Dear Friends,
I know that that's an odd question for me to be asking, but hear me out.
A local dentist recently told a friend of my wife that he is seeing an unusually high number of people who are requesting tooth guards because they're grinding their teeth.
Why might this be?
Well, even though this dentist has (wisely) made it his practice not to discuss religion or politics with his patients, he's finding that lately his patients cannot resist doing so. They come into his office bursting with the desire to talk about the election - and their anxieties in connection with it. In a reversal of roles, all he can do is listen!
Has the election campaign season gotten you worried? If so, you're clearly not alone.
This is far from a local phenomenon. David Brooks recently wrote
an op-ed article in the
New York Times called, "
The Epidemic of Worry." In it, he points out that Americans all across the political spectrum are worried. They're worried about the bitterness and the lack of cohesion that this election campaign has unleashed; they're worried that their votes may not be counted or may not count; they're worried about the future of our country.
Jews are no strangers to worrying. One of the oldest modern Jewish jokes is set in the era when telegrams were the only way to communicate at a distance. They were expensive, and since one paid for them by the word, brevity was prized. The famous Jewish telegram read:
"START WORRYING: DETAILS TO FOLLOW."
It goes back even further. In
Pirkei
Avot (a
Mishnaic tractate probably completed in the third century) we read: "The more possessions, the more worries." This saying suggests that only the wealthy need to worry
; not the middle class or the poor. But in this election season it seems as though everyone--regardless of economic status--is worrying.
What can we do about it?
Let me make
three suggestions.
First, don't just allow events to unfold around you. Get involved. If there is one positive thing to come out of this election campaign season, it is that many people have realized how important it is to get involved in the political process. This is good for all of us. If you care about a candidate, party or issue, support them. Volunteer. There are still almost two weeks left before the election. If you are concerned about voter turnout and would like to do something about it, volunteer to make GOTV calls. Concerns about voter intimidation and suppression have been expressed throughout this campaign season. Volunteers (particularly attorneys) can play an important role in monitoring polling places where efforts to interfere with the lawful expression of the right to vote are anticipated. In addition, volunteers are needed to support other non-partisan efforts to reinforce the integrity of the voting process.
Second, whatever happens on Election Day, do your part on the days thereafter. This is a democracy. Everyone has the right to express
their opinions. But unless we can and will work together after the election, we will remain divided. The chill in the air will remain, which is not good for our nation. (See the recent essay by David Brooks, entitled,
The Avalanche of Distrust.)
Third,
don't forget to vote!
I know, I know. I can already hear the responses:
"Does it really matter?"
"My vote won't change the outcome!"
"What difference does it make?"
Well, let me share a story with you--a true story--about the meaning of voting. It just might persuade you.
My cousin Bob lives and works in D.C. Four years ago, on Monday, November 5, 2012, his secretary at the time, a young woman from Boston named
Domonique Williams, came into his office.
"I have to take tomorrow off from work," she said. "I have to fly to Massachusetts to vote."
He was intrigued and respectful--but also perplexed.
"You don't believe in absentee ballots?" he asked.
"Don't get me started!" she said. She proceeded to tell him how frustrated she was that she had not yet received her absentee ballot, even though she had applied for it
months earlier. She had fully intended to vote by absentee ballot weeks before, but to no avail. The time had now run out, and she absolutely had to go back to Massachusetts to vote.
"Why do you feel this way?" he asked.
Well, for one thing, she said, I really want to have another chance to vote for Barack Obama. But also, my
mother and my
grandmother and my
great-grandmother were all active in the civil rights movement and would never forgive me if I didn't vote. I'll be gone for just one day. I'll be back here at work Wednesday morning.
"Of course," he said. "Go ahead."
She went off and bought a full-fare round-trip ticket on JetBlue and left the office to pack.
As my cousin reflected on
Domonique's passion and commitment, he decided that this was a story that simply had to be told. So he called
The
Washington Post. A reporter
there found the story interesting, followed up, and wrote a piece about
Domonique on the front page of their Election Day Metro section. That day, the paper was deluged with inquiries: "Did she get there in time to vote?" And so the paper wrote
another story about her, which you can access
here.
Nice ending, right? Actually, it's only the
first of three nice endings to this story.
A few weeks after Election Day in 2012,
Domonique got a letter in the mail. It was from JetBlue. It contained a check for the cost of her round trip ticket to Massachusetts. To its credit, the airline didn't seek (and didn't receive) any publicity for its gesture. It was simply
moved, in the same way that so many people reading
Domonique's story had been moved.
That was the
second nice ending.
Here's the
third one:
After working for my cousin for another year,
Domonique left to go to law school at Howard University. This was a big deal in her family. She had applied the previous two years and been rejected, but on her third try she included the story from
The Washington Post and that did the trick. She had been one of the first in her family to attend college, and now she was the first one to attend law school. She and my cousin kept in touch, and she remained very appreciative of his supportive efforts on her behalf. As her legal studies drew to a close, she invited him to attend her law school graduation this past May. He enthusiastically accepted.
A few days before the graduation, though, she gave him a call.
"I'm sorry to tell you that I have to rescind the invitation I sent you to attend my law school graduation," she said, "although you can join my family and friends in celebrating afterwards.
"But I have a good reason for it. We'll all be getting fewer tickets to graduation than we'd been promised because we've just learned that President Obama is going to be our commencement speaker!"
And so, the man she'd travelled to Boston to vote for four years ago came to her law school graduation. (
Here is the transcript of the speech he gave that day.
) From
Domonique's perspective--and from Bob's--that was a happy ending.
Think of the efforts that
Domonique took to vote in 2012. Can we justify doing less? Really?
Have I convinced you? I hope so!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Carl M. Perkins
P.S. One more thing: Yes, if you're experiencing TMJ, go see your dentist!
