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Written by: Eugene Steuerle
This past Sunday, most Christian churches’ Old and New Testament readings focused laser-like on God’s commandments to love. Such dictates apply in almost every major belief system, each telling us to pay special attention to and even be judged by how we treat our neighbors.
German philosopher Karl Jaspers traced a worldwide expansion beyond the tribe of who should be considered our neighbor to an Axial Age between the 8th and 3rd centuries BCE. Whether he got this age precisely accurate, a flourishing of teachings in China (Confucius, Lao-Tse), India (Buddha), Greece (Plato), and Israel (Jeremiah, Isaiah), among others, heralded the growth of beliefs and concepts that transcended the narrow tribalism that was often indifferent, even hostile, to the needs and lives of those in other tribes. At times, tribes even turned on themselves to pay special homage to their own gods. Consider the story of God halting Abraham from offering his son, Issac, as a sacrifice, a story familiar to all Abrahamic faiths (Jewish, Christian, Muslim). Without even condemning his prior willingness to make human sacrifices, those who told the story were declaring to the Jewish people that it was time to move to a higher level of morality.
So, how does this relate to the election?
We don’t just live in some historical time. Our actions make and define it. Our current, ugly version of tribalism, accompanied by many examples of disparagement, if not hatred, of neighbor, won’t suddenly end tomorrow. It might be moderated but certainly not solved simply by whoever wins this or, for that matter, any election. That’s a cop-out from our individual responsibility to turn back from this retreat into tribalism. That retreat has been more than unproductive. It has been unholy.
I get it. Sometimes, it makes us feel good to put down others. It is especially easy when politicians give us an excuse with half-truths, lies, and, almost inevitably, contradictory promises. Moreover, we all want to belong. Political parties and interest groups offer us identity. They even appeal to our sense of self-righteousness, telling us that only others must make the sacrifices necessary to build a better nation. Yet, whatever those banalities do for our ego, opposing others’ actions doesn’t advance our neighborliness.
Roughly half of our neighbors have supported Donald Trump and half, Kamala Harris. Each one is a sacred member of our nation, even when they are from different families. The ideals of our nation continually call us to recognize that all are created equal, endowed with rights, and entitled to live under a government committed to the pursuit of happiness. While we vote differently and even disagree vehemently on methods, these ideals lead us to seek the best ways to help each person fully realize their potential. Advancing that perennial, never-finished goal will not succeed by retreating into our tribes or listening to those who would have us secede from working together.
So, here’s my hope for you and me for the days and years after November 5, a hope that transcends whoever might win. Whether religious or secular, we look to the sanctity of each individual, listen to their stories, recognize each person’s vulnerabilities, and try to build on their strengths. We agree to disagree without letting those seeking power push us into warring camps, where truth becomes one of the victims. And, for the many who tell me they have been in a funk over the vitriol of recent times, I hope you can again find optimism that we can engage in a mutual, moral struggle that advances a government by, of, and for all people.
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