By Silvia Middleton

Dear Neighbor,

As we face the upcoming election season (and the dreaded political commercials), I am struck by the thought that our country is once again at a crossroads. Regardless of your political leanings, our nation has seldom been more divided and less willing to listen to, let alone work with, people of a different persuasion. Those in power often foster feelings of disrespect, and even outright hostility, throwing aside any consideration of respect for anyone or anything. The amount of discord towards people who may be different in any way has served to obscure the very real issues facing us all, issues that can only be resolved by working together and once again fostering respect.

It is more important now than ever before for each of us to look deep inside ourselves and view the messages being sent out from those in office and those who would be in office and ask ourselves if and how their messages resonate with you and fit into the vision you have for our nation. What is the good in the message? What should be rejected? Is the leader or candidate expressing the desire to serve and represent us all, or just those who fit into their sphere of influence? What have they done for the community? Why do they deserve our vote and our support? All of these are important questions as we prepare to choose the next class of leaders at the local, state and national levels.

How can you make your voice heard to be sure our leaders both respect and represent all of us, not just a faction of the population? Call or write the candidate. Offer financial support if they deserve it. Offer your time, whether to open discussions with them about issues that are important to you or to support their campaign and encourage others to listen. Listen to what they have to say and read what they post on whatever platform you choose.

The most important way to be heard is through the ballot box. Vote! I cannot say that often enough. Vote. I have worked with people who literally risked their lives to exercise their legal right to vote in their countries. You don’t have those factors in our country, so what’s your excuse? Vote. It requires just a little effort to study the candidates and go cast your ballot. Vote. If you don’t, don’t complain about the result.

“Dear Neighbor” authors are united in a belief that civility and passion can coexist. We believe curiosity and conversation make us a better community.