First, let me be crystal clear: here in America, we must settle our differences at the ballot box. Never with violence. Ever. Assassination attempts are always horrifically, terribly wrong.

But I’m curious: is anyone really surprised?

Surprised that in a nation where there are more guns than in any other country in the world—more guns than people—that someone would turn to using a gun to settle a perceived score? So then, is anyone really surprised how difficult it must be to protect presidential candidates from those millions of weapons, unless you lock the the candidates in a heavily-guarded, secret and secure room until after the election? (And wouldn’t that be interesting…)

In a country where mental health treatment is often not covered by insurance, and where treatment (if you can even find a therapist in the first place) is often too expensive for the average person to access, why would anyone be surprised when someone with obvious mental health issues loses it, and in such a violent way? In a country where the surgeon general has identified loneliness and social isolation as an epidemic facing millions of Americans, why would we be surprised when one troubled American apparently acts out alone, and violently?

Is anyone truly surprised that after years of racist and hateful language, of predicting and even encouraging violence when things don’t go his way, that someone hearing, reading and seeing such awful, provocative rhetoric wouldn’t be inspired/provoked into hateful and violent behavior as a result? Only hours before the incident, Trump told millions of people on his social media platform: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT.” Not “disagree with.” Not “am angry with.” He wrote “HATE.” In all caps. No surprise there. Because for the past nine years, we’ve all been bombarded daily by his verbal assaults, his often violent, misogynistic and dehumanizing tweets, his speeches filled with lies, mocking war heroes and disabled people alike, the misleading advertisements, the secret recordings degrading women, the ranting debate language and racist, untrue claims. I could fill up pages and pages of this post with vile comment after vile comment, hate-filled speech after hate-filled speech. But I won’t. Nobody needs to be reminded of any of it. Do we?

Look, I don’t believe the Bible is the literal word of God, but I do believe that it contains some words of wisdom, and a few that certainly apply here. Take, for instance, Galatians 6:7, which says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” 

Similarly, Hinduism and Buddhism hold that “karma” is a natural reaction to a person’s actions, and that if you do evil unto others, you have implicitly given permission for that evil to be visited upon yourself. Likewise, if you do good unto others, that good will be repaid somewhere down the road. In other words, according to these faith traditions, words and actions have consequences.

And then, of course, there’s the Golden Rule, found in many religious traditions, including Christianity, Judaism and Confucianism. It’s pretty simple: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Do I think these religious beliefs make him somehow deserving of yet another assassination attempt? That he’s somehow getting what he deserves? No, I do not. Far too many of us, myself included, have added to the at-best unkind and at worst, violent social discourse, even inadvertently. But like any parent who has raised a child, like anyone attempting to live by the Golden Rule, I do believe that actions have consequences. So am I surprised that, after years and years of hateful rhetoric, another hateful act has happened, aimed squarely at the person with the biggest and loudest bullhorn? No, I am not.

Let’s get real. Unless you’ve lived in an isolated cave for the past decade, anyone who says they’re surprised by this latest act of violence is not being honest. And honesty, especially right now, is what I think we could all use a strong dose of. To change this toxic mess we’re in is going to take more than all of us setting aside our differences, joining hands and singing kumbaya. Meaningful, sustainable change can only happen when we honestly and truly understand how we got here in the first place.

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. What should be really surprising is to think that any rational, sane American wants more violence, more chaos, more settling of scores, more punishing of perceived enemies for the next four years. It’s what we’ve all been told to expect, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if we get it. Right?

Believe it or not, there is some the good news, and it comes as a gift we’ve all been given: we have a choice. With eyes wide open, will can choose a different, less violent and more kind future. For all of us.

So, let’s settle our differences at the ballot box, shall we? Let’s make a better, healthier, more sane choice. Let’s put this era of hating our fellow citizens aside. Let’s reject the lies and taunts and meanness, along with the violence that comes with it. Let’s choose hope and joy instead. It’s what we deserve, and it’s what will make the hard work ahead a little easier to accomplish. Together.

Photo by Porapak Apichodilok: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-gift-box-360624/