Issue 46.16
Before the election, I had spent some time putting together an article that I thought would be important to consider after the election. I, like most, was pretty sure Hillary Clinton would win. After such a divisive campaign from both major parties, I wanted to have my readers who were Clinton supporters think about what their attitude and actions should be at that point. I also wanted to share some ideas for those who had supported Donald Trump in his losing bid for the Presidency. As I am sure everyone now knows, things didn’t go the way the polls and political experts had expected.
I thought about scrapping the article and starting over. However, as I consider the fact that the principles are the same no matter who won and who lost, I have decided to share the article with you by switching the names where necessary. Principles of truth (and Principles of Freedom) don’t change because a different person is the winner. They remain true in all cases. With that said, here are my thoughts for your consideration.
Congratulations to Hillary Clinton Donald Trump and her his team. I believe we should all pray that she he will be wise in choosing her his advisors, that she he will make the well-being of the country now and into the future, and the individual liberties that our forefathers have fought and died for the ruling principles of every decision they make. I hope that every person in this country (and even those outside our borders) will give her him the chance to become a good president.
Every citizen has a responsibility to be involved and aware. I encourage every person, no matter who they voted for, to make a commitment to know what is going on, not just in the Presidency, but in the House and Senate, in the Supreme Court and in the state and local decision-making bodies that affect our lives, our freedoms and our future. When anyone in any of those groups makes choices or states opinions or positions that run counter to the Principles of Freedom that established and maintained our country and liberties, every citizen has the right and the duty to let them know we do not approve and will not support them if they stray from those principles.
For those that supported Donald Trump Hillary Clinton or any other candidate, consider your actions, thoughts and words carefully. I understand that you may be disappointed or even upset. Did you do all you could do to elect someone that reflects your beliefs and desires? Did you donate time, money or effort to electing the people you believed would support your ideals? Could you have done more? Did you just vote for the lesser of two evils, or did you actually do the work to find someone you could support wholeheartedly and then do it?
Is your allegiance to a person and a party, or is it to the country, the principles of freedom, and the future? Are you committed to a peaceful and cautiously optimistic reaction to the election, or do you want your way regardless of how it affects other citizens and how it affects our ability to go forward together? Are you going to make the future as good as possible considering where we are today, or are you going to sabotage the future and damage your relationships because things did not turn out as you hoped? What can you do to make things as good as they possibly can be? Are you willing to do it?
If we are committed to the principles contained in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, rather than being engaged in some kind of hero worship, we will realize that a President can’t make our society different. He or she cannot even make laws – that is reserved to the Congress. We choose whether we embrace or reject the personality and vision of any of our leaders. We choose how to create our relationships, families, neighborhoods, communities, states, and our nation. Let’s focus on what positive things we can do and then do them.
Lynn West is a thinker, a teacher and a patriot. You can reach him through email at forgingthefuture2021@gmail.com or through this newspaper. Liberty is a state of being which must be continually created. These articles can help all of us discover the ways we can contribute to that outcome.