In Elections, There is “A Time for Everything”

How many times has someone uttered a comment, such as, “This is such a great time to be alive”? It’s that all encompassing phrase which draws us to a point of seeing the greatness of our abilities and accomplishments. It brings a feeling of hope, purpose and potential.

In today’s political climate, we would be wrong to utter these words. In fact, we might be wiser to say, “God, please help us” and truly mean it. As we approach this new presidential administration, rather than see the excitement of a clean slate and new opportunities to try and breathe new life into our country, we are faced with daily, and sometimes hourly, news flashes of despair, anxiety and cynicism.

Adding to the media’s disparaging behavior toward our new President and the crowds of people determined to create chaos over this inauguration, elected officials are now boycotting the event in droves.

Numerous elected officials are behaving as children, saying such things as Representative John Lewis (D – GA) said of President-Elect Donald Trump, as not being a “legitimate president”. Going against the very thing the Democrat’s candidate scorned Trump over, after the candidate’s third debate. If, as Clinton told a crowd of supporters in Cleveland, “The peaceful transition of power is something that sets us apart”, America is no different than any other country now. We can thank Rep. Lewis and his band of dissenters for taking us down this path.

No one has the right to say a member of the Democrat party, should not have had a period of disappointment or even a feeling of “mourning”. The creation of the “Monday Morning Quarterback” was birthed from the disappointment of a loss on Sunday. Thinking back upon the would’ve, could’ve and should’ve of any contest, breeds a season of disappointment.

Eventually, mature individuals, especially ones who represent more than just themselves, need to look in the mirror and accept the loss. Move on with life. Especially if the future of other citizens rests in your hands.

When an elected official cannot grow up enough to realize, their vote still counts on legislative issues and their political influence is in jeopardy, due to their reaction to something truly no one but the American voter had control over, it is time to put the proper perspective into play.

For someone who has been in Congress. for as long as Representative Lewis has, you would think there would be a level of maturity to grieve, then go back to work for your constituents. Behavior such as this only makes Abraham Lincoln’s words ring louder in the halls of Congress.

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” Abraham Lincoln

If elected officials don’t consider what their actions are doing to our country, we will not need to be worried whether or not Russia meddled in our elections, because the greater damage is being done after the election. This result would be the same if the election had gone the other direction, and Republicans were up in arms, saying Russia “assisted” in a Clinton win, or any other country.

The point we are missing is not if some other country tainted our elections and your candidate didn’t win. The point is, another country is destroying us by pitting us against each other as we daily trying to destroy our new leadership. We need to open our eyes.

More damage will be done by us “eating our young” and fighting among ourselves, than any destruction done by computer hacking. We are so egotistical in our political aspirations, we have lost focus on what a political representative’s purpose truly is, when elected to go to Washington. Now, all a political adversary has to do, is plant a seed of doubt in our political minds about the other side of the aisle, and we begin to destroy ourselves.

Not attending something as sacred to our country as an inauguration, thus participating in the peaceful transition of power, sends messages to our enemies with huge repercussions. When a large percentage of our leadership publicly humiliates the new president, supports radical protestors and causes such an uproar, predominantly focused on themselves, they are jeopardizing our country’s physical and political safety. This behavior telegraphs a breach in our solidarity as a nation. For that, all those connected to this immaturity, should be ashamed.

Many people have used quotes from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 throughout the years. In the Bible, it’s heading is “A Time for Everything”. The 1965 folk bank, The Byrds, did a cover of a song which, became a hit called “Turn, Turn, Turn”, which used the words of this biblical passage. Whether you ascribe to the Bible or The Byrds, its application needs to be made today and quickly.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3     a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6     a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7     a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8     a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

To all of our elected officials, there is a time for everything. Now is the time to join together and get to work.