Choose to be better

By Jeff Becraft

I voted early this year. (And this is not an email to sway anyone in a particular political direction.) As I was standing in line, I met a veteran. I thanked him for what he has done for our country and because of what he and others have done, we could vote and have a say in what is going on with our government. I think it is important to exercise this privilege.

I still use an alarm clock and it is set to a radio station. On this particular station, there is a news clip every hour on the hour. A week or two ago, I was awakened with the report that both presidential candidates “were continuing their attack on one another.”

It was a sad way to start the day.

Someone said to me recently, “You should go into politics.” I responded, “I’m not sure I could handle that.” I certainly admire people who give of their time and energy to serve our country, particularly those who serve with high character. But if I ever did run for politics or, say, the President of the United States (not that I would want that job), I would live by a commitment while in the campaign – to not attack the other person. My focus would be to simply state what I could offer and what I would try to accomplish and what principles are best for our nation.

I would challenge their philosophies and I would challenge policies that I did not believe in… but there is a difference between challenging policies and attacking people. I believe that we should treat all people with love and respect. That does not mean that I agree with everyone on everything or on their choices or their lifestyle or whatever… but I choose to treat them with love and respect.

The attacks are coming from both sides of the aisle. It is not just one person… and it is not just the presidential candidates. It is everywhere. It really makes me wonder… what have we become as a society?

I have a friend who is running for school board in one of the school districts. He just commented to me yesterday, “What I’ve learned is that people make up all kind of lies about you.”  What a price to pay to be in the political arena.

And what a sad commentary.

It is almost like we have come to expect that, and not only to expect it, but to accept it. And it is not restricted to politics. It has carried over into people’s personal interactions – a harsh social media post, a critical email, a condemning statement, etc.

I don’t know if you are pleased with the results of November 5^th or not. But I know this – as an individual citizen of this country, we can each make a decision. We can either work with one another and build one another up, regardless of who is in office, or we can follow the trend and tear one another down… and we will wind up devouring each other. The choice will be ours. While I think it is important to vote and be involved in the political process and to stand for what is true and right, we cannot wait for Washington to decide how each of us will live our daily lives or how we will treat each other.

So regardless of who is in office or not, let’s choose to be a better society… and let it start with each of us.

Jeff Becraft is the Director of Our Place of Hope and the Director Emeritus for Youth Corps and has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives. Our Place of Hope is a paradigm shift for people living with mental illness that encourages them to regain meaning, purpose, and hope for their lives. You can connect with Jeff at  [email protected].