Imagine This: The Presidential Candidates Agree With One Another in a Debate

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PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

“Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world . . .”

-from John Lennon’s song “Imagine”

Especially since our son was a high school debater, I know that debates are set up for the 2 parties to disagree with one another. Apply that to our recent Presidential debate.

If a debate is only about who wins and who loses, about half of the country will seem to have won and half seem to have lost, depending on which nominee and party is followed. In the debate itself, over and over, both nominees presented different answers to the moderators’ questions.

Even so, aren’t there certain issues that are essential for both to agree upon for the well-being of the whole country? I would include improved health and mental health among them. Although they could disagree with the path to get there, how could either side disagree with that goal?

As the saying goes: there is no health without mental health. Although general health seems to be improving over the years, our collective mental health has been worsening year by year for at least a decade.

Imagine this, then. Either or both Vice President Kamala Harris or past President Trump would publicly say something like: “I certainly agree with you. Everyone would like better mental health and I will work to make that happen.”

Wouldn’t that be disarming? All of us would agree with that, too, wouldn’t we? United for mental health!

Unfortunately, there was no such question about mental health per se that I recall in the debate. However, they did shake hands for the second time the next day at the 9/11/01 memorial service in New York, apparently facilitated by former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

At their best, handshakes can be a means for basic human connectivity through the power of touch, and therapeutic, a recognition of common humanity with perhaps a touch of mutual forgiveness. Perhaps, then, their handshake counts for the importance of the mourning process for the mental health of the military, family, and loved ones of those lost in the tragedy. Indeed, for a brief movement it conveyed to the country that we agree how precious the lives were of those who died in that trauma and, really, all innocents in major conflicts and wars.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.