Harmony and me
We’re pretty good company
Looking for an island
In our boat upon the sea
Harmony, gee I really love you
And I want to love you forever
And dream of the never, never, never leaving harmony
-Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Harmony from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
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| Courtesy of thought.com |
After the results from last night’s historic and incredibly divisive recall election became clear, the social media waves were buzzing with comments bragging about how this was a landslide victory and that the other side should, as one post ranted, “go home and shut up.”
I’m amazed how entitled people become after their side wins a political victory. They act as if they were in the winning party’s inner circle. Worse, they act as if they are the chosen people and everyone else is an idiot.
I desperately hope that this is not our mindset going forward. While this was truly a decisive victory for Scott Walker, over 1.1 million people voted against him. Meaning that 46 percent of the residents of our state clearly aren’t happy with Walker’s approach and policies. And that means, to me, there needs to be much more consideration for the opinions of the entire population of the state, not just the opinions of the “winners.”
So now is not the time for the losers to go home and shut up. It’s time for everyone to work together.
What we need is harmony.
Harmony is defined as the art of finding agreement. Which means considering both sides of an opinion aisle. Which means trying to get along and put the good of the people first.
If Governor Walker’s acceptance speech last night was any indication, we are definitely on the right track to creating some real harmony here. “Tomorrow is the day after the election, and tomorrow we are no longer opponents,” he said. “We are one as Wisconsinites.”
The Governor went on to say that he hoped to bring Republican and Democrat lawmakers together over “brats, burgers and beer” to talk about what’s best for the state. Now that, ladies and gentlemen, would be a great way to begin the healing process.
As with the state of Wisconsin, this country has become horrifically divided, to the point where those who govern appear to make decisions for the good of their party rather than for the good of the country. Imagine if the members of the Washington Roadblock Committee, err, Congress, all went out for brats, burgers and beers and actually talked about the people and what was best for us. Things might actually get better. There might actually be harmony.
So let’s hope Governor Walker acts on his promise. And that the other side responds in kind. And let’s hope the drones in Washington follow suit.
Because when there is harmony, we all can be pretty good company.
