The election. It feels like it has been everywhere for the past year– all over the news – all over your Facebook feed. Maybe you have already gotten into a fight about one of the candidates with a friend or family member, or maybe you have been spared the name-calling and emotionally-charged hijinks…so far. Trust me, you do not want to get into an argument (whether in person or online) now, these last few weeks before the final decision.
I’m sure you know that old song, “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” Well, it’s true. The friendships you have made and fostered over the years are silver and gold and you do not want to tarnish your memories together by getting into an enormous fight over a couple of politicians that you will probably never meet anyway. It doesn’t matter how expensive-ooking any politician might seem, they are cheap plastic compared to your friends who truly care about you. (And of course, your family members are another category altogether. You’ve got them whether you want them or not, so you might as well keep things pleasant. So maybe they count as iron?)
I am not going to tell you who to vote for – I am still trying to make up my mind – but I will tell you two simple things that will hopefully make election night and the aftermath a little more bearable for you.
1) VOTE
Read up on every candidate, inform yourself. You are not limited to the two major candidates; there are third-party candidates if you are so inclined. No matter what anyone may tell you, your vote matters, no matter who the vote is for. Your vote matters because it means you informed yourself and made an educated decision. You got yourself to the polling station and made an effort. You exercised one of your unalienable rights, a right that your great-great grandmother did not have. Trust me, you won’t just feel better after you voted, you will feel proud.
2) KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT
Now here is the hard part. After you have voted do not allow yourself to even login to Facebook, Twitter, etc. You will get sucked into a vortex of catty, useless fighting so fast it will make your head spin. Try not to turn on the television either if you can help it. It will make you anxious, and it’s just not worth it. You did your job, now let the chips fall where they may. Within a week after the election everyone will be talking about football again -“sighs”- and you will still have your friendships. Remember, that is what matters.
Schedule