After the 2000 and the 2004 election I was depressed.  The divisive politics of the campaigns hinged on this idea of “red and blue states.”  We were told by the press/political parties how “wrong” the other view point was and encouraged to look warily on the other. 

 I was raised a New England Democrat – the Kennedy deaths were mourned as if ‘family’ by my Grandparents.  Like most people, no matter where you live presently, you gravitate towards like-minded people; hence I didn’t know too many Republicans in my private life.  Who were these strange Republicans voting for the idiot known as Bush?  I couldn’t believe these people known as Republicans could be so different from my belief structure.  I refused to buy the rhetoric. 

 So in 2004, I decided to go out of my way to engage with Republicans and discover for myself the truth…And the truth was just as I suspected – good people, good hearts, and sometimes they had different opinions that I didn’t agree with and that’s ok.  Learning to disagree with anyone – pleasantly, well, I think that is a step towards enlightenment.

 A couple years ago, I was in a discussion group and one man said, “What if I am wrong?  What if I can’t see all the angles or have all the information – what if the other person is right?  Can I leave that sliver of space for the possibility there is another way?”  I liked that.  I liked the flexibility of thinking that expands your life instead of limiting it.

 So whether you’re guy won or lost yesterday, please remember the truth – both Democrats and Republicans are good people, with good hearts and sometimes, there are disagreements – and today, hopefully we are learning to do that a little more kindly…Peace.