The Sauntering Pilgrim

Regardless of how you voted Tuesday, and no matter how energetically we may disagree with each other about the issues at stake in the election, I believe there are at least two things about which we can agree. First, we still need to live with our neighbors in a healthy relationship, no matter how they voted. And second, roughly half of us are disappointed either significantly or profoundly, and all of us have to deal with that disappointment to enjoy any degree of good health in our relationships in community.

Before we make any plans for how to deal with the results of the election – there will be time for that later – I believe we first need to deal with our disappointment, what some are calling our “post-election stress disorder.” It’s a disappointment that has been described as the messy, friction-filled, and unsatisfying gap between lived experiences and unmet expectations, and it’s a gap that usually results in unhappiness and a sense of powerlessness.

Some people on both sides of the vote have felt so powerless, they threatened to leave the country if their candidate lost, but that’s rarely a practical response, and it’s unlikely many will leave. A much better, healthier response would be to say, “If the bad guy wins, I’ll be disappointed, but regardless of the disappointment, I’ll work as much as I can to make things around me better.” We have to choose between bitterness and retreat on the one hand, and wisdom and creative engagement on the other.

I confess, I’m disappointed by the results of the election and deeply concerned about what a second Trump presidency means for our future as a republic. Nevertheless, with whatever wisdom I can muster, I’m also going to choose creative engagement over bitterness and retreat, a choice all of us have. To be disappointed is not to be powerless; rather, it’s to be presented with the opportunity, no matter how we voted, to engage with each other in creative healing of our communities – that is, to embody the message of reconciliation with which we have been entrusted by God (2 Cor. 5:19).

The mythical giant Antaeus was invincible as long as he remained in contact with his mother, the earth. Hercules was able to defeat him by lifting him off the ground. If we will not allow the strife and divisiveness of this election to defeat us as a richly diverse community and nation, we need to remain grounded in what unites us and not be lifted off the ground and carried away by our emotions. Feel our emotions, yes, but do not be carried away by them. So here is some of what I believe can serve as a foundation for our healing.

First, according to the ancient creation story of our faith, we were originally given a place in paradise that depended on one thing only, that we not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “for in the day you eat of it,” God said, “you shall die” (Gen. 2:8-9, 15-17). So of course we ate of that tree, and we were expelled from paradise, and death entered the scene.

Seeing life dualistically – divided into right and wrong, good and evil – and holding on to that division religiously may be the one thing that prevents us from living again in God’s paradise, from entering the kingdom of God. We have deeply ingrained in us the tradition of seeing life as a cosmic conflict between God and Satan, forces of good and evil, which will end in the final triumph of good, but that view is not original to our faith. It was grafted into our faith from Zoroastrianism during Israel’s exile in Babylon.

Our faith is that in Christ God was reconciling all that was divided, that whenever anyone is in Christ there is a new creation: paradise is restored; everything old, broken, and divided passes away, and everything becomes new (2 Cor. 5:17), a new creation of perfect integrity comes into being. Christ does not point us to a final triumph of good over evil; Christ calls us to God’s healing of all divisions, the reconciliation of all opposites. Christ, in whom all things, all things, hold together (Col. 1:17). When we live in division and conflict, we live outside of God’s will for us.

That’s why the psalmist could write, “How good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity” (Ps. 133:1). It’s why Jesus taught, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). It’s why St. Paul wrote, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Live in harmony with one another. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom. 12:14,16a,18).

It’s also why, as essential as it is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength – the greatest of all the commandments – it’s equally important to love our neighbors, all of them, as ourselves (Mark, 12:28-31). Imagine what a difference it would make to listen to others, especially those with whom we disagree, with a Christ-like love – if we were to value the other as having an essential role to play in what God is doing, even if we don’t have a clue what that role is; if we were to trust that without that other person, our own lives would be essentially diminished; and if such trust were to shape our behavior toward that person.

We need to be better at listening to one another completely, without thinking about what we’re going to say next, letting the other person in on his or her own terms and not through our selective filters. We need to really see them as our siblings in God; to understand and appreciate their particular histories and situations, their needs and hopes and aspirations; to be fully present to them instead of letting our minds drift to our own concerns; to hear and understand not only their words but the emotions and intentions behind them; to make them feel valued the way God values them.

The election is over, and it’s too late to change that. However, It’s not too late to start healing our communities. The best time to start was a generation ago; the second best time is exactly now. If you are one who is savoring election victory today remember: defeat is just around the corner, maybe even before the next election, because that’s how life works. Take the opportunity to show some grace to the neighbors and family members whose candidate lost and who are disappointed – because they’re feeling today the way you will surely feel tomorrow.

And if you were disappointed by Tuesday’s election results, don’t choose bitterness and retreat. Stay engaged positively and creatively with neighbors who backed the winner. Heal. Learn. Seek wisdom beyond yourself and your position. Let’s all think of this as an opportunity to fine tune the ministry of reconciliation God has entrusted to us.

[Portions of these ruminations were adapted from “How to Deal with Disappointment,” by Arthur C. Brooks, in his weekly column, “How to Build a Life,” published by The Atlantic, 7 November 2024.]