“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment to improve the world.” Anne Frank
Our moment is here. Kamala Harris has earned my vote.
Improve the world? Tall order. I’m an American musician living in Germany. I can toss bouquets of meaningful music into the void, but how will that help a far away listener who just lost members of her family to terrorism or domestic gun violence? How will my efforts help a woman who has lost control of her reproductive rights? Or a mom struggling to feed her family because corporate greed has pushed the price of decent food out of reach? Or a family caregiver watching her grandchild struggle with asthma caused by the climate crisis?
My artistic efforts seem paltry and ashen in the unfathomable wreckage of a male-dominated polarized world.
Two horrifying, seemingly endless battles rage in not-so-distant lands, warmongering men grab for a jagged ring of power on a bloody merry-go-round of greed and madness, terrorists slaughter innocent civilians, and bedlam crushes the foundation of humanity and threatens everything we hold near and dear—family, friends, peace, civility.
I stand with every woman who never wants to lose a child, a parent, a partner to war. I stand with Kamala Harris, because she stands with us—women and the compassionate men who are our allies.
The brilliant and brave writer Samantha Bee said in a 2023 Substack essay: “I continue to believe that we should give women all the power and control in the world for five years. Then, if things don’t get better within that five-year time frame, the men can have it all back. The rest of us will go live elsewhere, perhaps on a better planet—one that we smartly discovered during our brief reign. Obviously, this is a beautiful fantasy. For truly, we spend most of our days sadly marinating in the atrocities, the war mongering, the brutality, the petty rivalries, and tough talk of the majority men who dominate our world stage. I am sick of it to the core of my being.”
Yeah, Samantha.
I’m here for humanity. I’m here for women. I’m here for Kamala, and she’s here for us. She is competent, presidential in an unexpected and somehow inevitable way, strong, and hopeful about our future. She knows how to manage thugs and bullies. She is respected and respectful. She’ll need a powerful shovel, but she can dig us out of the mess we’re in with common sense, youthful energy, and calm resolve.
Here’s an idea for all of us: Let’s focus on what we can control. Let’s build a safe harbor for our good intentions. Let’s encourage the return of civility to our own homes and geographically privileged communities. Let’s banish First World victim mentality, a current trend so vile it makes my skin crawl. Poor us? I think not. Maybe those of us who have the dumb luck of living in a part of the world not fraught with next-door-neighbor terrorism could show our gratitude by encouraging hope, love, and compassion in our communities instead of nurturing desperation, polarization, and fear. Look at the lack of civility demonstrated by some of our former and current leaders. Congress often resembles a mudslinging, name-calling Jerry Springer rerun.
I watched the debate. Kamala had me at the handshake, when she introduced herself to her opponent. Grace, confidence, fairness—everything I admire in a leader. Something about that moment caused me to burst into tears. I realized, later, that by speaking her own name, she was speaking mine.
Chaos breeds best when civility skulks away. Let’s tune out chaos by electing officials who listen to each other and support civility, the peaceful transition of power, and respect for human rights.
Last June I heard United States Consul General Pauline Kao speak about the importance of civility in our personal spheres, our neighborhoods, our cities, our governments, our world. Kindness, the ability to listen to those who disagree with us, the knowledge that even with extreme differences in our political perspectives and faiths (or no faiths), we all basically want the same things—shelter for our families, enough food, clean air, and potable water. I would add that we also desire the assurance that our teenage children might attend a joyful music festival and return home at dawn alive. Or that our injured family members might recover in a secure hospital without bombs dropping on their heads.
Back in the good old USA, I have a more specific wish list. I would love to know that we can sashay into our communities without fear of an AR-15 gun-toting neighbor flipping out and shooting up a mall, a school, or a movie theater. I would certainly appreciate the government staying out of a woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body. I would welcome a judicial system that upholds our flawed but remarkable constitution, and a legislative branch that is immune to the taunts and bribes of corporate lobbyists. Let’s add genuine concern for our environment, better health insurance, childcare to help working parents, and a university system that doesn’t bankrupt young adults before they start their careers. Support for the arts? That, too.
These do not seem like unreasonable requests, right?
First things first: If we can adopt unconditional civility as our default setting, if we learn to listen to each other instead of interrupting, if we give voice to our protests without scowling or scolding, and if we elect a few good women to balance our ego-bloated male governments, things might start to change for the better.
Go, Kamala, go. The finish line might resemble an unscalable wall, but it’s one we can climb together. Women are good at boosting and lifting each other up, up, up. We shall stand on the shoulders of our grandmothers, mothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters. We shall stretch and reach.
What unites most of us? The quest for civility. We want small things like fresh flowers, a tuned piano, and a clean kitchen. Some of us want to worry about fitness and nutrition and what dress to buy for our adult children’s weddings and where to go for dinner when the gluten-free vegan cousins visit next month. We’d like to be greeted with a smile by the person who delivers our pizza, cuts our hair, issues our paycheck. We’d also appreciate a damn paycheck so we can afford the pizza and the haircut. We all want heat when it’s cold and a breeze when it’s boiling hot. We all want light in the darkness and shade to protect us from the callous glare of our manmade climate crisis. We all want an education for our daughters and enlightenment for our sons.
We want our votes to matter; we want our government to protect our families.
We want; we want; we want. That’s a lot of wanting, but is it, really? Like Anne Frank, most of us want to believe we can improve the world right now. We want civility in our homes. And we want our leaders, driven by our collective voice, to comfort us, soothe our ragged nerves, treat our families with respect, and usher in the peace we all deserve. We want democracy.
I will cast my vote for Kamala Harris this November. I encourage anyone who believes in civility—regardless of political party— to do the same. Why? Because, on November 5th, we actually have a chance to improve the world.
Robin Meloy Goldsby is a Steinway Artist and popular solo piano streaming artist. She is the author of Piano Girl; Waltz of the Asparagus People; Rhythm: A Novel and Manhattan Road Trip.
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