Taking the Low Road to the Highest Office





We’re ten long months from the election, yet soundbite smears and presidential putdowns abound. Thanks to Trump, the decency filters have been removed too.










The candidates seem content to take the low road to the White House. And with 24/7 news, we’re traveling the low road with them.






Social media features political memes and far too many sensationalized slogans designed to get inside our heads. Discerning truth from fiction isn’t easy. Look at the sources and sniff out the propaganda.








Candidates have researched our propensities, know what promises sound good, and the likelihood of our votes while we travel together on the low road.



Hey America, what would happen if we took the high road instead? What would happen if we used social media to point out what has made our nation great and how generous we truly are?






On the high road we can agree to listen to one another and make reasonable suggestions about solutions. What would be even better is for our presidential candidates to join us on the high road. Imagine if our candidates could speak and we didn’t need official fact-checkers. 

My dad always said you'll never get anywhere good taking the low road, and there's a high cost for taking it. We've been on it for so long that many Americans are just plain angry. Let's get off the low road. November will come, but on the high road we can love our nation and work with our leadership, regardless of whether or not we voted for them. 

Popular posts from this blog

Counting the Cost

Image
Something big is missing in this photo. Let me explain. Here in my hometown, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe prepared a parcel of land for a new hotel. Plenty of planning and architectural designs were evaluated. A gemstone of a hotel would be built across from the waterfront—a beautiful, restful place welcoming travelers. A true four-star facility.   They cleared the aging brick structures that had been fading away between Front Street and Railroad Avenue. Then the pandemic hit, shortages of labor and supplies, add in the costly inflation that followed. Everything stopped.   But this is what I admire about the Elwha Tribe: they have counted the cost. They didn’t want to move forward and take on tremendous debt. They would rather move slowly and be financially ready, rather than begin building and then letting it sit unfinished.   Counting the cost is something I should have done earlier in life when I didn’t know what high interest rates would do to our farming cost...
Read more

Summertime Music

Image
During the summer months, in an outside seating area, a delightfully painted piano sits with a sign that says, “Play me”.   It was just before 8 pm as I walked past the piano. My bus would be arriving soon, and I still have another ten minutes to walk before reaching my bus stop. But no one is around. It’s a beautiful warm evening. I pulled out the piano bench and sat down. The sun was behind me, and the piano keys reflected its glow. I had no music in front of me, only the songs within me. Notes drifted into the air.  In those brief moments, the magic of music and summer came together. Isn’t that how it is? Summertime music has a way of lingering in our minds and lasting a lifetime. As I stood and grabbed my things, I heard distant clapping—I guess I wasn’t alone, after all.
Read more

Planting Good Seeds

Image
Harvest will always depend on what we plant and how well we care for our crop.    Looking over my seed packets, I notice they’re different than the ones I planted before. One package is called Word seeds. The directions say that each of my words is a seed, so it cautions me to think before I speak. Harsh words don’t produce sweet, nourishing fruit. These seeds will require thoughtful care in the garden. I see some Volunteer seeds. Those extra hours I tend to fritter away are going to be planted in a useful project.   It looks like time isn’t wasted in this garden plot. Next are some Love seeds—the directions are interesting: get up each day and love others. No specifics are given—just do something for someone every day. The seed package shows pictures of smiling faces. I smile back. As I’m ready to head to the garden with my seeds, a package falls to the ground. I open it. Inside are the tiniest seeds I’ve ever seen—but the directions s...
Read more