Philip Tyler: Spokane should rise above political divisiveness

Times have changed. What hasn’t changed – and seems to have no desire to do so – is our willingness to find opposition versus shared positions. Hate versus love.

Nov. 7 is fast approaching and will pass like any other day on the calendar. There potentially will be new leaders in position within our city.

Will old behaviors remain?

We always parade out the phrase, “If we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.” While doing so, however, we seemingly play out Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” over and over with every political cycle.

Like many others, I dislike the hateful behavior. By that I mean we discuss how we need to come together as a community after every election cycle and move our city forward, but time and time again we repeat history. We retreat into a winner and loser mentality.

Our candidate won, and now we can revel in victory! Our candidate didn’t win, and now we begin an all-out campaign of pulling back, resisting and hating. This hasn’t been productive in the past and won’t be productive in the future.

Somewhere along the line we must break this hateful cycle!

I have witnessed good people be attacked and dragged through the political mud. Their past resurrected in order to defame and help maintain the status quo. I have seen many a prospective voter become disillusioned about the political process and ultimately their civic duty: voting.

I have witnessed friends de-friend, associates disassociate and budding relationships become unrelated, all because of party politics and the perceived hate for the other side.

The word “party” used to be associated with a fun gathering of people getting together, relating and having a good time. Now it’s a divisive word – one that evokes a quickened pulse, an increased blood pressure and a cautious eye, if you are not associated with the “right” one … or the “left” one, for that matter.

As a child and military dependent – a military brat, if you will – we were taught, in our worldview, not to be a brat to people you meet. I have continued to learn that lesson over the years and become better at it.

I don’t ask party affiliation when I greet you with a salutation. I don’t ask what your voting record is upon meeting you. I don’t particularly care, since it is yours and yours alone.

What I do care about is you and how we relate to one another. What I do care about is learning from the past. Lord knows I have. What I do care about is people, our neighbors, our friends and our community relating positively to one another. Our interactions must be more relational and less transactional.

Transactional relationships lack grace. We are a better community when we know and respect one another. When we respect one another more, we care for one another more. When we care for one another more, we reduce our fears. When our fears are reduced, we can begin to truly know one another. And when you get to know one another, you can begin to love one another.

Let’s be the exception, Spokane, and not – what is increasingly evidenced by this election cycle – the norm.

Let’s start “loving thy neighbor” again, regardless of political affiliation.

And if, after Nov. 7, you wish to repeat history, let me provide this brief lesson courtesy of one of my favorite poets, Maya Angelou:

“Hate has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.”