Hope for Our Future

I cried tears of joy this morning. For those that know me, I get teary-eyed during many Disney movies so it may not seem like my tears of joy are a big deal. But it is significant.

When I first decided to run for elected office in 2007, I chose to run for municipal government because at the time, I was concerned about the direction of political discourse in our country. As I wrote back in November, the way I defined myself politically has changed from being a conservative, to a progressive conservative, to someone who now doesn’t feel that I can properly put a label on my politics. Little did I realize that I would actually be longing for the level of political discourse of 2007 here in 2021.

The last 4 years have been a dark time in the world’s history. It was a time that had one of the most powerful ‘leaders’ in the world regularly lying to the people they were serving. It was a time where that same ‘leader’ would tear down anyone that didn’t agree with them. I remember watching a certain individual mock a reporter with a disability, brag about the ability to sexually assault women, call Mexicans rapists/criminals, and insult war heroes and the family of war heroes. And those were just a few of the examples of what one person did before they were even elected to serve.

I could write pages upon pages of the terrible things that one person did but that’s not a constructive use of time. What those examples and the last four years of examples have shown me is the importance of having elected representatives that are ethical, moral, trustworthy, kind, and compassionate. For me, before I even begin to consider the policies of someone who is looking to serve others, I look to see if they have those traits.

I have had some people tell me that I should stop commenting on American politics. Considering the impact their politics has on our politics in Canada, it’s impossible to ignore what happens there. I saw the shift in some of the engagements I had with other people. The tone of certain emails and comments on social media was more toxic that I previously experienced. Thankfully, it was a small percentage of all of the correspondence, but you could see the impact of having leaders without ethics and who have no problem lying on a regular basis.

That’s why today is such an important day.

It is an opportunity to begin the healing process. This won’t be easy. While it is a minority of people, there are still those who believe that the traits listed above, are not what is most important to them. The change in leadership today does not eliminate that reality. What it does is it helps remind us that those traits are critical to solving common problems, even if we have different political opinions.

We shouldn’t strive for 100% agreement on every issue, except when it comes to human rights. What we should strive for is engaging each other with a true desire to learn from each other so that we can make the best decisions possible. Understanding the lived experiences of others can help us develop empathy and allow us to think differently about the serious challenges that are before us.

I feel hope today because I no longer have to work hard to not let myself be desensitized to behaviour that would never be acceptable in our places of work, our households, or even when talking to people you have never met. I feel hope today knowing that so many more people (7 million) made the decision to have a different type of elected representative serve them. I feel hope today hearing the inspirational words of Amanda Gorman during the Inauguration (take 5 minutes and listen to it if you haven’t already).

Ethics matter. Honesty matters. Compassion matters. Kindness matters. If we remember the importance of those traits each and every day, the world will be a much better place. Tomorrow is full of wonderful possibilities. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.