Joe, I’m sorry that everyone is treating you this way. You have lived a wonderful life, filled with blessings and tragedies, and deserve to be somewhere peaceful making the most of what time you have left on this earth with your closest family and friends. Your resolve to make the United States a better place is admirable (whether we agree on any of the ways you plan on accomplishing that or not) and should continue to be commended. It really does bother me that so many in our society resort to hurling insults about your family and the personal obstacles you’ve faced instead of spending more time learning about the vision you have for our country.

Donald, I’m sorry that you’re in this mess too. You seem intent on staying as active as you can, and involving a ton of your family in the process – while I’m sure many of them love and support you, it must take such a toll mentally and physically. As it is with every disaster society faces every few years, you didn’t ask for the opportunity to lead a country through a pandemic – any of us would age 10 years in the span of a single year when trying to do what you have been tasked with. While your demeanor may not resonate well with many in this country, there is something to be said about the strength you showcase in many areas of life as you try to find ways for our country to rebound from the disaster of COVID-19.

Jo, Howie, Brian, Brock, Gloria, Don, and even Kanye… I am SO so sorry that our country can not mature enough to handle dialogue between more than two parties. You have gone above and beyond to get your names to appear on ballots throughout the country, even with so many people putting you down and trying to convince you that the attempt is futile. While many of you embrace platforms that could be considered too radical for much of the country to embrace right now, you are to be commended for sticking your neck out and taking criticism from all sides to try and do the right thing. I sleep better at night knowing there are people like you out there taking it on the chin while climbing uphill in the battle to bring dignity and fairness back to our election process.

You see, it is incredibly easy to get along with people (and even possibly pay them a compliment) yet still disagree with much of their platform and values. While I may share a meme or two that poke fun at some candidates, I also reason with my conscience on a regular basis and get down on my knees to pray for all those running for office as much as I can remember to. By stark contrast, the amount of funds being spent on mailers, spam messages, and commercials spewing catchphrases and slander by Republicans and Democrats is downright horrific, and should motivate all of us to be better.

What does that look like though? For some, it will mean taking the couple weeks of voting to volunteer at local polling centers to help the senior citizens who have done so for decades and have already done their part. For others, it will take a very honest and open conversation with their loved ones about the consequences of trying to run for local office because they feel that it is their calling. Though it has always been looked upon as an honor to serve, the conversations and culture surrounding holding office in 2020 is so toxic that it is scaring away many people (like myself) from considering such a run.

For most of us, being better implies that we need to be more thoughtful about the content we put out for the world to see – be it on our Facebook, Twitter, or front lawn. While it becomes quite comical at times to fall into the black hole that Reddit threads and photoshopped candidate memes can be… we as citizens of this great nation have an incredible chance to show the world that the federal election outcome this year will not reflect what we as a country want as our future – and it will start with our careful selection at the city, county, and state levels. Do just as much research about the neighbors running for city council, and have a conversation with them if you get the opportunity. Each small step will propel us further to a political climate that will make us believe it once again when we sing that we “are proud to be an American”.