“Go ahead and hate your neighbor. Go ahead and cheat a friend. Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end.” (From the song, “One Tin Soldier”)

Last evening, I went for a walk with my neighbor. She was talking about how she was cornered by a person at a gathering. This person asked who she was going to vote for. My neighbor said, “That’s my business.” We can all agree the person asked an impertinent question. Who we vote for is entirely our own business, but my neighbor felt pressured by this woman/ who is rabid about her politics. My neighbor is not a party person. She votes for the person she thinks will best do the job. She does not want to be intimidated by people or put into a box to be checked about which party she belongs to.

I think we can all relate to how my neighbor feels. We live in a climate where the media and influencers like to cause a rift or division among people because of their political views. You see, if people are busy hating their neighbor because of their political views, they will not look up and really evaluate what is happening in the government. A good, hard look at the activity or inactivity in Congress is a real eye-opener.

As citizens in this society, we must not fall for this manipulation. I grew up in a time when Democrats and Republicans worked together to pass bills in the House and Senate. The good of the country or state was more important than taking a hard line on issues and refusing to work for a compromise that would get the problems solved. We now live in a time where political gridlock is par for the course, and citizens are supposed to accept this inaction as normative.

Let’s wake up to this societal manipulation. Quit listening to media influencers who denigrate the people in the opposing political party. The majority of Americans have similar concerns about most of the important issues. How we address those concerns should include both sides of the political equation having a say in the solution.

Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And yes, that includes the neighbor who has a Trump – Vance or Harris – Walz sign up on their lawn. Don’t fall prey to the notion that we should denigrate those who hold a different political view than we do.

Photo by Beasternchen. Courtesy of Pixabay.