“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” MLK
Some of us are facing this day with dread. It is not about one political party winning—we’ve experienced that many times without a feeling of despair. We’ve lost a fundamental belief that America was a safe place for everyone. A sense of unity prevailed no matter who was in the White House. It is not a simple wish for the past because the hope we felt for America is not in the distant past. People my age spent their lives believing in our institutions, in the integrity of our leaders, in the experts who kept us healthy and safe. But America has chosen an inexplicable path of revenge instead of compromise. It is not just a “changing of the guards” but a complete loss of guardrails, of any sense of safety or hope for our children’s and grandchildren’s future.
We may be losing advancements that are clearly good for all Americans; healthcare, environmental protections, medical research, education, retirement security—to name a few. The cost is high for everyone except the richest.
How will we get through this? First, we should not let it have complete power over us and our daily lives. I am not suggesting we stop caring or resisting what is unjust. But we need to protect our hearts, our spirits, and our faith somehow. Each of us will find different paths to this. Don’t put off doing things you love, spend time in the peace of nature, cherish your friends and family even more. Turn off the news because most of it will be bombast from unqualified people. Find an outlet of creativity if you don’t have one because making art or something that didn’t exist before adds beauty to the world.
But I also think we should not hide and cower in the face of this disappointment. We must stand up for what’s right in any small way that we can each day. Maybe if we remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr. we can survive, thrive, and make a difference. This path we are on cannot be sustained, it must be reversed, changed and healed. Maybe we can start today.
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