I generally check my phone when I wake up in the morning for gym, not the best habit I will admit, but it helps me slowly struggle to a point of awakeness. Slowly. I snooze for 20 minutes and then rush to get out of the house. This morning my routine was broken. When I reached for my phone I saw I had received a text from a friend… It said “I think when I wake up Trump is going to be president.”
Surprise!!
I briefly though “yeah right,” and went to my morning spinning class. Shortly after that my good friend in America started sending me text messages – she was watching the polls. Got Utah, got Wisconsin. “OMG” I texted back. “Do you think he’s going to win? Is it possible?” I never really pay much attention to political affairs until it’s crunch time. I hopped onto Facebook to see what my world has to say about it. Someone had posted an image with the quote: “If I were to run, I’d run as Republican. They’re the dumbest group of voters in the country. They believe anything on Fox News. I could lie and they’d still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific.” Donald Trump 1998, in an interview with People Magazine.
“Pretty much,” my friend replied, “he only needs 270 to get majority.”
I never saw it coming. Most of the world, I think, is shocked at the recent political uproar in the USA. I’ve seen placards saying things like: “Time to watch the season finale of America.” People are up in arms regarding the win and everyone seems to have an opinion. Rumour has it that the Canadian Immigration Website crashed when the announcement was made.
It’s up for debate who was actually the best candidate, obviously I have my own preference, but I will say this in the face of all the recent events I think we as a people group need to remember: “Love Trumps All.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
In it together
We were put on this planet, each and every one of us, to love and protect our brothers and sisters. We were put on this planet to appreciate every beautiful and different race God has created. Our job is not to judge people. Our job is not to generalise and write off others because they are different. We shouldn’t isolate ourselves from other people. Instead we should work together. We should unite despite our differences to make the world a better place. The leaders we select should then mirror this world view.
When we select a President and cast a vote we are doing our part in insuring the ideals such as faith, hope and love are progressed in our world. We should know about who we are voting for and what they stand for. Rulers of nations are given roles of great power and great influence. They should be men or women of integrity, worthy of respect. I like this quote by Harry S. Truman which encapsulates this thought:
“Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”
As Africans, we can look at the mess in America and think, “Ha, it isn’t us for a change.” The thing is, poorly selected Presidents are an International problem. We have many leaders in Africa who are not men and women of their word. We have leaders who are power-hungry and guilty of fraud. We have people who don’t bother to vote.
Of course, I don’t doubt you have your own opinion on the whole American presidency issue. Can I just remind you, “love trumps all.”