? Roger Rickard is a colleague from the National Speakers Association in Arizona. He shares these heartfelt words about the presidential election. Please read! ???????? The day was wet and windy, the city knee-deep in late winter mud. It was a Saturday, about 12 Noon, when upon the introduction and rousing ovation, the tall, well-known speaker strode to center stage – the audience full of anticipation awaiting his message. He began slowly and clearly, much like he always did. He spoke only 698 words – four paragraphs in all! And on this Saturday, March 4th, 1865, at a time of great political anxiety as the end of our divisive, bloody civil war was at hand, the 16th President of the United States closed his second inaugural speech with some divine wisdom saying, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” I use Mr. Lincoln’s words to set the tone for a healing of our current day political wounds, which increasingly pitted friends against friends, even amongst family. There is a big difference between his words and our current day. Mr. Lincoln dealt with the raw ramifications of war between fellow citizens, and we exercised our peaceful democratic right to voice our leadership choices by way of the ballot box. I’m going to let you in on a secret, you all didn’t vote the way I did. However, we should not think less of our neighbors because of our decisions. As Americans we must learn to agree to disagree when we must, but to do it without being disagreeable. As rooted as our likes and dislikes may seem, the wind of change and tide of time often brings forth surprising shifts in political relations. As I peer into my political crystal ball, I am unable to forecast clear skies or stormy weather ahead. But as citizens, we must hold ourselves to account. Our constitution begins with three simple words, WE THE PEOPLE. It doesn’t begin with - I THE KING or Me the President or even WE THE CONGRESS but rather - WE THE PEOPLE. We, the people, stood up for what we believed in, and on Tuesday we made our voices heard. And yet, according to CNN Election Central the difference in total presidential votes was 6,131,360 less in 2024 than 2020. America needs engaged citizens - citizens not bystanders. America needs you to fulfill an obligation to make our society better than the generations before you. We, as speakers, trainers, and coaches, are uniquely qualified to do this work - as we are the people that offer a helping hand-up, we provide solutions for our clients that make us all better. Let us go out into the world, make a difference every day, and let your voice be HEARD! Salute! ?? ????
