundits/pollsters don’t know. We appreciate the value of thinking for ourselves. Democracy works best when we think for ourselves.
I hope pundits/pollsters learn humility with a better understanding that they don’t know, talk with less certainty, and maybe just talk less. I hope folks pay less attention to them. That would be a Good Lesson from this election.
It’s OK if you do not know what’s going to happen. It’s NOT OK to believe you know, when you don’t. It’s especially troublesome when you know you know, when you really don’t. No one knows everything. And there is little that we know for sure. Pundits and pollsters don’t like that. But, it’s hard to deny this Truth after this election.
A measure of doubt is healthy, especially with strong beliefs. When we think we “know” for sure, we stop listening. When we know we are right, we act like there’s nothing we can learn from listening to someone who is “wrong.” Yet, we all think we are right, and this is the problem!
When we understand that we might be wrong – when we listen to others – that’s when we are most wise. That is when others listen to us.
In a democracy, we get the government we deserve, French observer Alexis de Tocqueville, said centuries ago. Is that true for this election? Do we deserve Donald Trump? Clinton received nearly three million more votes nationwide. But, the Electoral College decided who won, state by state, and not by nationwide popular vote. We are deeply divided over that, as we would be deeply divided if Clinton won by popular vote. The Electoral College does not cause the division. It merely reflects a nation divided.
Some folks want to junk the Electoral College. But, all those states across the nation who voted for Trump– who would listen to them, if the nationwide popular vote decided the election? What candidate would even visit the smaller states in the campaign?
The Founding Fathers feared the tyranny of the majority. They wanted the best for democracy. They believed in the Republic form of government for the United States, although they would hardly recognize the Republic today. They set up checks and balances. They did this in the way government operates and in the way we elect those who govern
Democracy is neither neat, pretty or predictable. But, I cannot think of a better way to run a country. I pray we embrace our diversity… our differences… even as we work for the common good. We are a great nation when we seek the common good. If we lose focus on the common good, we become less great.
The biggest problem revealed in this election is that the political parties are so polarized that neither is much interested in the common good. They’re only interested in defeating their opponent. Trump promised what the people wanted to hear; to bring change – to “drain the swamp.” In the coming year, we will discover whether he delivers on the promise, and seeks the common good, or whether he defeated his opponents and seeks the spoils of victory, like the partisan politics of the past; where the federal government, no matter which party controls, tells us what they want, instead of seeking to know and do the will of we, the people.
One of the most important Life Skills anyone can learn is that we have a choice, and there are consequences to our choices. We choose our consequences! It is important to know the Truth about ourselves and the Consequences of our choices.
