(written Jan. 21, 2017)

It was a very strange election year, for many reasons. (I didn’t feel that either party, during the election, put up a viable candidate.  OK, that can happen from time to time.)

The thing that concerns me is how divisive many have become.

I don’t believe that tearing down and ‘throwing gasoline on the fire’ are ways to make things better.

I think a strength of our country, since it’s inception, has been our ability to work together, to sit down together, and work things out.

A Story

One of the most important things I learned as being a member of Delta Kappa Pi (DKP) at Doane University was the following process our group used:

1. We would disagree on a topic,
2. We would discuss and debate the topic,
3. We would vote on the topic and come to a group decision,
4. All, on both sides of the issue, would get behind the decision, and make it work.

This process worked well and kept us united. We learned to:

• Actually sit down and discuss, not argue.
• Agree to disagree, as needed.
• Agree, for the purpose of moving forward.
• Put our differences behind us.
• The balance of debate and agreement. Yes, debate. Yes, eventually come to consensus.  This balance may be what it all comes down to.

This year, since the election in November, significantly more (what, 3 orders-of-magnitude) people have taken license to protest and therefore be divisive to our government and our country.

This attitude of my party, my group, individualism above all is damaging. I don’t just point the finger at the demonstrators in the streets, but also to our politicians themselves. We all need to learn the process and lessons I learned while in DKP.

I feel we should back the president, whoever they are. I feel we should use the structures and mechanisms that are in place to have peaceful debate and resolution of difference.

We seem to be on a path of anarchy.

I think we need to always look to build community and teamwork.

(I think we need to work from an attitude of love – but that may be another topic.)

Donal Trump  won the election. His slogan was Make America Great Again. (I’m not here to discuss the pros or cons of that slogan or President Trump)

My hope that, in the next election, we can focus on Make America United Again. After all, we are (supposed to be) the United State of America.  I think being united is a precursor/prerequisite to many things when it comes to moving forward in a positive manner.

Thank you to DKP for teaching me an important lesson I have used for my whole life.

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