A vote for virtue

Six figures depicting wisdom, courage, prosperity, truth, integrity and prudence adorn the front of the Minnesota State Capitol. They represent the virtues architect Cass Gilbert and sculptor Daniel Chester French believed Minnesotans and their elected leaders possessed.

Gilbert and French wanted us to walk in the footsteps of America's founders, who believed that American democracy depended upon virtuous citizens. While some may disagree with me, I believe the recent election showed that Gilbert and French's visionary ideal was justified.

For many of us the recent campaign season could not end soon enough. We were weary of its negative messages, the cascade of hateful words and actions, ethnic and racial harassment, vicious attacks on public officials and their families. The airwaves were awash in lies; some called this election the "post-truth midterms."

Some even condoned violence. Our democracy appeared to be in jeopardy. Many wondered whether we would be able to sort things out on Election Day.

We did sort things out. I believe that a key factor in doing so was our ability to value virtue.

A democracy needs virtuous voters who elect virtuous leaders. We often wrestle with what it means to be virtuous. The six figures of virtue — plus other symbols at our Capitol — provide guidance.

Nike, the Roman god of victory, is poised over the Capitol's middle protocol door. Nike holds a laurel wreath, and is about to anoint a victor, the victor being each sovereign Minnesota citizen. The victory being celebrated is our sovereign right to choose our leaders.

Once we were able to depend on political parties to sort out the best candidates. Party designation is no longer a reliable guide. As our society has become more polarized, so have parties. More and more the candidate selection process is dominated by a few who may not reflect our more mainstream views.

This has placed a greater obligation on voters to read and listen with care to discern the important differences between candidates. A prudent voter may need to seek the advice of trusted friends and respected leaders. They must seek truth with integrity and have courage to look beyond past loyalties, traditions, biases and preconceived notion. Many Minnesota voters did just that during this past election.

Truth and integrity, among the virtues depicted at our Capitol, are sometimes conflated and confused. They are different. A person can defend untrue assertions on the grounds that they contain a scintilla of truth, while knowing these partial truths are being used to convey a deceptive message. This is why integrity is a separate virtue. Integrity is the quality of being honest, having moral principles and not distorting the truth. Minnesota voters showed that they understand this distinction when they were not swayed by messages that preyed upon our biases.

We were not swayed by clever ads designed to exploit feelings of insecurity, angst, mutual resentment and anger. We understood that the persons behind these ads are the enemies of virtue. We resisted the siren call of these negative appeals

I believe a majority of Minnesota voters embody the symbols of virtue depicted at our State Capitol, knowing our democracy depends on it. As we move forward, we must acknowledge that a civil democracy is always a work in progress. It cannot be neglected.