I can’t believe I’m writing this.
Fear has won. And we must mourn. But then, we must keep going.
I have always tried to have faith in people. I really do believe that people are mostly good. Even now, I believe that. How do I reconcile that belief with the reality that many of my fellow Americans have voted for a man who is sexist and homophobic and racist and dishonest and xenophobic and mean?
Last night, my phone buzzed incessantly with concerned, confused messages from friends and family. This morning, I snoozed my alarm seven times. Walking to class today, the dark, gray sky refusing to be beautiful, I saw the sorrow on the faces of the students passing by.
We didn’t see this coming. Maybe the anger will come, but right now it is sadness. Grief, failure, bewilderment, hopelessness. Inescapable—for now.
As Hillary said, and as we know inside ourselves: we have to fight. And as much as we want to meet hate with hate, we must try to have empathy. Only in understanding how we got here—why those people cast those votes—can we solve the problem. I am going to try to understand the fear that made people vote for hate. I am going to try to empathize.
Time will allow us to heal most things that are likely to be damaged. The younger generations are full of intelligent, caring, ambitious people who feel that this country is not great until it uplifts all of its people—black, lesbian, transgender, Jewish, immigrant, female. All of them.
History is still being written. We can never erase this, but we can make it better, little by little, election by election, generation by generation.
So, my friends, mourn while you need to, but don’t be made bitter. Do not be made to abandon the fight, because that’s when we really lose. I believe in the youth of this country and its power to change things.
Love as much as you can and let’s do better tomorrow, and even better the day after that.
HaleyFred 