I can’t. I just can’t.
I’ve heard it a lot this election cycle. And I get it. But I’d like to go out on a bit of a firm but gracious limb here and make a suggestion that might help us all at least talk a little nicer and get along a little more. Let’s change the “I can’t” to “I choose not to.”
The problem with “I can’t” is that it makes it difficult to see how anyone else actually can. It makes it really hard to put ourselves in the shoes of another — even though “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes” has been long thought to be a wise idiom. The reality this election season is that there exists only so many kinds of pairs we seem willing to put on.
So let’s try another angle…
In a circle, there exist 360 degrees. That means if 360 people surround a single object, each person’s perspective will be different. The persons nearest to us will logically possess a fairly similar perspective. The person directly opposite, on the polar, other side of the object, will have a completely different point of view. And those 90 degrees to the left or the right will see things that make absolutely no sense to me… I may even wonder if we are watching the same scenario unfold.
But that means that each of those 360 perspectives has validity. Just because I can’t see it, doesn’t allow me to dismiss it; just because I don’t share it, doesn’t make it wrong. And my perspective — passionate as it may be — is limited; it is only one degree. My perspective is limited as long as I stand only in my position, in that one degree… wearing only my shoes… and/or only borrowing a pair or two from those most adjacent to me.
Without a doubt, this is a unique election season. We have two primary presidential candidates (according to Pew Research) with whom 57% of likely American voters are frustrated or disgusted. That means the majority of us are not that excited to vote for either of the two. There do exist persons who are excited, and their perspective should not be diminished nor discounted. But the majority of us wish the slate was different. It is not.
As we then wrestle with this slate, many have said, “I can’t vote for _____”… him… her… fill in the blank.
But the reality is that we are choosing to vote or not vote for someone. Democracy is a choice. It is each individual’s right and choice.
I know many who are choosing to vote for Hillary Clinton. I know many who are choosing to vote for Donald Trump. Similarly, I know people voting for Gary Johnson, Jill Stein, and even Evan McMullin. But my point is that such is our constitutionally-given, rightful, individual choice.
While I comprehend the emotion behind “l can’t,” our vote is still a choice. And the challenge with the failure to recognize that it is a choice, is that it often denies the 359 other perspectives in the circle.
Each of us perceives and prioritizes so many angles and options…
… the party platforms… the candidates’ individual experience… the possibility of promises made and past promises kept… the health of the economy… healthcare… the approach to the war on terror… taxes… reducing/increasing the deficit and debt… social issues… states’ rights… religious liberty… foreign affairs… energy and education… the protection of our country, women’s rights, civil rights, the unborn, etc… potential Supreme Court justices… the integrity of the individual candidates… their behavior and words… and the integrity of the people who surround them.
Let’s be clear, though: how we perceive each of the above depends on which of the 360 angles we are looking from… 360 angles… all different.
Hence, let’s do better at remembering the existence of other angles. Let’s do better at remembering how much our perceptions are based on only a few spots within those 360 degrees. And let’s start by graciously putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes.
Respectfully…
AR