Introduction:
Change is a natural thing that everything in the
universe undergoes. Human lives, their politics, and the succession of systems
of governance are no exception. The election of Donald Trump is part of
this cycle of changes that any nation is inevitably going to undergo. So,
what is more important is what should the United States of America and we,
its people, deal with this current tide of changes? This blog post shall
address this question and would provide a path forward. A path that would enable
us, as caring citizens, to ensure that our country is safe as it always
should, as prosperous as it has been for decades, and as exemplary of a country
as we usually think it is.
Election, its Results, and Lessons to Ponder upon:
The Election: Being a physicist at heart, I made predictions regarding the 2016
election to see how they would pan out. My predictions did not come out exactly
as I envisioned but some aspects of them did, unfortunately, materialize. I
predicted that the election would boil down to a face off between Jeb Bush
and Hillary Clinton. And, I also predicted that Hillary Clinton would not win
the election. The reasons I thought of then were as follows. Jeb has the
coffers and the Bush election machine behind him and of all the republican
candidates he was the closest to being quasi-centric, which would generally
help in a general election. Hillary Clinton, who got my vote in this
election, I reasoned has unsettling things about her political career that
people are not going to easily let go of. In addition and sadly so, Americans
are still gender biased and still have to be cured of male chauvinism.
The primaries rolled in and on the republican side the tide was slowly but
steadily shifting toward the unthinkable, at least from my perspective, a Trump
nomination. On the democratic side, Bernie Sanders was gathering momentum with
the youth and with folks like me who were not feeling so strong about Hillary
Clinton. I voted for Bernie Sanders in the primaries while realizing that the Clinton
machine was too strong for him and his legion of ardent supporters. The
nomination did eventually go to Hillary Clinton and, unlike many Bernie
supporters, I aligned with her for I realized two major things. One, this
election was too important to sit out in protest of the shameful way the
democratic party dealt with Bernie Sanders. And, two, there is no way I
would vote for a person whose political background is nil and his character,
as evidenced by his own shameless type of blabber and grotesque behavior,
is even more worse than that.
The Results: Like many Americans
and pundits, who thought they got it all figured out, I was shocked at the
outcome of the election and very disappointed in what our country has chosen
for its president. It is inconceivable to think that the collective wisdom of
the country decided that disparaging minorities, belittling women and denigrating
them, and stating falsehood many times over would be overlooked because doing
better economically was somehow more valuable? But James Carville's
statement, back in 1992 election campaign, "The economy,
stupid" must be still ringing true. The economy literally trumped
everything else, including decency, basic respect of humans and human rights,
and above all logical acceptance of facts! To Mr. Carville's statement I would
counter by saying "Respect, silly!" and more importantly,
"Educate! Duh!" Politicians and many of us, so called,
intellectuals have ignored the plight and hurt of the average
Joe and Jill in middle America who lost jobs and lacked
either the skills or the education to reclaim
their position in 21st century economy. Of course, there may be a
sizable number of outright bigots and far right individuals who reveled at
Trump’s racist statements but I refuse to think that these constitute a
majority amongst Trump supporters. I refuse this because I still have
great faith in the decency and good heartedness of many of our countrymen.
Now that Trump is president and the election is over, what lessons are we to
draw as a country? And more importantly, how do we move forward in such a way
that guarantees that we remain united and fully committed to the ideals
that the founding fathers of our country set forth centuries ago.
Lessons to Ponder upon & Where to go from here?
I am an optimistic at heart. And, the optimistic
person in me refuses to look at this election as if our country is falling
off a political abyss. In any outcomes, humans always have the choice
of making the best out of things and improving the state of their own well-being.
So, let me go through lessons I learned from this election and offer humble
suggestions of what we should do as citizens to steer the ship of our country
and its democracy in the right direction. I am not an expert in any of these
matters and as such I would hope readers would add their own ideas and comments
that would enable us to make our country better for all.
Lesson 1: Never ever
belittle, disenfranchise, or ignore any group or segment of our, or
any other, society for that matter.
Comment 1: Well, this is a
basic tenet of any civil society or group of people. Unfortunately, as a
country we championed the rights of many groups and rightfully so but at the
same time we allowed ourselves to be less mindful or even callous to the rights
of many less fortunate unskilled members of the labor force in our
society. Every farmer, every steel or factory worker, every less educated,
and every low-income earning citizen deserves the right to
be acknowledged, to be heard, and above all to be assisted to get
back up on their feet and enjoy the opportunities and wealth our country is
blessed with.
Lesson 2: Never ever
underestimate the strength in numbers of any group of people especially if they
happen to be disgruntled and unhappy.
Comment 2: In a democracy
where numbers in voting matter a lot, any new candidate has to pay close
attention to all segments of their society. This is not for mere fear of
alienating one group or another. Rather, it has to be bourn out of true concern
for every constituency because leaders are not going to lead a
small homogeneous group but a rainbow of people. And as citizens, we
must hold our elected officials accountable when they cater only to strongly
lobbied groups or vociferous segments of our society. The least heard a group
is the louder we all should get to ensure that they are never left alone to
struggle with life's hardships. In addition, we must reach out to any suffering
members of our society through charitable work, public service,
and volunteering initiatives. The betterment of any one of us is the joy
and success of all of us.
Lesson 3: Full and
genuine political engagement is quintessential to the success of any democratic
system.
Comment 3: I thought
donating money was sufficient to the political process but I realize now that I
am completely mistaken. Donald Trump was outspent by all his major
opponents in the election and yet he managed to defeat them all. So, one
must spend more than just money for causes they believe in. In the political
process, calling voters, canvassing, volunteering and spending time and energy
at candidates' headquarters are equally if not more important in
getting the vote out.
Lesson 4: We are a people;
we are not a president, we are not a congress, we are not a senate, we are
not a supreme court justice, and above all we are not mere scheming politicians
who try to score points from one election to another.
Comment 4: Being a people bound
by common aims (as outlined by our respective beliefs, values, and
constitutional rights), common history, and common land means that we have
to find ways to live with one another in harmony. A harmony that does not
dilute our respective distinct special identities nor does it smear
us with a brush paint of misguided sameness. Elected officials and
selected judges come and go but we will always have each other as a people to
support and strengthen one another. We may choose the high road of care,
love, and respect or the low road of blame, hate, and utter disregard for the
basic humanity in all of us. I choose the high road and so should everyone in
our country if we would like to continue enjoying the blessings this great
nation has offered our predecessors and to pave a brighter path for our
successors. So, outcomes of elections should only serve as a wiggle in a
compass needle that enables us to adjust course but never to delude us
into thinking that somehow the whole magnetic field of our societal fabric, as
a nation, has instantaneously changed direction. And change, of course, is
best made when our planning is careful, our thinking is clear, and our
intentions are as noblest as they can be. We gain much more by channeling our
energy and time toward helping one another get better in our respective life
marches than if we succumb to the easy but fruitless blaming game and
retaliation stances.
Lesson 5: Love one
another!
Comment 5: I know this
sounds very cheesy and cliché. But, when the nation is divided, the hearts
of many are hardened, and the minds of swaths of people are locked in their
respective calcified ideologies, love can act as a wonderful bridge between
them all. To love someone is not to love their perceived failings or
their seeming shortcomings, rather it is to love the common denominator that
permeates us all, our humanity! We may hate the bad actions and the mean
utterances of one another but we must never allow ourselves to hate each other.
Every human should be given the benefit of the doubt and be given the chance to
redeem themselves for no one is pure and no one is a saint.
Lesson 6: Educate, educate,
educate!
Comment 6: Education is
the ultimate equalizer, the elixir that will heal what ails our country,
and the beacon that will forever shine the light of our path toward success as
a nation, as a people, as aspiring individuals. It is a shame that people have
to go broke to become educated and earn degrees that would benefit our society.
It is a bigger shame that education is rarely given the attention, money, and
resources it deserves to allow everyone of us to achieve any educational degree
that they would use to contribute to our society’s progress and ultimate
success. I am all for private institutions that charge a premium for what they
offer education-wise but there has to be a parallel system of education
that is completely free for all and must lead to a minimum of bachelor degree. We owe it to our kids, the
less advantaged amongst them especially, to give them the chance to
blossom and become our next Nobel Prize winners, our future Edisons, and
our inventive entrepreneurs. Their success is our ultimate success as a
nation and their education is our longterm goal of raising learned
citizens who will tackle future problems with new ideas.
Lesson 7: Optimism is
American!
Comment 7: Politicians, in
trying to score cheap election points, paint a picture of America that is
all gloom and doom. Let's not fall for this below-the-belt punch. We are a
nation that was built on hope for the best and with glowing optimism throughout
its history. What's worse than the civil war? What's worse than the great
depression? We managed to overcome these catastrophic gloomy scenarios and
emerge a stronger nation each time. So, let's not let one election or any
election for that matter to wash away our true American spirit. We aspire, we
hope, and we shall overcome our occasional pettiness and selfish tendencies to
emerge better than ever and together forever.
Closing Statement: Thank you for taking the time to
read this post and know that I love you irrespective of who you are, what party
you are affiliated with, or what school of thought you belong to. Please, post
a comment that would help you and me move our beloved country forward toward a
future that is rosier than our present, healthier than our current
condition, lovelier than our nowadays’ shared love, and above all more
peaceful and serene than our current state of affairs.
