This is my one political post.  I know this is dangerous territory. And it is precisely that with which I mean to pick a bone. 

I live outside the US, precisely in Venezuela.  Being on the outside gives a different perspective.  Not a better one, nor a more informed one, simply a different one. Granted, I'm not even inclined to share that perspective, but what I am inclined to share is this picture.  

In October, Venezuela held presidential elections. There were two candidates, and like in many places in the world, the population was polarized.  There is a lot of back story on both sides, lots of media debates and coverage, and lots of enthusiasts (to put is mildly).  Feelings can get pretty high when talking about politics.  There are even the much gossiped cases of divorces caused by differences in political views.  

And yet, on a day which could have split the country into chaos, people came together and voted.  Here is a mother and daughter divided politically, but joined by much more.  They aren't estranged, they have their differences, but at the end of the day, they're family.  They're fellow citizens.

The results were announced, the losing candidate called the winner to congratulate him and asked his base to take the loss calmly and work towards unity in the country.  The winning candidate congratulated the other for an excellent campaign and realized that he needed to collaborate more with the opposing party seeing the relative closeness of the results.  Everybody went home and life continues on.  A few jokes here and there, a few lost bets, but neighbors are still neighbors, friends are still friends.  As someone on Facebook put it, "Now that the elections are over, we can start rooting for baseball!" 

I've pretty much seen the same happen in the US, but I'm starting to get the feeling that things aren't like the used to be.  We've become polarized, and it's become very personal.  I fear that we are so polarized that no matter what happens as a result of today, half of us are going to fuming in the corner not willing to speaking to the other half.  Certainly, many of us will be sighing moans of despair over the loss of our country. But is our country really lost?  

If you're conservative, you remember when the country went down the toilet when Clinton won twice.  If you're liberal, you remember when the country went down the toilet when Bush won twice.  And even then, while your man was in office, you were still losing because who knows who was in congress, your state, new laws, court decisions etc. If you fall outside the two dominant parties, then it's just been a nightmare all along.  Everybody has lost at some point, but the misery isn't loving company.  

The sad thing about polarization is that there never is any victory. You might have the presidency, but not congress.  You might have congress but not the courts.  You might have the courts, but not the presidency.  You might have all of the above, but if the people that make up the nation aren't in line, you're still lost.  

Where does this polarization come from?  It's a very natural human trait.  I'm right and you're wrong.  I know very few people in this world that truly believe that their most dearly held convictions are wrong.  If you hold something dearly, you believe it to be true.  

Here's the point: as a nation, the degree to which we become polarized is directly related to the degree in which we believe in our politics.  Or perhaps the negative is a bit truer in this case: The degree to which we become polarized is directly related to the degree in which we distrust in the other side's politics.  

As we come to believe more and more in what is simply common sense for us, we tend to note that the other side really has no common sense whatsoever.  In fact they're quite thick, perhaps even stupid, ignorant, apathetic.  And it's stupid people that are ruining our country.  Of course this same dialogue is happening on the other side.  So that makes us a country overrun by idiots so of course we're in the mess we're in now.  Idiots!

I don't want you to think that I'm being relativistic here and that there is no truth to be found.  A greater lie could not be told.  The truth instead tells us that a house divided cannot stand.  As you vote, or don't vote, as you opine, share your opinions, share blogs, share comments, or simply read, ask yourself: is this dividing us as a people?  Yes, differences there are and how great and many they are.  Yet differences can create discussions, can spur us to understanding, compromises, perhaps even solutions. Differences are normal, natural and the result of any interaction between two or more people. (If you doubt me, ask a married couple).  In working through differences unity can be created or division can be sown.  

The last truth: The truth shall set you free.  If your political convictions bring you angst, fear, troubles, anger, discouragement and just an overall sense of being overwhelmed, then I wouldn't consider that being free.  I'd consider that being oppressed.  If the other side says black and you have to say white, are you really free or are you actually unwittingly forced to do the opposite?  What is the truth that would actually set you free? Set your like minded friends free?  Set your politically opposed countrymen free?

Today, be free in the land of the free.