I am part of this country as you are too. I believe in this country and it’s people. I believe in the divine principals of justice and freedom for which these people fought which will grow up as the nation grows. I believe no petty evil can harm the enduring greatness of the American spirit. (Ethel Barrymore as Anne Royall, Calvalcade of America radio program February 20, 1940)

I was recently listening to an old radio show called Calvalcade of America which was telling the story of Anne Royall. You can find out more about her by “googling” her name. I was taken by the last lines of her story which I quote above. I thought they were apt for us to consider as we enter into these final weeks before the election.

As I watch the different political ads I am disturbed by the absolute polarization within much of the language. Either you agree with the candidate or you are going to destroy the country. There is no sense of the give and take of the American political system that I grew up with. I was taught that this dialogue was precisely the way that we can hear the needs of many and find solutions that can meet the needs of most.

Over the course of the years however this pressure to polarize the dialogue has grown. I think the only way it can get checked is through the action of the voters and the demands we can make asking our elected officials to talk with each other. I think we too need to have faith in the divine principals of justice and freedom on which this country was founded. Instead of being afraid of some petty evil, it is time to live up to the greatness of the American spirit.