Writings & Remarks

Election week reminders and resources

November 1, 2024

Tags Public Statements

Dear Hamilton Community:

As we approach Election Day this Tuesday, Nov. 5, I want to remind those who have not voted, and are registered to vote in Clinton, that there will be a regular shuttle taking people to the polling site at Kirkland Town Hall, approximately four minutes away. HamVotes will send out a schedule on Sunday evening, Nov. 3.

As an added incentive, and to embrace the spirit of our democracy, look for Alexander Hamilton (aka Stepper in historic attire) on the shuttle encouraging conversation and voter participation.

During and after the election, there will be opportunities for people to gather, reflect, eat, decompress, find solace and/or joy. Please find a list of events and details at Crossroads website.

Finally, elections bring a rush of uncertainty – uncertainty around who will win and what the final results will mean for the country and for you personally. While everything is currently framed in a binary way – win or lose; democracy survives or democracy crashes – the reality is there will be endless new configurations we can't now imagine – new movements, alignments, forms of resistance and solidarity and new creative energy, ideas, and avenues for impact.

David Walden, director of our Counseling Center, shared with me a wise parable which I include below, that sums up the idea that what might seem like a loss or a win, might actually turn into something quite different and unexpected. A good story to consider as Tuesday approaches.

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors visited him to commiserate, saying, “We’re so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” To which the farmer simply replied, “You never know.” 

The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening, everybody came back and said, “Oh, what luck! What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again simply said, “You never know.”

The following day the man’s son tried to break one of the wild horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors came again and said, “Oh dear, we’re so sorry to hear about your son’s leg. That’s truly unfortunate.” The farmer simply responded, “You never know.”

The next day an enlistment officer came to the farm looking to draft young men into the army, and upon seeing the boy’s broken leg, he left the farm allowing the boy to stay with his father. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “How lucky you are that you can keep your son! Isn’t that great!” Again, the farmer simply said, “You never know.”

Thank you to all who have worked so hard to provide support and resources leading up to the election and beyond. 

With care,

Steven