Camaraderie seems to be in short supply these days as tensions tighten leading up to Tuesday’s big election.
Car pool commutes are quieter. Facebook friends have been unfriended or unsubscribed to because of their political posts. Around prayer circles, requests for cares and concerns trigger thoughts about the election, but then each believer inwardly decides, “Better not go there.”
Conversations over back fences seem shorter. Garage doors rise more quickly, cars slide inside more briskly, and the doors descend more resolutely, so as to reclose the cocoons of privacy.
Not to worry, though. Strained relationships are one of the costs of free elections in a free society. To a large extent, this strife is seasonal. Granted, the candle of contention won’t be snuffed out Tuesday night. Wednesday will dawn with more squabbles about counting and recounting votes, with winners expertly accepting credit, losers desperately deflecting blame, and pundits pontificating.