Jefferson or Burr

Jefferson or Burr

We know it’s lose lose.

Jefferson or Burr

But if you had to choose.

Yo.

The people are asking to hear my voice,

the country is facing a difficult choice…

“The Election of 1800” from Hamilton: An American Musical

I have been given a voice, it is called a vote. It is sacred to the concept of people governing ourselves. I am lucky to be part of a country that has been established based on a belief that people should be in charge of themselves. And the country is facing a difficult choice.

I grew up watching Stephen Colbert and John Stewart as my window to the world beyond my direct surroundings. They gained popularity because their satirical comedy spoke truth, so I grew up with truth disguised as jokes. These shows helped me contextualize the world around me, including the slant in the media.

And here we are now. We have been riding the political slant like it’s a high-speed rollercoaster! The United States of America has become a parody of itself and we all know it. Plenty of people have used their voice to throw blame at each other and I think a lot of people are tired of it all. 

In Hamilton: An American Musical, Alexander is asked to voice his support for one of two sides: Jefferson or Burr! His voice affected the opinions of the undecided public and the course history. The voice is a powerful tool; we had a whole war about it! We proudly proclaimed “No taxation without representation.” In other words, “Don’t tell us what to do, we are in charge of ourselves.” Maintaining our right to use our voice allows us to retain our power in this nation for and by the people.

Power is a game that is older than society itself. The one with the power is called the “authority” and has full control over itself. Everyone has it, but then we play games with it. We believe that we need our power to control the world beyond us or that we need to submit to the power of someone else. It’s all in our minds; it only feels real because we believe it is.

I recently watched the musical and it got me thinking about the fundamental message of the story. In the second act, my heart and sympathy went out to another character named Hamilton. Eliza was more than the wife of Alexander, she suffered through betrayal and tragedy and still pushed towards forgiveness and progress after her husband was gone.

Eliza Hamilton pushed to raise funds for the Washington Monument, establishing a legacy of an admirable character. She pushed Congress to publish her late husband’s books when she was in her nineties! Eliza Hamilton established the first private orphanage in New York City. She pushed towards progress by turning toward the children.

Elections are inherently about our children. It is our chance to yell and argue and call each other names and, in this country, we are free to do that; we are free to act like children. We are also free to remember that our decisions today affect the world that will be eventually inherited by our children. We are free to use our voices to try to leave them the best world we possibly can.

Elections are a chance for us, the people, to use our voices to make decisions about the people who will be making the decisions to affect our future.

Jefferson or Burr? But if you had to choose…

The musical portrays Eliza Hamilton as the final hero at the end. The story that started with our introduction to Alexander continues even after he is gone. Hamilton is a name that came from nothing and worked with friends and rivals to build a better world for the children, not just those who will carry the name, but abandoned ones too. Hamilton’s is an American story because we are not a nation of nobles from prestigious family names; America is a melting pot where you can work hard to make a better life for yourself and your family.

But what about the current elections? Jefferson or Burr!

I know it seems dire; Jefferson or Burr!!

I know things feel tense; Jefferson or Burr!!!

I know that you want it to end; Jefferson or Burr!!!!

The time will come when this election is in the past and the sun will rise like it did the day before yesterday. Children will seem older than you remembered, maybe because we haven’t really been paying attention to each other. It’s been all about Jefferson or Burr! In one form or another. 

We live in a nation where we are free and capable of working hard and utilizing friends and rivals to create a world that we want to live in and leave for our children. It means that we are capable enough to defeat any threat to our own authority over ourselves, as long as we are willing to work hard with our friends and rivals. 

Everybody wants a good life for themselves and their family. That’s not a political stance or a cultural habit, it is a human condition. Regardless of who wins this coming election, we have the freedom to treat each other how we hope to be treated. We can look out for each other and listen to each other; that’s easy when we come from the same place. I’m not talking about a geographical place, it’s a mental place.

Maybe you are willing to listen to my words because I am a fan of your favorite team; maybe you’re willing because I am a member of your country; maybe it’s because I am able to speak your language. These shared “mental places” make it easier to connect with each other. If we can agree that we all love our families and that we all hope for a good life, then we already agree on two things! Now if we decide to play power games, we have already seen each other as equals on the same team so we can remember to show respect.

The future is coming, it’s what it does. In this coming future that will soon become our present, “Jefferson or Burr!” matters far less than the respect we choose to show each other. We have all been through a lot lately and times are tough for many reasons.

We all want deeper connections and we are also afraid of reaching that level of depth, all while working all the time. The added tension of the pandemic and the political rollercoaster makes deep connections difficult to find and even harder to maintain and grow. We have all been through a lot lately and it can be a lot to put on another person. Our actions always have consequences.

My voice is not yet strong enough to sway an election, so I will simply use it to give out some compliments at the grocery store and make a joke with a stranger on the bus. I might use it to encourage and challenge my friends, which may earn me some rivals. But most importantly, I will use my voice to respectfully say hello to my neighbor, even if I have never met you before.

This time of intensity will inevitably end and we will continue to build a better future for our children’s children’s children. We have a wonderful opportunity to be alive right now in this strange time. We are still getting used to each other and there are a lot of us here. We are going to need to compromise and then live peacefully with our decisions.

Jefferson or Burr!

We know it’s lose lose.

Jefferson or Burr

But if you had to choose…

Choose whichever side you want to support and then be kind to your neighbors; even if they voted differently than you. Soon we will all see that power only exists when we believe it does; the real power is in the people and what we can do when we work together.