On Losing an Election
Talking with Elaine this morning after seeing the results, I had a (re-)realization that my daily life and my internet media consumption are in such strong contrast. I live in MAGA country (always have, basically, at least here in Texas). I'm surrounded by committed Republican voters who generally assume that everyone around them votes the same as they do.
But my internet consumption is clearly, clearly left of that. By a wide margin. Despite the fact that I live in MAGA-world, I really thought there was a good shot at a Democrat win across the board. (That is clearly not what happened.)
Two things are on my mind this morning in response to this. Of course I have some political opinions and have some generalized anxiety about how the next four year presidential term will play out. But even more than that:
It's become increasingly clear (and stark after this morning) that my current media consumption habits are simply not serving me. Scrolling through Reddit feeds a few times a day, checking NYT and NPR, etc. are simply not giving me an accurate view of reality. They are also not helping my mental state... probably at all. I'm going to make it a goal over the coming weeks to devise a plan to change these habits for myself. I want to be a kind person, a good citizen, a loving husband and father, and a thoughtful, well-informed human being.
Richard Beck has been in my RSS feed for years. While I don't read everything he writes, there are occasions where he writes something that genuinely hits home and makes me feel sane. This, from a sermon he wrote years ago, titled "How to Lose an Election," is a gentle reminder that human history is peppered with situations where they lack political power (long quote incoming):
In my Bushnell talk, one of the points I made comes from Jeremiah 29. Some of the Israelites have returned home from their Babylonian exile. But many remain behind in Babylon. These write to the prophet Jeremiah asking if they should come home. But Jeremiah writes back to say, no, you should stay in Babylon. And not just stay, to multiply and thrive:
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Seek the welfare of the city, for it its welfare you will find your welfare. Crucially, the Israelites remain in Babylon as a marginalized, disenfranchised, exilic people. They do not control Babylon, nor will they ever control Babylon. Political power is not in their hands. And yet, there is work to do! Seek the welfare of the city.
And let's be clear on this point, this is Babylon we are talking about. Babylon, the epitome of wickedness, oppression, injustice, violence, and evil in Biblical history and imagination. The point here is that the People of God thrive in places of political marginalization. The People of God thrive in Babylon. So there's no excuse for us not to thrive, even if we lost the election. No matter the outcome today, there is good, creative, generative, and beautiful work to do.
How do you lose an election? It's simple.
You plant gardens in Babylon.
So how am I planting a garden? Well, I'll probably literally plant a garden, but I'm raising my kiddos a certain way, I'm disengaging from the shit show that is national politics, and I'm looking to the community around me to build a life together.
