Hi Matt,
I pray this finds you and your loved ones strong and healthy during this crazy, uncertain time. As we rapidly approach the election on Tuesday, I wanted to send you a note of gratitude and a case for hope.
Over the last few weeks, my phone, computer, and TV have been bombarded with highly divisive messages based in fear — telling me that other Americans who are registered with a different political party are bad people…that they are the enemy…that they hate America.
This is not who we are. We are better than this.
America is a special place. We are an ever-evolving idea in motion. We are not perfect — nor have we ever been — but it’s in the striving to be more perfect that we find beauty and strength as an idea and as a nation. The idea of America is a powerful idea that stands for the freedom of lasting meaningful choices for everyone, everywhere. The world needs the light of America today more than ever, but we are currently in danger of losing that light — not by the hand of enemy nation states…but because of the divisiveness and fear that is tearing our country apart from the inside out. Our enemies are exploiting that divisiveness to destabilize a fundamental tenant of American Democracy…our elections.
Our right to vote is one of the most precious freedoms that we as American citizens possess. We have the freedom to choose who will represent us and who will lead us. Our representatives and leaders work for us. America is a government of, by, and for the people, and we the people have agency in what we want our country to be. I have lived and operated in many countries around the world where those freedoms do not not exist — countries where the people have no agency, no ability to improve their situation and no hope that one day things could change. We are so blessed in America. We have that agency. We have the freedom to change the situation for our families and for our communities.
After Tuesday, the votes will be counted. The count may take one day or it may take several days, but every vote will be counted, and we must be patient until that count is complete. When the count is finalized, we will wake up the next day and there will be a winner, and there will be a loser. But both the winners and the losers of the election will still be Americans. In the days and weeks ahead, let’s all keep that top of mind as we interact with one another: We are not Republicans. We are not Democrats. We are Americans. And we can never lose sight of that.
I am full of gratitude as we head into the final days of the election. I am grateful for you. You are a doer, not a talker. Thank you for taking action by stepping forward to join +More Perfect Union. Instead of being sucked into the nonsensical hate and vitriol, you chose to be a part of the solution. You chose to unite instead of divide. You chose to see the best in other Americans, regardless of who they vote for. You chose to give others the benefit of the doubt. You are a source of inspiration and hope for me as I look forward to the future of our country.
Thank you for answering the call to serve your country. Let’s fight to find common ground, and then go beyond that to higher ground. Stay strong. We’ve got this.
