When you come to a fork in the road, TAKE IT.

--- Mr. Berra

Photo by Philippe Oursel on Unsplash

Some of the choices we have to make in life, both personal and political, remind me of past days canoeing on tree shaded rivers.  We would come to an island in the middle of the stream.  There would be a channel on the right and on the left.  We would debate the choice as we drifted toward the need for a decision, sure of the fact that the two channels would join in the near way, and our overall path and goal were shared.

So it should be in a democracy. Political parties facilitate the making of such limited choices.  People examine the facts, listen to each other, and choose (vote). 

Rarely is the choice a true fork in the river—a choice that may or may not give us the chance to rejoin later.  In politics such moments are the basis for severe controversy, succession, or even civil war.  Fortunately, they are likely rare, at least in the United States, as our path has been repeatedly affirmed by past decisions and favorable experiences. 

We can, though, turn reasonable debate into dangerous folly. We can weaponize the choice of separate channels around limited obstacles.  We can insist on the right side or the left, rather than make the choice by compromise and the desire to stay in the canoe and reach our goals together.

And, if in such an intense partisan fog, we choose conflict over agreement, then we may abandon the journey itself or separate from each other.  We could decide to paddle in reverse, against the current.  We might burn the canoe so “they” can’t use it.  Some will set out into the forest on foot to look for another stream, or choose to continue on land by observing the moss on the side of trees, or bear tracks. 

Democracy is a useful system for making decisions about which means to take to reach settled ends.  It is a very good tool for communities that share common objectives.  In Tiffin, recently, we debated whether to build a new Court House or renovate the old.  Now we continue our journey together with a functioning Court House in the rear-view mirror. 

We still rehash the choice over beer or coffee, costs and/or results.  But Democracy is not about past choices, except to possibly gain insight.  We have the future to confront; we have the winding river ahead.  We may encounter rapids or have to portage.  We need each other.