Waiting and Watching and Hoping

Five a.m. Friday, November 6, 2020: As of five minutes ago, Joe Biden has finally (and as predicted) overtaken Donald Trump after a long night of counting ballots in Georgia. In that traditionally Republican state Biden is now 917 votes in the lead out of 4.9 million votes already cast and 2% left to go. Unbelievably close.

As I write this, Biden stands at 253 Electoral votes with Trump at 214. 270 is the magic number with 71 votes remaining to be allocated from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Arizona and Alaska. If Biden wins any two of these he will win the Presidency. (The AP has already called Arizona for Biden, but the NY Times, my primary news source, has not.)

But the count continues. Biden urges patience with the process. Trump fumes, lies and tries to stop the counting—the counting that seems to be inexorably signaling the end of his elected power. And the rest of us muddle through trying to glean useful bits of information as they trickle through the fire-hose of news and information sources.

At this point nationally, Biden has won 50.5% of the votes cast and Trump has won only 47.7. In national politics, this is a significant difference. Four years ago, to Trump’s everlasting shame, Clinton actually won 48.2% to Trump won 46.1%, but due to the structure of the Electoral College, lost the election. But this year, even with the Electoral College structure favoring Republicans, Biden is poised for victory.

One of the most encouraging signs of the past twenty-four hours was the fact that when Trump called a press conference last night and began rambling on about baseless claims of voter fraud and ballot suppression, ABC, NBC and CBS all cut away from the press conference. I do not believe this President has the capacity to accept defeat. He will continue to lash out against any part of reality that does not agree with his wishes. Trying to stop him or question him or counter with reasonable arguments does not work. Like a spoiled child, even giving him negative attention only prolongs the tantrum and encourages the behavior. But turning the cameras away, turning our attention away, this is the only effective strategy for someone so lost in their own pain and delusion. And some of the major networks did this last night.

In fitting contrast, Biden, along with urging patience for the ‘sometimes messy’ process of democracy, gave a briefing on the coronavirus which infected more than 121,000 people in the United States on Thursday, a record number with cases. Our viral pandemic is escalating in dangerous ways, apparently not believing Trump’s prediction that it would all disappear after election day. So Biden is beginning the enormous job he is (hopefully) about to take on.

But patience is still the order of the day. Patience is often thought of as an old-fashioned value. We are supposed to be confident and assertive. We are encouraged to have a clear plan and to make things happen. We are supposed to be in charge of ourselves and, if we can, of those around us. But life doesn’t really work that way.

In spite of all our efforts, the world and events happen in their own time. Of course we can do things that support or hinder the unfolding of events, but there is a larger pattern of rising and falling that is as dependable as it is unpredictable. And the counting of the votes will take exactly as long as it takes.

A commentator recently used the image of being strapped into a roller coaster to describe why many of us are feeling so anxious around this extended election. ‘It’s like you’re headed up to the top, you know the drop is coming and there’s nothing you can do.’ Being a contrarian at heart, I immediately thought of all the possibilities available to you in that situation—the most fun one being to get ready to throw your hands in the air, scream and have a wonderful ride down.

On second reflection, however, I thought that this image of being strapped in a roller coaster is a reasonably accurate description of being human. Our lives, even our vital signs, are a wave function. Guaranteed. No exception. If you find yourself in the body of a human being who can read and understand these words, there is no way to avoid the ups and downs of life. And these ups and downs can be accurately predicted to come at their own time, not necessarily when it’s convenient for you.

This is the bad news and the good news. The bad news is that there is no escape. There is no life without confusion, difficulty and pain. The good news is that when we take the larger view and accept these things instead of fighting them, life expands and eases—right in the middle of the ups and downs.

The election will be called in the next few days. If Biden wins, even by the narrowest of margins, those of us who supported him should be elated—just as Trump’s followers were delighted with his victory four years ago. We should celebrate and breathe a sigh of relief. Briefly. Then we should turn our attention back to the larger and longer struggle ahead.

Turning toward the challenges and possibilities is what we, as humans, are made to do. We are hard-wired to want to give our gifts in service of the world. To work on something important with people we love is a deep joy. It is not easy or straightforward. There are many setbacks and losses along the way. But the world calls to each of us to step forward and make a difference.

6:10 a.m. – Biden’s lead in Georgia is now 1,096. And so it goes.