As a gay man of a certain age who has lived far, far longer than I thought I would in the 1980s, here is what I most definitely know –

CHANGE. TAKES. TIME.

And that is frustrating, maddening and even infuriating. 

But here’s what I also most definitely know –

CHANGE.  HAPPENS.

And often, it’s when you least expect it.

Much like volcanic eruptions, events in your life or in the world reach a tipping point over time and suddenly, one day, everything’s different.

Except, it’s not suddenly and it didn’t come out of nowhere.  It took time and often it took energy, whether it be from the environment or through the work of many, many people.

I’m not a religious guy, but I like what Buddhists believe:

NOTHING IS PERMANENT.

You have to participate and fight for what you want.  You have to expend energy to hold on to it.  And even if you do all of the above, circumstances will inevitably change and things WILL be different.

And if you don’t like what they’ve changed you will inevitably need to engage once again and hope to achieve something different, and hopefully better than what your new status quo is. 

And then, sometime after that, the cycle WILL start again.

That IS the way of the world as I’ve seen it.  And I’ve seen, well, A LOT.

All this is to say:

If you want to live in a place that ASPIRES to be a good, honest country where we work TOWARDS equality for all you will VOTE for JOE BIDEN.

If you want to live in a place that ASPIRES to be a good honest country that opens its arms to the world and ENGAGES for the betterment of humanity you will VOTE for JOE BIDEN.

If you want to live in a place that ASPIRES to be a good honest country that DOESN’T BLAME everyone and everything else for its problems you will VOTE for JOE BIDEN.

More specifically:

If you want to live in a place that doesn’t put children in cages, with a leader that doesn’t tell tens of thousands of lies a year, many of which have cost the lives of a quarter of a million of its citizens in 8 months with no end in sight, and under an executive branch that will work for the betterment of ALL its people rather than solely the select minority who voted them into power, you will VOTE FOR JOE BIDEN.

These are just a few arguments off the top of my head.  

But what it truly comes down to is:

How willing are you to ENGAGE for what you TRULY want? 

How willing are you to LEAVE CYNICISM BEHIND for ONE DAY of this year and RISK being disappointed once again in exchange for the EXHILARATION OF TRIUMPH?  (Note: And yes, relief).

How willing are you to FIGHT even though you’re DEAD TIRED and, truly, DON’T REALLY GIVE A SH-T anymore.

I get it.  I’m burnt out, too.  I’m out of jokes.  I’m even bereft of snide retorts.

Well, mostly.

The only way to achieve what you want, and DARE to ACT on a DREAM, is to RISK failure.  And, at the risk of an en masse eye roll:

You can’t achieve a WANT, or most especially a DREAM, if you don’t have one.

In the last four years, is there anyone that is reading this who hasn’t dreamt of waking up and, for ONE FULL DAY, NOT HEARING THE VOICE of Donald J. Trump?

That might be the least of what you REALLY WANT, but perhaps that’s all you can muster at this point.  In which case, you must:

VOTE FOR JOE BIDEN.

Is this the best closing argument?  Maybe not.  

But I suspect it’s the one thing the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of us Americans have in common. 

And what will unite us once again come Election Day. 

And beyond.

Black Eyed Peas and Jennifer Hudson – “The Love”