The sun has been down for a little while and a few trick-or-treaters have blessed our doorstep. We still give away full size candy bars, but we don’t give cans of soda anymore. It seems like getting a can of soda during Halloween was something cool that happened when I was young, but now it’s just this heavy thing that takes up a bunch of room in the bag. I think kids have more access to soda than we did when I was a kid, so it’s not special anymore.

They love CapriSun, though, so I’ve been offering those with the candy bars. Every visitor has taken one with glee. So, the Buhl house is still the house to visit in our neighborhood on Halloween.

I want to say something heartfelt tonight while I’m waiting for kids to come knock on our door. I want to say something real.

Politics have been on my mind. I look at the polls and the news and I see this ridiculously imbalanced race that is somehow down to a coin flip. I don’t know how it can be this close.

I don’t want to talk about politics, to be honest. I don’t want to talk about Harris or Trump or project 2025 or the Supreme Court or any of those things that bother me so much. I don’t think you want me to talk about those things. You either disagree with me fundamentally, in which case I’m wasting your time, or you and I are already on the same page, in which case, I’m wasting your time.

This is not a place that is going to change hearts and minds. This is a place where I talk about my writer’s journey, which includes my experiences through this life. Sometimes this will include politics and my opinions on elections, but it doesn’t have to tonight.

Instead, maybe I’ll talk a little bit about something that is closely related to politics. I’m going to talk about faith.

I want to love people. I want to love humanity, and believe that we are capable of incredible beauty and grace and love, and I want to celebrate our ingenuity and compassion and art. I want to love people. Some people might say I’m describing the message of Christ, to love as He loved, unconditionally, but I’m not going to mix up what I’m talking about with Christianity right now. We may be called to love as Christ loved, to be willing to put down our lives for people that probably don’t deserve it, but I’m not there yet.

I want to believe that most people are like me. They’re just going through their lives, trying to do the best they can. I want to believe that they will help people in need. They need love and forgiveness and grace, just like I do.

This is a core part of who I am. My faith is that people are mostly good. I try to be kind, and though I fail sometimes, I keep trying. For my faith to be real, I cannot be particularly special in that regard.

So why am I talking about this? What does this have to do with anything?

We’re living through unprecedented times, when we are measured and tested, and as I look around me, it’s hard for me to maintain my faith in humanity.

The other day, we went to Mel’s for brunch, and as we were waiting for food, I saw some sort of political commercial playing on television that was clearly anti-trans bullshit. Just two or three minutes of unnecessary hate on the screen, on a sports channel. No one else seemed to notice it. I couldn’t look away.

I don’t claim to be a trans ally, but I acknowledge their humanity and their right to live as they want to live. They do not need to be made a public enemy. They’re not doing anything wrong. They’re just people. But there is an entire political campaign using them as some sort of bogeyman in order to drum up their hateful base.

Do you spend much time on social media? Have you thrown out your sense of self-preservation and wandered through YouTube comments? In every corner of the Internet, the most vile, hateful messages can be found. Some may be the work of bots, but the truth is that there are a lot of people out there with enough time on their hands and malice in their hearts that they’re willing to take time out of their day to post nastiness, where everyone can see it.

Again, why am I dwelling on this? There will always be terrible people. Right?

I can’t get over how many people seem to be so different from me in their fundamental alignment. It damages my core belief, that most people are good, decent folks, just doing the best they can.

I’m not saying that anyone that disagrees with me is a terrible person. We can have differences in taste and still be friends. We can have different approaches in life, and we don’t have to be friends, but I’ll still respect your humanity. It’s issues of morality where I start to get upset.

All people should have rights over their own body, regardless of their gender or sexuality. Women’s right to choose is fundamental. Women have died already because of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe. It has not made the world better for children. It has not reduced infant mortality, or improved the lives of any babies out there at all.

We are all born from immigrants. Immigrants are not evil. They’re people. But there is an entire political movement that thinks mass deporting of immigrants — legal or otherwise — is a Good Thing. If you are on that side of the political isle, I implore you: Put away the racism, honor your heritage, and leave the immigrants alone. Let them work. Let them live. Quit sacrificing their livelihood for political capital.

The Earth is not flat. Vaccines are not dangerous. Science is a process for learning, not a rival of faith. Racism is stupid. Homophobia is stupid. Transphobia is stupid. Misogyny is stupid. Ableism is stupid.

Nothing I’ve said feels difficult or controversial. At the heart of what I’m saying, it’s The Golden Rule. It is “do unto others as you would have them do to you.” It is also Love They Neighbor. When I look around the Internet, it seems like what I think of as The Golden Rule, bad actors call “wokeness.”

Maybe I should clarify that last point a little, since it may seem like an overstatement. Most of the time I see something being criticized for being “woke,” it’s in regards to a character in a movie or book being gay or a person of color. “The MCU was great before they started pushing all that woke shit down our throat.” What they are saying is that the presence of people that look different than they do is offensive, or part of some kind of agenda. The reality is that the world is full of people that shouldn’t have to hide, and their presence in stories is a more accurate representation of the world we live in.

I’m getting preachy, so maybe I should close this out. It’s already too long.

It won’t be much longer before I’ll turn off the light out front and put away the rest of the candy. We didn’t get a ton of trick-or-treaters this year. I feel fortunate that I can give away candy and make some kids happy every year.

Happy Halloween, everyone. And for those of you getting ready to write a whole bunch in November, good luck!