Rural Issues: Move past anger after the election

I pen this column before the results of the Nov. 5 election are announced. My phone has been buzzing constantly for months with text messages from politicians in distant states, asking for money first and my vote second. Even after deleting and reporting these texts as “junk,” they keep flooding in.

Political ads on television and radio scream at me daily, while my email inbox and social media are filled with negative messages about the candidates.

Politics are at the least exhausting and can be overwhelming. I have seen too many typically happy people walking around these past few months with scowls on their faces and hate in their hearts.

I have seen friends stop speaking to each other simply because one leans too far left and the other too far right.

Despite my frustration and disappointment with all the “bad stuff” surrounding this campaign season, I want to celebrate the invaluable opportunity we have as citizens to vote. We often take for granted the many freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.

We are fortunate to enjoy freedoms of religion and speech. The freedom of the press allows us to express our thoughts and ideas in writing, as well as the liberty to read whatever we choose.

We have the right to assemble, the right to bear arms and the right to equal justice. As citizens of the United States, we have the right to own private property, and no one, including the government, can take what belongs to us without cause or fair compensation.

We also have the freedom to pursue any job for which we qualify and the option to join a political party or a union.

Since the U.S. government is founded on the consent of its citizens, we hold the power to protect and uphold our freedoms — or risk losing them. I can hardly imagine a country where these essential freedoms are denied.

We have heard repeatedly that this presidential election is the most important — most relevant — in the history of the United States of America. We were told that before the last presidential election and the one before that.

I believe this statement is true, but the love I have for my country will not change because of the person who is in the Oval Office.

What I know for certain is that countless men and women sacrificed everything to secure the rights outlined in the Bill of Rights for all citizens.

We owe it to them to ensure these rights remain a fundamental part of the U.S. Constitution, and we also owe it to future generations of Americans to uphold and protect them.

Veterans Day, falling less than a week after this historic election day, is an important time to remember those who risked their lives and those who lost their lives defending our freedoms.

There are winners and losers in every election. It is our collective responsibility to find a way forward, regardless of whether our candidate comes out on top.

God bless America!