Election

I love my mom.

You’ll understand why it’s important for me to say that after you read what’s next.

“When lifelong Democrat Mayra Gomez told her 21-year-old son five months ago that she was voting for Donald Trump in Tuesday’s presidential election, he cut her out of his life.”

The Reuters report continues, “He specifically told me, ‘You are no longer my mother, because you are voting for Trump’, Gomez, 41, a personal care worker in Milwaukee. Their last conversation was so bitter that she is not sure they can reconcile, even if Trump loses his re-election bid.”

From the same Reuters article, Gayle McCormick, 77, who separated from her husband William, 81, after he voted for Trump in 2016, said, “I think the legacy of Trump is going to take a long time to recover from.”

The two still spend time together, although she is now based in Vancouver, he in Alaska. Two of her grandchildren no longer speak to her because of her support for Democrat Hillary Clinton four years ago. She has also become estranged from other relatives and friends who are Trump supporters. [1]

My mom, my family, my friends, and their votes could never change my affection for them.

But I watch my social media feeds. I see some of the memes, quotes, and pictures my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram “friends” post. I am appalled and saddened.

I am asking you to consider a few universal, transcendent principles. I am speaking to everyone. Christian and unbeliever. Conservative and liberal. Sons and mothers. Grandchildren and “Pawpaw.”

My four pleas.

Liberty. Give people space. So, you think your friends or family are wrong in their decision to vote for Trump or Biden. Isn’t that the wonder of the great country in which we live? People make independent decisions. Isn’t that what both sides love about their vote? That they could vote as they desire? When we cut off others, we are living exactly the opposite way we say we believe. We love our independence. My plea is for everyone’s independence.

Dignity Give people respect. So, you think your friends or family are ridiculous. Their vote, in your estimation, is the supreme idiocy. To what kind of belief system do you subscribe?! Do you value human life? And if you do, do you realize that your family is part of the human family?! If you are a believer in fairness and equality, then give both to your family members.

Commonality Give people acceptance. This may come as a shock, but here it is. We are all cut from the same cloth. We are humans. We are the same. When I look at you, I see myself. Why in the world would we cut ourselves off from ourselves? Yes. The election matters. You and I believe who we vote for, matters. But to disconnect from our humanness? No.

Unity Give people esteem. I know. You think that one person is the reason for the lack of national unity. And what part have you played in that game? What have you said? What have you reposted? What have you believed, and then, shown you were wrong, still doubled-down on your wrong perception? Have you contributed to disunity? My plea is that you go to your neighbor’s house that has a different yard sign than you, have a cup of coffee, break open a beer, and remember that you are neighbors.

What do I want you to do?

Read those stories above. Love your family, your neighbors. Take care of each other.

And, I want you to text your mom. Tell her you love her. I just did.

Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaches at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat

[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-families/you-are-no-longer-my-mother-how-the-election-is-dividing-american-families-idUSKBN27I16E