EDITORIAL: In election aftermath, brighter future is within reach

Perhaps all the key races have been decided by the time you read this.

Perhaps none of them has.

Between those two extremes lurk a multitude of maybes. Chances are, just as in life, you’re gonna win some, and you’re gonna lose some.

No question, there’s a lot at stake from the White House to the North Idaho College campus, from fire district and school district funding requests to ballot initiatives. 

But here’s the thing: No matter who and what won and lost, we’re all riding the same waves in the aftermath.

Sure, it can be hair-raising and heart-testing, but as long as we’re on the same wave together, we might as well make the best of it. How? Well, let’s lean on the wisdom shared recently by the brilliant journalist and author David Brooks.

Speaking at the annual Idaho Humanities Council dinner and lecture in Coeur d’Alene, Brooks pinpointed deep societal problems, but unlike most of us, he didn’t leave it there. He offered suggestions for improvement.

The problem of sorrow: “When you get sadder, you get meaner, because when you’re not seen or you’re invisible and neglected, you feel under threat and you feel it’s an insult on your dignity, which it is,” Brooks told the record crowd of 800-plus.

The problem of loneliness: “Politics seems to give you the illusion you’re taking moral action on behalf of the country, but you’re not sitting with a widow or serving the poor. You’re just being indignant on Twitter. Politics takes loneliness and turns it into culture wars.”

The problem of being angry and lonely: Noting a study indicating lonely people are seven times more likely to get involved in politics than other people, “That makes a lot of sense when you realize our politics is dominated by people who are lonely and angry at the world.” 

Solution: Make others feel understood and respected.

Solution: Work on better social skills like how to be good listeners, how to gracefully end conversations, how to appropriately reveal vulnerability, how to break up with someone without crushing their heart, how to host a dinner party where everyone feels included.

Solution: Be an illuminator, not a diminisher. Diminishers don’t ask questions; they’re just not very curious. They also may stereotype others. Illuminators seek to understand the depths of people’s lives. They listen carefully and closely, ensuring others feel understood.

Solution: Keep the “gem statement” — particularly appropriate here in the Gem State — at the center of conversations. Even when we might disagree strenuously, there’s usually something down deep that we can both agree upon.

Divided we may be, but that’s a choice, just like filling out a ballot. 

Caring enough about each other to apply Brooks’ solutions will make a far greater impact on the future than yesterday’s elections.