Monday, September 21, 2020

Time for Some Old Guidelines

 


As even the most remote hermit knows, we're going to have an election in November.

It won't be a coup. It won't be a revolution. It will be an election and after that we'll have a president. [All of us will have a president, not just the side that won.]

But what is just as important is that we need to have a country. It does no good for either side if an election is so acrimonious that it severely divides our people and makes governance next to impossible. 

I know individuals who will be voting for different candidates. These are fine and intelligent people who wish the best for this country and for future generations. They are not dunces or scoundrels.

To avoid needless acrimony, it might help to reach into the attic and dust off some tried and true guidelines. They are far from original but nonetheless they are valuable. Let us:

  • Give one another the benefit of the doubt; 
  • Lower the heat in our arguments; 
  • Avoid burning bridges with friends, relatives, and associates; and
  • Refrain from cheap shots.

As a wise old executive once said, "Whenever you're angry, don't do anything that feels good."

When passions are fevered, basic courtesy can be a tonic.

Eventually, all of us will feel much better as a result.


[Photo by Max Sulik at Unsplash]

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