With the exception of cleaning up some leftovers, it appears that the 2024 election is now over. We, the American people, have taken the opportunity once again to make our voices heard. The results have been tallied and in the vast majority of cases, the results are in. Concessions have been made and victories celebrated. As in every election that I can remember, there were candidates who won and candidates who did not. And for each winner, there were supporters who were happy just as there were supporters who were sad because their candidate did not win. Similarly, in many locations, the voting process allowed people to express their opinion about issues other than the candidates themselves. There were winners and losers there as well. These things have happened throughout the history of our country.

One can only hope that the divisiveness and hatred that have invaded our country for the last ten years or so can now be put aside and we can move on to a more positive environment. One where we can simply agree to disagree, to put our differences aside in daily life, and to end the conflicts that have arisen between friends and family members. We can also hope for a return to the days when politically driven retribution is the exception rather than the rule. We have done this before and we can do it again.

Of course, the “celebrities” who seem to consider themselves more important than the rest of America are already lining up to create promote and encourage both antagonism and hatred among us simply to make a bigger name for themselves. I often wonder what have these “stars” in the media, acting, and sports done to qualify them to tell me how to vote or do anything outside of their field of expertise. But I suppose as long as today’s news media continues to promote them they will continue to think that the rest of the country know less than they do.

Instead of allowing ourselves to contribute to the antagonism, divisiveness, and hatred I encourage everyone to take a step back and try to calm down. If you didn’t like the election results, at whatever level, don’t worry. You will have another opportunity to share your views in a few months or years. Who know if you will then be a winner or a loser. But for now, maybe take a friend to lunch or have a drink with them at a bar and forget about any political differences you may have. Try to consider what is important for our children today – having them all agree with you or teaching them how to work through differences and move forward. And, sit down and ask yourself, “Is it better to live in a country where you are given the opportunity to express your views or would it be better to live under the thumb of a dictator who came into power through corruption, war, and military might?”