US ELECTIONS: A DISTURBING REALITY

As I watch what is going on with the US elections, I can´t help but wonder why is it that so much of the support for the republican Party candidate is based on hate and fear. This divisive message has gathered the support of half the voting population in the United States. Including, sadly to say, several family members. The most recent polls show a neck and neck race a few days before Tuesday, November 5th, 2024.

Trump has, once again, used the same playbook that served him so well in the 2016 election: blaming´others´, (black, Hispanics, women, foreigners) for all the problems, insecurity and wokeness that

America´s society is supposed to have. Why is all this negativity so effective? Because fear is a powerful tool that allows someone like Trump to take advantage of the insecurities that normal people have, and creates an ´us vs. them ´ mentality that is hard to get rid of. No matter what happens after this election, this hate, this fear, will perdure and it will definitely bring nothing but negative consequences for the country itself.

But perhaps, what it´s really sad, is that this behavior goes against the very instincts that have helped us, as humans, survive over thousands of years. Homo Sapiens survived not because we isolated ourselves or got rid of those who were different, but because we banded together. Cooperation, empathy, and compassion were essential for our survival, deeply embedded in our nature. Don´t most, if not all, of our religions, have at their core these human values that basically promote doing and being good, caring for one another, and building compassionate communities?

My hope is that we, as people, can see through this and finally reject the fear that divides us. When we lean into hatred and divisiveness, we’re rejecting what made us strong as a species. In America, we need leaders who represent unity, compassion, and real dialogue, not those who thrive on chaos, resentment and hate. Democracy is about collaboration, respect, and moving forward together, not going back to an era that never truly existed. In the end, this election is about deciding who we choose to be as a people, as a society. I hope it is one that shows the best aspects of what it means to be human.

Thanks for reading. Abrazos.

Diego Rojas