Faith, Family, Freedom, and Friends
By Jayme Chandler
As we approach the end of this tumultuous election season, hyper-partisanship has reached a threshold. Since the election of President Donald Trump in 2016, politics has become the forefront of American culture, and political division and intolerance are tearing our society apart. In this day and age, it’s not uncommon that political differences can destroy families and friendships. I believe that conservatives have overwhelmingly bared the brunt of political vitriol, as the media, academia, Hollywood, and the Democratic Party continually smear Trump supporters with a litany of baseless accusations and attacks. While many on the Left preach diversity and tolerance, they continually fall short on applying those principles to people who disagree. Civilized debate be damned, as people instead attack than understand the other side, and have resorted to dismantling relationships with anyone who disagrees.
As a recent UC Berkeley graduate, I understand better than most the hate conservatives face, especially on college campuses. As an outspoken conservative, who runs this conservative publication and is working at the White House, I’ve lost friends simply for my beliefs and job. This pervasive culture of canceling your friends and family is shallow, disheartening, and toxic. I’ve never understood how people can cast aside a friend or family member because they think differently. However, in a society that categorizes people on the basis of their voting record, revels in tribalism, and endorses partisanship, it’s no wonder that politics is ruling our world and simultaneously ruining it.
Politics will never be my first, second, third, or even fourth priority. As someone pursuing a career in politics, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a large part of my life. My conservative beliefs largely shape how I see the world; however, I hope to be more than my party affiliation. My faith will always come first, as I am a Catholic before I am a conservative. My family will always come next, because no matter our differences, I refuse to let political disagreements ruin the sanctity of family. Freedom comes third, as I still believe in putting our country and its enduring founding principles before a party. Friends are fourth because my friendships are more fulfilling than any political movement or moment. Faith, family, freedom, and friends will always supersede politics in my life. Why? Because I sincerely believe that the minute you let politics rule your world is the minute you commit yourself to a life of misery.
As this election comes to a close, I remind you that Americans are good people. We are the most welcoming, kind, and generous nation on the planet. We are a nation composed of hard-working, gritty, and tenacious people who are overwhelmingly focused on providing for their family, creating a fulfilling life, and serving the Lord and their community. Don’t let politics blind you to the greatness of our country and people. Don’t let politics divide you from those who think differently than you. Most of us want what’s best for our nation. While we may envision different pathways to get there, people are not evil or morally inferior to you because they see the world differently. No political disagreement is worth sacrificing your relationships with your family and friends.
Though it’s tough to see through the doomsday fog of election season rhetoric, we have to understand that regardless of the way this country votes, life goes on. This country can’t be torn apart by a single politician or political philosophy; our institutions and political system are too strong for that. Our republic faces a far greater threat than any politician, President, or political movement: the dying art of civil disagreement. When intolerance and the vilification of our differences makes us turn and hate our fellow Americans, our country is in grave danger, not only from foreign adversaries, but from ourselves. The domestic chaos of recent months, though encouraged and stirred from our enemies abroad, takes root in the principle that the greatest threat to a nation is the nation itself.
I refer to my favorite passage in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus stated: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (22:37-39). In this era of division, I believe it’s more important than ever to remember what matters most. Be passionate about your beliefs, but don’t shame those who are not with you. Be kind, be humble, be understanding. Don’t let yourself be consumed by our differences. Instead, embrace those with different views. For the survival of this great nation and the preservation of collective happiness, I urge every American to reject the culture of hyper-partisanship, tribalism, and intolerance and instead prioritize a culture of love of God, family, friends, and America.
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