With this semester closing on a certainly seminal moment in American history, I would like to take this time to encourage everyone to restrain themselves when returning home. This is not one of those “how to educate your Trump supporting uncle” posts – In fact, I voted for Trump and am proud of that. This is a post about civility. This idea can be applied to anyone in your life. There are very few things worth dying for, or burning a bridge – family is one of them, and cutting them out or devaluing them in any way is a ridiculous way to organize your priorities.
The danger of a sustained conflict within the United States is certainly more real than ever – with a significant portion of American’s believing that the Democratic party stole the election, and another significant part believing that the current commander in chief is simply a Cheeto colored version of Adolph Hitler – it doesnt suprise me that tensions are high. After all, if both sides view the other as not just wrong, but inherently evil, there are very few things left on the table as a means to communicate or mediate.
Therefore, I encourage everyone to make amends with anyone you’ve intellectually jousted, verbally boxed, or mentally sparred within your past few years attending our lady’s university. Use these ten weeks to reconnect with your family, your childhood, and your friends. Build good habits, read good books (I recommend C.S. Lewis, Doestoevsky, or even Tolkien) – come back to next semester ready to conquer your challenging academics.
As tense as things can be at the moment, they have not yet reached the point we have seen in Northern Ireland. There are not balaclava clad militant Catholics armed with ARs(Armalite Rifle not Assault Rifle – that’s a made up term) shooting up police stations. So in all seriousness, reconnect with your family. Remember who you are and where you came from.