Good Will and Earnest Effort

I was surprised when, several years ago, I heard my dad defend a U.S. president that I knew he didn't like. I can't really remember the details of the conversation, but the other party stated that President So-and-so didn't deserve to be addressed as such. My dad said, "If I met him, I would call him President So-and-so. That's his title, he's the leader of our country." I was impressed that my dad had this attitude toward someone he didn't agree with. But really, isn't that how we are all supposed to act? Shouldn't we have respect for the people running our country? I am not saying that we should turn a blind eye to what happens in our government simply because they are our leaders. We should all be citizens who care about the big things, like elections, as well as the seemingly little, like how we manage our own day-to-day responsibilities. Shouldn't we respect people in general and treat them how we'd want to be treated? It's that good old Golden Rule.

As BFJ and I watched Senator McCain's concession speech, I was very pleased to see this man, (who, despite not being the President Elect, does wield power in our country,) speak with such grace and respect toward his opponent. Then, we watched Senator Obama's speech, and I was equally pleased to see the dignity that he extended toward his opponent. It would be nice to see my friends and neighbors extend good will and earnest effort toward this next president, whether or not we voted for him, and to our neighbors, leaders, coworkers, families. Treat others as we want to be treated.

"I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating [Obama], but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited." - Senator John McCain

"I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead." - President Elect Barack Obama