IN THEORY:

The country just got through national and state elections that evoked a lot of emotion. There were several reports of fistfights and other ugly confrontations over Proposition 8 in addition to the usual accounts of sign stealing and vandalism in the other races. What can you say to reassure those still disappointed that their candidate or cause failed?

Political parties ascend and descend, as incumbents are punished for inevitably failing to fulfill promises, effect change and create a paradise. Those up today should not become too comfortable, as they will lose tomorrow; and they who are defeated today should not despair, since they will triumph in a future election. The pendulum swings, change is inevitable, the electorate is fickle, and this too shall pass.

Republicans are engaged in a seesaw exchange of power, and the party that holds power now will soon cede it to its rival.

Take heart! Our country is bigger and greater than Democrats or Republicans. America will go on despite the party that temporarily claims power.

Rabbi Mark Miller

Temple Bat Yahm

Newport Beach

I am devastated by the passing of Proposition 8. Many of us have been verbally attacked in public for our views, but there are thousands of Californians who feel personally attacked after losing their civil rights.

To say that we were emotionally invested would be an understatement. It is appropriate to be consumed with grief and all the ensuing feelings.

We can take heart that we found a community of people who mobilized and found hope in each other. We know that this is discrimination. We know that religious freedom has been taken from us. We know that it is against our nation’s founding principles of liberty and justice for all.

This is why we fought so hard for the civil rights of all Californians. So we also know that this proposition will be deemed inconsistent with our constitution’s core commitment to equality for everyone, and I believe that justice will prevail.

Let us gather together to mourn, to pray, to find strength in one another, and rest in the hope that we ourselves emanate.

The Rev. Sarah Halverson

Fairview Community Church

Costa Mesa

Failure is not the end; it’s research. If your candidate or your cause failed, it doesn’t mean that you’re a failure or that your cause is not worth supporting. It means that you must learn how to speak of your ideals so they enroll people, not turn them away. If you let failure defeat you, you do not know your cause. There is a saying in my spiritual philosophy that goes like this, “Those who desert the truth in their greatest hour of need prove that they don’t know the truth.”

If what you believe angers you, ask yourself, “Does my anger serve me or discredit me?” In your eyes, you see the justification for your anger; but to the eyes of strangers, your anger blocks further dialogue. For further insight, go to www.cmcsd.org and click on the “basics.”

Pastor Jim Turrell

Center for Spiritual Discovery, Costa Mesa

Elections are very much like athletic competitions. At the end there is one winner and sometimes many losers. And occasionally, during the contest, tempers flare and feelings are hurt. But at the end of the campaign, those who gambled so much in physical exertion, finances and reputation are expected to be gracious.

I was impressed at the warm concession message from Sen. John McCain, but this has been true of the many elections in which I have participated. At the same time, I saw in President-elect Barack Obama’s victory speech a warm and conciliatory message designed to unite us instead of an attitude that would tend to drive deeper the wedges that already exist.

It is painful to see the acrimony between opposing forces in a campaign. To the best of the ability of all involved, we need to be civil in our exchanges, dignified in our relationships and understanding of the pain that has been inflicted on our opposition. I hope we will not engage in activities and attitudes that will increase our anger and further divide us.

Tom Thorkelson

Director of Interfaith Relations for Orange County

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Tuesday was a learning experience for everybody. We all won, regardless of how we voted, for the following reasons: We elected the first African American president. Nobody can say again that the American dream isn’t possible for them.

The second lesson came from Proposition 8. Again, no matter how you voted, we learned that separate but equal does not work, and that we still have to come up with yet again a different solution to an ageless problem of how to reconcile the religious with the secular.

Fundamental human rights and obligations of tolerance with a taste of morality have to be solved in a civil way of appreciating the opposite side’s viewpoint.

The third lesson comes from this issue. More of us have to look into our souls and define and live workable marriages based on love and support for each other. It leads to parenting and educating our families on what ethics and issues were behind the propositions.

Finally, what we learn reflects how much we have seen and how many changes we have witnessed. The mistakes we have made and the successes we have achieved, what have we learned from them? The world revolves not only on a global economy, but socially as well; that we are all brothers and sisters together, and what affects one of us, affects us all.

May we heal from our disappointments, learn and prosper.

Rabbi Marc Rubenstein

Temple Isaiah