We'll need a newfound spirit of unity in the days ahead

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God willing, by the time you read this, the election will be over and we can all breathe a deep, national sigh of relief.The candidates can go back to doing whatever they did, or did not do, before this campaign began several millennia ago; or at least they can go back to wherever they came from.And you and I and millions of other election-weary Americans can get back to doing whatever we did before our lives -- along with our TVs, computers, telephones, mailboxes, radios, doorsteps and close, personal relationships -- were overrun by an onslaught of increasingly nasty campaign ads followed by a toxic scourge of robocalls.I want a campaign button that says "I survived Election '08."Regardless of who wins, I've been praying for a landslide. No recounts. No hanging chads. No doubts whatsoever. Just let it be decided clearly and cleanly, and then please, God, let it be over.In basketball, as in politics or in life, any win is a win. But there's a difference in winning big and winning by a hair.A closely fought game that's won or lost by a slim margin has a tendency to incite what some call "trash talk" -- every call is contested, every play is replayed, every "what if" becomes a "but if only...."The size of the victory doesn't change the outcome, of course. The winner is still the winner, and the loser is still the goat. But a near-tie can spark hard feelings on both sides of the gym, not to mention a few fistfights in the parking lot.Those feelings may fester year after year, intensifying rivalries, driving the two sides further apart, making it nearly impossible for them to stand together as one and belt out the national anthem, without beating each other to a pulp.On the other hand, with a blowout, there's no question of who won or lost, and no call for bragging or trash talk. The winners, if they're smart, don't lord it over the losers. And the losers don't hang around to argue; they say "good game" and shake hands, then go home muttering about "next time."If we can do that for a game, why not for an election?Depending on the outcome, we may need to reassure young voters who might feel tempted, as some suggested, to throw in the towel and leave the country.Canada's a great place, but it is not their native home. And home, for all its faults, is the place we long to be.We're going to need those young voters to work alongside us -- those of us who were young once, too, and dreamed of making a difference.One thing I suspect we'd all agree on in the wake of this election is that we've had our fill of negativity and division. What we'll need in the days ahead -- aside from a hot shower and a long nap -- is a newfound spirit of unity.For Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago, a friend, who is more like a brother, brought an unusual gift: A small bundle of wooden sticks tied up with a shoelace. It was a symbol, he said, of the strength that we can find in the bond of friendship.Individually, those sticks would snap like twigs. But collectively, as one, they could not, or would not, be broken. I know this for a fact. I tried it.There are two lessons I can think of in that story.First, the strength of a nation depends in part on the leaders it elects; but mostly it is forged in the unity of its people. It is that unity -- not our president-elect -- that will determine our future.And, finally, if you invite a friend to Thanksgiving dinner, you might want to tell him to bring a pie -- or you could end up with a bundle of sticks.(Sharon Randall can be contacted at P.O. Box 777394, Henderson NV 89077, or at www.sharonrandall.com.)