Courage, kindness, and lawn signs

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” ~Rumi

Last month, I retrieved a nonpartisan lawn sign from my garage and placed it near the side entrance of our home. The sign, shown above, simply encourages us to “BE KIND” — a gentle piece of advice we could all use during a terribly divisive election season.

But until last week, I swore I wasn’t going to display a sign for a presidential candidate on my lawn this year. I had dozens of reasonable excuses for that decision, starting with the fact that I didn’t want to offend my neighbors with opposing viewpoints. I was also frightened after I learned that another neighbor’s lawn sign — which simply read, “Vote for DECENCY” — was ripped apart and scattered in the homeowner’s shrubbery. A recent story on a local TV news channel also reported vandalism that was prompted by political lawn signs.

For a while, it felt safer to hold back and remain silent.

But after spotting a few brave neighbors who’ve posted various lawn signs representing their views, I found the courage to display one, too. Whether they’re voting for my candidate or not, I admire the fact that these folks are willing to declare who they are and what matters to them.

I use the word “courage” because, as a recovering people-pleaser, I still wonder if I’m being judged or maligned or disliked because of my politics. In some instances, I’m sure that I am. Yet I’m learning, thanks to my husband and son, to stop caring so much about that.

Freedom of expression doesn’t always feel safe, which is why many of us refrain from exercising it sometimes. And what happens when we don’t feel safe? We might hide our true selves from each other. Or avoid each other entirely.

Everyone who survived middle school knows that you can score more popularity points when you make nice, avoid confrontation, and tell everyone what they want to hear. But we won’t find a path to peace without first being honest about who we are and where we stand. If we’re afraid to own our convictions and choices — even in civil conversation with our neighbors — we have a long road ahead. ~CL

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