The 2020 United States Presidential election has been symbolic of the confusion and chaos that has been 2020. It is now the 4th day after voting day. There has been no declaration of a winner as yet. There is clear division and confusion throughout the country. The anxiety is palpable. There are people including the current president calling to stop counting votes as others identify continued vote counting as essential to our democracy. It is essential that we begin to shift our thinking to how we can move beyond the hate. There are three points that are key to healing the wound of hate:
- Respect diversity of perspective. The beauty of human experiences is learning from one another. It’s important to recognize the beauty of diversity of thought, culture, and experiences.
- Recognize the greater good. There is a Biblical scripture that states a house divided amongst itself will fall. When we are divided we cannot move forward. Division does not create positive change.
- We often have more in common than we know. Once we have a conversation with our perceived enemy we often find more common ground in which we can grew.
We can move beyond the hate but it takes work, empathy and a desire to change.
Author,
Alicia Lurry LPC, CRC