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It’s going to be OK,” I told my friend, who was anxiously sitting on the tailgate of his pickup while bemoaning the still-unknown results of Tuesday’s general election. “No matter who wins or loses, it’s going to be OK.”
“How can you say that?” my friend replied, still riled, voice rising, “when our country has about the two most flawed candidates ever running for president?”
“Because,” I said, not realizing I was about to accidentally utter something meaningful, “I believe in America.”
And I do. Even when the tides seem like they’re taking the things that make the United States the greatest nation on Earth back to sea, I remain committed to the ideal that in this freedom-loving country, you can be whatever and whoever you want to be.
Not everybody feels that way, of course. To some, all will be lost if the final vote totals add up differently from how they cast a ballot. They see this as more than just another election, but as a make-or break moment for the political experiment called America, a last chance to fix the federal government and some even view it as part of a spiritual war.
Yet, regardless of the results when the counting is complete, I’m not worried.
Concerned, yes. I have kids and grandkids who deserve a good future, and a few more bad decisions in D.C. could make that a lot more challenging for them. However, I still believe that most people, when given a chance, will try to do the right thing.
One reason I say that is because, at least in our neck of the woods, we like our neighbors. A survey by comparethemarket.com revealed that 67% of North Carolinians maintain healthy relationship with their neighbors, one of the highest rates in the nation and higher than the Southern average of 59%.
Another strong indicator is the fact that 46% trust their neighbors with a spare house key. In Australia, which is considered a pretty trusting country, only 30% will give their neighbors a spare house key, while 46% of Aussies say they would rather keep to themselves.
Naturally, there is another side of the story. The survey says the things we don’t like about our neighbors include being noisy, loud music or parties (40%), animal noise like dogs barking (33%), parking in your spot (18%), loud intimacy (13%), leaving their bins out (8%) and stealing your parcels (7%).
Clearly, apartment living has many more disadvantages than owning a home. But, without question, bad neighbors can negatively affect your living experience.
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A second reason I’m confident America will rebound favorably is because, historically, we always have. Every four years, we have been told that if we vote for X, the end is near. Well, the end has never been near another four years later, so I simply don’t pay attention to extremists declaring extreme things anymore.
The third reason is because of my faith, as my belief in God is much stronger than any political doctrine. Joel Rainey, pastor of Covenant Church in Shepherdstown, W.Va., posted something on X that describes this viewpoint well.
“If you think it’s possible we could ‘lose everything’ on Nov. 5, you have a ridiculously elevated view of the U.S. presidency – and a pathetically low view of the kingdom of God,” he wrote.
No matter what happens in the election, after voting concludes we’ll still be neighbors. We’ll continue helping each other with everything from pet sitting to collecting mail to borrowing a cup of sugar, even though 52% of U.S. respondents admitted they prefer to keep to themselves and are less likely to assist with a neighbor’s home maintenance. (Honestly, my neighbors don’t want my help with anything involving a hammer.)
As we have witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Cherokee County’s people are at their best when things seem to be at their worst for others. There are thousands of friendly people here who are more than happy to help their neighbors when the chips are down. No election will change that beautiful reality.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. You can reach him by phone, 828-837-5122; email, dbrown@cherokeescout.com; or on X @daviddBstroh.