I watched the debate last night. Did you?
What did you see?
Maybe you saw the wrangling for influence or the shouting match or the occasional “point well taken.”
I saw fear.
The candidates weren’t necessarily fearful. Though there were a few moments I thought Secretary Clinton was a little startled by Mr. Trump’s “winning personality.”
I saw fear being dispensed.
It was absolutely free, though!
If you were in the mood for fear, there was plenty…on the house!
But I wasn’t in the mood for fear. I, like Governor Johnson, was in the mood to be inspired.
That never happened.
There was a moment where it could have happened – where Secretary Clinton could have inspired me to see a way forward in the matter of race relations in this country. She almost did…
But it was squashed by fear.
I think we’re afraid because we’re looking for someone to point us to the saving grace in all of this. We’re looking for someone to direct us to something that will save us from our national anxieties.
Instead of “wars and rumors of wars,” I pray that – next time we hear from the candidates, – we can hear about hope and a way forward into that hope.