Nearly every presidential candidate has been cast as a villain in the last few months. Trump will make the world hate us, Sanders will bankrupt us, and Hillary…well…surely she’ll do something horrible.
I’ve heard the debates raging on Facebook and on the news outlets. But I’m here to tell you that the real villains in the presidential primaries and elections aren’t the candidates. The villains are these three things.
Fear
News outlet and even the candidates themselves rely on your fear of “the other guy”. News outlets need you to fear the candidates so you’ll keep watching their channels. And the candidates need you to fear so you’ll elect the “lesser of all evils”.
The truth is, they’re probably all equally evil. But being afraid of it will do nothing for you. Next time you hear the inflammatory story of your least favorite politician, just relax. It’s probably not as bad as it sounds. And even if it does, so what? It’ll probably be fine.
Arrogance
Arrogance is what makes us outraged every time we learn someone believes differently than us. Surely that person is an idiot for believing like that. I’ve found, though, people who believe differently than I do usually have a good reason for it.
Let’s all approach this election season with the idea that we could be wrong. Coming at this from a place of humility will keep us from getting red-faced in online debates. Plus it’ll hush that fear we feel when our least favorite candidate appears to be winning.
Temporal Perspective
Finally, the best thing we can have during this election cycle is an eternal perspective. It’s tempting to think Clinton or Sanders or Trump or Cruz will solve all of our problems. News flash: None of these candidates will solve the world’s problems.
Fortunately, we don’t belong to this world. As Christians, we belong to eternity. It ultimately doesn’t matter who wins the elections, because God’s kingdom will keep moving forward. Let’s remember our primary allegiance.
Yes, the elections do matter. But not as much as we’re probably feeling they do. Let’s slay these villains and enjoy peace for the rest of the year. Our citizenship is in heaven. And no political candidate can ruin that government.