The Privilege to Disagree

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I voted today!
We arrived at our precinct 30 minutes before it opened, and there were at least 20 people already in line. I was kind of excited as I stood waiting in the cold, because l could pretend that I was making a sacrifice to do my public duty. I felt so proud of myself.
 As we stood *shivering in the cold, I heard snippets of the conversation in front of me. That conversation included a lot of what we now call alternative facts. I tried not to listen, but it was impossible not to hear. I decided to politely and respectfully point out just one big piece of “misinformation”. I think my husband knew what I was plotting because he worked hard to distract me. After a few minutes, their conversation moved away from politics to more benign topics. I decided to mind my own business. 
Soon, the woman in front of us, who had been disseminating false information, turned and asked me a (benign) question. I was surprised, but happy. I love to talk and I love to meet new people. It became obvious that the woman in front of me is the same way. We hit it off immediately, and talked nonstop about every safe topic imaginable while we waited to vote. Our husbands watched us warily, worried that we would eventually touch on politics, but we didn’t.
There were things said that alluded to the fact that we stand on opposite sides of the political divide. She believes that she has chosen the side that aligns with her faith. I believe that my faith (probably the same one), keeps me from aligning with her side. In spite of that fundamental difference, our conversation flowed freely, with laughter and warmth. 
The lady in front of me, whose name I never learned, has been married for 47 years, has three adult children, is from West Virginia and wants to move to Montana in a few years. Her husband wants to move to the beach, so they bickered about that for a minute.
In the 30 minutes that we interacted, I came to believe that my new acquaintance is probably a kind and generous human being. I sensed that she wanted me to know that about her, just as I wanted her to think well of me. When we parted, we hugged and wished each other well. I hope that one day she gets to move to Montana.
There are a hundred reasons why I’m glad that I cast my vote against the former President. My encounter with the lady in front of me reminded me that each of us arrives at whatever spot we are in through our individual and varied experience. I respect all people, even when I don’t respect their opinion. This is an aspect of freedom that some of us take for granted. When I voted, I was voting in favor of continuing our country’s long tradition of allowing differing opinions and values to freely bump and collide. I voted against the one who has intimated that his detractors should face some form of punishment. Most importantly, I voted in favor of my new friend’s right to say untrue things and my right to opinions that may be unpopular.

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