The Islands of Tahiti Aren't Red or Blue

By Sam Keller  -  June 25, 2021

After living in Tahiti for 10 months, tomorrow we move back to the U.S. Sadness and gratitude are coursing through my veins. In the midst of all this packing, I’m taking a break to share one thing I’ve learned.   

For nearly a year I’ve been living in a French territory consisting of 118 islands spread over an expanse of ocean the size of Western Europe. Even though there are multiple political parties, there is no way to know which islands are blue and which are red. And so I’ve come to perceive that America, too, would be better off without the blue/red dichotomy. One thing that seems to unite the American people is the belief that every state and county in the country is either blue or red. And yet, from my vantage point, way out here in the South Pacific, surrounded by Polynesians and French expats, it seems absurd and counter-productive. The truth is that every state and county has people who vote for each of the political parties. The percentages differ. But the Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave, consists of people of all stripes throughout.

As we let go of the blue/red paradigm, we’ll see more clearly and feel more connected.