To heal is not to heel
Published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 1/28/21
Thank heavens for that. Whether you thought his ideas and policies important for our time or saw him as the devil incarnate, the man was exhausting. And, while he certainly wasn’t the only politician in recent history to make a living off of a “divide and conquer” strategy, he lit too many fires along the way. I’m not sure I would have survived the last four years without my Apple Watch’s frequent reminders to take a few deep breaths.
No doubt we are overdue to spend some of our intellectual, civil and political energy on what our new U.S. president has called “healing.” An enduring trait of our democracy is that we sometimes go to war, both literally and figuratively, with one another over what our nation stands for.
America has always been a nation made up of people of many colors and histories. Even though we’ve done a pretty good job of weaving our diversity into our nation’s beautiful fabric, you just can’t put this many people in one place with that many different viewpoints and not expect a fistfight to break out now and then.
But, another enduring trait of Americans is that, however split apart and spitting mad we get at each other, we always come back together again for a while to remind ourselves what a great nation we’ve built. That so many diverse people with so many different ideas and passions can come together is the secret sauce that makes America truly exceptional.
In his inaugural address, our new president hit the nail on the head. “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue,” he said. “Or rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”
Good words, to be sure, but will we heed them and hear the full meaning of his message? Make no mistake — I’m not asking this question to all Americans: I’m looking at you, Boulder.
Those of you who’ve been here awhile know that there is some truth to the jokes about the bubble we Boulderites live in. We are a well-educated and prosperous community that houses as many American success stories as any other place in the world. And, in our 50-year political evolution from largely Republican to exclusively Democratic, we have never lost our core principles of individual freedom and encouraging new blood of all stripes to come to town and make their mark.
There is a downside, though. Maybe because of our successes coupled with the oversized influence of academia, many Boulderites have fallen victim to hubris and its companion, a know-it-all attitude. Anyone, such as myself, who often thinks outside of the Boulder liberal box knows this from experience. If you doubt it, the recently departed editor of the Camera opinion pages, Blake Fontenay, laid it out for us by describing Boulder’s “militant intolerance on the part of a substantial part of the population (or at least a very vocal minority) toward any political views that don’t totally align with their own.” Sounds right to me.
History is loaded with plenty of examples of how really smart and successful people have screwed things up when they attempted to foist all their ideas on others. It is to everyone’s benefit to allow people with different opinions to be heard and respected and we all know that.
Which brings us to the hard part of this moment of healing … 74.2 million people voted for Donald Trump — darned close to half of Americans who voted. As hard as it may be for some of us to understand, these voters did so for many reasons, most of which were laudable and in conformance with their own beliefs and philosophies of American governance. Trying to understand them and treat their ideas with respect is exactly what President Joe Biden has asked of us — to open up not just our minds but our souls as well. True empathy and understanding of one another is what we need at this moment in American history more than anything, or at least that’s what President Biden thinks.
After a close election and in a divided nation, expecting 74 million Americans to come to heel as they bow down to the wishes of the political victors will only lead to further division, not healing. To be sure, elections have consequences, and the winners should work faithfully to fulfill their promises — that’s democracy. But, as Thomas Jefferson long ago noted, there is great value in a loyal opposition as well.
It’s time to show you believe that, Boulder.
Thank heavens for that. Whether you thought his ideas and policies important for our time or saw him as the devil incarnate, the man was exhausting. And, while he certainly wasn’t the only politician in recent history to make a living off of a “divide and conquer” strategy, he lit too many fires along the way. I’m not sure I would have survived the last four years without my Apple Watch’s frequent reminders to take a few deep breaths.
No doubt we are overdue to spend some of our intellectual, civil and political energy on what our new U.S. president has called “healing.” An enduring trait of our democracy is that we sometimes go to war, both literally and figuratively, with one another over what our nation stands for.
America has always been a nation made up of people of many colors and histories. Even though we’ve done a pretty good job of weaving our diversity into our nation’s beautiful fabric, you just can’t put this many people in one place with that many different viewpoints and not expect a fistfight to break out now and then.
But, another enduring trait of Americans is that, however split apart and spitting mad we get at each other, we always come back together again for a while to remind ourselves what a great nation we’ve built. That so many diverse people with so many different ideas and passions can come together is the secret sauce that makes America truly exceptional.
In his inaugural address, our new president hit the nail on the head. “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue,” he said. “Or rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”
Good words, to be sure, but will we heed them and hear the full meaning of his message? Make no mistake — I’m not asking this question to all Americans: I’m looking at you, Boulder.
Those of you who’ve been here awhile know that there is some truth to the jokes about the bubble we Boulderites live in. We are a well-educated and prosperous community that houses as many American success stories as any other place in the world. And, in our 50-year political evolution from largely Republican to exclusively Democratic, we have never lost our core principles of individual freedom and encouraging new blood of all stripes to come to town and make their mark.
There is a downside, though. Maybe because of our successes coupled with the oversized influence of academia, many Boulderites have fallen victim to hubris and its companion, a know-it-all attitude. Anyone, such as myself, who often thinks outside of the Boulder liberal box knows this from experience. If you doubt it, the recently departed editor of the Camera opinion pages, Blake Fontenay, laid it out for us by describing Boulder’s “militant intolerance on the part of a substantial part of the population (or at least a very vocal minority) toward any political views that don’t totally align with their own.” Sounds right to me.
History is loaded with plenty of examples of how really smart and successful people have screwed things up when they attempted to foist all their ideas on others. It is to everyone’s benefit to allow people with different opinions to be heard and respected and we all know that.
Which brings us to the hard part of this moment of healing … 74.2 million people voted for Donald Trump — darned close to half of Americans who voted. As hard as it may be for some of us to understand, these voters did so for many reasons, most of which were laudable and in conformance with their own beliefs and philosophies of American governance. Trying to understand them and treat their ideas with respect is exactly what President Joe Biden has asked of us — to open up not just our minds but our souls as well. True empathy and understanding of one another is what we need at this moment in American history more than anything, or at least that’s what President Biden thinks.
After a close election and in a divided nation, expecting 74 million Americans to come to heel as they bow down to the wishes of the political victors will only lead to further division, not healing. To be sure, elections have consequences, and the winners should work faithfully to fulfill their promises — that’s democracy. But, as Thomas Jefferson long ago noted, there is great value in a loyal opposition as well.
It’s time to show you believe that, Boulder.
