(Re-post)
I’ve been making a concerted effort to be more relaxed about my commute. Usually, I’m only on the busy stretch of California freeway between my home and office for about 30 minutes each way. I’ve especially tried to be more patient and tolerant about those who are driving like assholes and weaving in and out of traffic (usually with no turn signals). I’ve been more accommodating and polite and slow down if I can to allow them more room. Around town, I’ve been better about letting people out of the driveway or parking lot on busy streets—giving them a friendly "go ahead" wave. And it’s all good.
Except when the person I let go has a "W" bumper sticker. And then I’m irritated that I’ve been nice to someone with such obviously poor judgment. I’ve been courteous to someone whose voting record would undoubtedly demonstrate a total disregard and possibly even contempt for my priorities and values. On the spectrum of bumper stickers that upset me the "W" 2004 stickers take the cake. I mean, here’s someone who helped to stick it to me--to us-- not once, but twice. Even after all the evidence that George W. Bush was not even remotely qualified to run this country except into the ground, here’s a person with the ignorance or gall or audacity to have still supported him. And not only that, but they must be a true believer, a 30 percenter, a real wingnut, to have left the bumper sticker on for these last four years. My god, they are actually proud of this after everything? Everything! And here I am being nice to them. What does that say about me?
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What has struck me throughout this endless election is the way Obama has carried his positive message of hope and change and consistently taken the high road in spite of plenty of opportunity and possibly temptation and advice to "go negative". Others have commented on this and what it says about the man’s character. And as we close in on the final days of the election, I continue to be amazed and awed by Obama’s adherence to his principles. And proud of what it says about our Democratic Party. Because although I fully expect victory, whatever the outcome in November, we can hold our heads high that our candidate and party has provided an alternative to the dark specter of Fear which has been shamelessly and scandalously used over and over again by our opponents.
So I come to realize what I already knew: that my small kindness to a stranger does me no harm. And our disagreements on political matters don’t absolve me of a responsibility to be civil and courteous and even kind. And I was again resolve to try harder to be better.
"It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions." --Thomas Jefferson to Richard M. Johnson, 1808. ME 12:9