As I watched the congressional impeachment debate, I heard many appealed for unity. The argument went like this – to avoid further division, lets forgive and forget. Having experienced at least 4 years of intentional divisive speeches and actions by the same people who now called for unity, it felt a bit ingenuous to me. The reason why we were divided in the first place stemmed from the lie that the election was stolen especially after all the states had certified the election results. This was why people gathered at the capital on Jan 6. This was why they invaded the capital.
Unity doesn't come about by ignoring the past for fear of punishment, losing power and further threat of violence. In our democracy, we are united by the agreement on the truth, and the rights and responsibilities laid out in the Constitution. If we really want to heal our nation and move people toward unity, I proposed the following four essential steps:
1. Truth matters: Trump and the politicians who insisted that the election was stolen have to to tell their supporters in no uncertain terms that the election was not stolen and Trump did not win by a landslide. For that matter, all lawmakers and senators should go back to their districts and states and do the same.
2. Money matters: Trump and the politicians who raised money for the purpose of overturning the election should return the money to their supporters and tell them why: there is not election to overturn.
3. Rights matter: Those who voted for Trump should take time to reflect on their fears and concerns as a result of their candidate losing the election -- concerns for selves, families, immediate communities, states and nation. Gather with others and share these concerns and find ways to made them known through nonviolent civic and community means. This is your right.
4. Responsibilities matter: Those who voted for Biden (Democrats, Republicans and Independents) should sit down (formally and informally) with people who voted for Trump (with neighbors, in community gatherings, places of worship, schools, workplaces, etc.) to listen to their concerns and have real caring and respectful conversations. The Biden voters should take the responsibility to collect what they heard and share them through civic and community channels back to the leaders of our communities, states and nation.
In a true democracy, we need caring winners and courageous losers.
Eric H. F. Law
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