That Sees Beyond the Years

this past week, i watched the democratic national convention for each of the evenings that it took place.  the speeches and video presentations made me both optimistic and fearful for our country and for the lives of each of us who live here.  i am optimistic because of the vision for the country that was laid out if democrats are victorious in the november election, fearful of what will happen if they are not.  for me, highlights of the convention were the speeches of michelle and barack obama, braydon harrington, bernie sanders and joe biden, the roll call vote of the states and territories as vice-president biden was named the party's nominee, and the black lives matter presentation that included comments by george floyd's brother, philonise.  there were other speakers who were effective as well:   bill and hilary clinton, pete buttigieg, vice-presidential nominee kamala harris, andrew yang, colin powell, cindy mccain, john kasich, amy klobuchar, elizabeth warren, and jan inslee among them.

during the convention, the country's diversity was emphasized, with the theme of "we the people" including all of the disparate ethnic groups that have come together to make up "the people."  the celebration of our rich patchwork of cultures was a vivid contrast to the vision of donald trump and his allies, who see the usa as a society where white men ought to be dominant and in control.  i was especially touched by the comments of deb haaland, a native american who is a us representative, as she told us that she was the 35th generation of her people, the pueblo nations, living in what is now new mexico.

the convention also highlighted the human decency and compassion of joe biden, the party's nominee for president.  cindy mccain spoke of the deep friendship between mr. biden and the late senator mccain, who, though they were members of different parties, found common ground in their love for this country and their mutual desire to serve as best they could.  others told of mr. biden's kindness in reaching out to them in times of difficulty, as he took time from a busy schedule to stop and listen to them and offer words of encouragement and comfort.  the thirteen-year-old speaker, braydon harrington, told of how mr. biden spent time with him after meeting him at a campaign event when joe shared his own struggle with stuttering and told braydon of some of the things he did to overcome his disability.  no one could imagine our current president doing any of those things, and it is this stark contrast that makes it so important to do whatever we can to elect joe biden as our country's president.

may those of us who can vote in this country do so.  may we vote for candidates who embody lovingkindness and compassion.  may we work to encourage others to support those who embrace our highest ideals and who reject the rhetoric of division and hate.  may we be truly great by using the power of government to help all people, to protect every member of our society, to welcome strangers, and to care for one another.  shalom.