My dog, Cleo, and I take a walk every morning –the length of which is subject to several variables such as weather and the sense of urgency I feel to hurry up and get to work.
Today, we had an extra long walk, as I took the opportunity to reflect on how to ‘BE’… how to conduct myself in the wake of last week’s election while attempting to maintain a degree of inner peace and equilibrium.
It is not a trivial question. My world view has been rocked. I spent last week in various stages of shock, grief and depression. It is not because we have elected an amateur and thief to our highest office; it is not because my candidate lost; and it is not because a Republican won. While those statements are all true — they are not the cause of my inner turmoil and occasional despair.
I despair because this man consistently demonstrated that he is a racist and a sexist; yet we elected him anyway. This man openly disdains and denigrates women, people of any color, Muslims, Mexicans, immigrants, the disabled, the LGBT community, and more. His promise to ‘Make America Great Again’ is a thinly veiled slogan for white supremacy.
This is not congruent with my beliefs or my sense of who we are as a nation. He-who-shall-not-be-named, his cronies, and their protect-the rich policies must be opposed vigorously and relentlessly by normal, decent people — like me. Like You. We are reminded that “The only way for evil to prosper is for good people to do nothing.”
The rabble-rouser in me has been awakened, and she is feeling kinda fierce: I am determined to seek opportunities to speak and act out against the fear, hate and division that threatens our better selves. I am determined to reflect kindness and unity and to seek opportunities to advocate for others who are in a threatened demographic.
As the dog and I rounded the home stretch on our walk: I feel a bit better; but then I start to consider how to best engage or relate to those who support the president-elect. This includes family members, co-workers and friends–many of whom are intelligent and educated. My brother uses the words of a great teacher to explain them: “Forgive them because they know not what they do”.
One thing I know for sure: Cleo and I will be taking many long walks this winter.