What Now?

Today has been hard.  I woke up this morning, and was immediately confronted by extremely disappointing news.  I thought of my daughters, one of whom was three days too young to vote.  I thought of all women, the battles won and lost, the rights obtained and those withheld.  I thought of the marginalized, the poor, the refugee, the minority--those Jesus commanded us to love and care for.  I thought of my friends in the LGBTQ community, and the children of my friends, who are either part of that community or allies to them.  I thought of the earth, the environment we as humans are making ever more inhospitable for ourselves.  And I thought of higher education, such an important institution that is becoming less accessible thanks to policy and funding cuts.  It seems that everything I care about is being gutted in the name of power and privilege.

So, what now?  What do we do in the face of such bitter disappointment?  We do have options.  One is to move to Canada.  A coworker of mine shared a Facebook post from a friend of hers, essentially poking fun at those who say they're leaving the country if the election doesn't go their way, and reminding them that she's a realtor and would be happy to handle their listing (needless to say, I didn't find that funny).  For most of us, that isn't really a decision we're in a position to make.  We could curl up in a little ball and just not get out of bed.  Pretty soon, I'd no longer have a bed, or the house it's currently in, for that matter, as the bank still expects me to pay my mortgage, no matter who is in the White House.  Another option is to lash out in anger.  Play the blame game--blame those who voted for the one and those who chose not to vote for the other and those who didn't vote at all.  Defriend everyone on the other side of the political aisle.  Do violence, physical, mental, emotional, to ourselves and others.  Ultimately, none of these are really satisfying choices, and do more harm than good.

Instead, what if we all do what we had hoped our elected officials would do:  take care of those the government refuses to help, including people, animals, and the earth; show love to the lonely, listen to those without a voice, and really see ALL people as children of God and worthy of dignity and respect.  No legislation is needed to show kindness to our neighbor, to give to those in need, to make the world a better place today than it was yesterday.  To be a light in the darkness.  The disregard for others demonstrated by our incoming president is not license for our citizens to follow suit.  If we cannot follow his example, we can BE the example.  

Here's a challenge I'm issuing to myself:  to rise above.  To go high when they go low, to paraphrase Michelle Obama.  To be better than I feel like being.  To go against my first inclination and just be kind.  To remember that the person I disagree with is flawed, just like I am, and doesn't always get it right, just like me.  If I can do that, one day, one hour, one moment at a time, it won't matter who sits on the world's thrones or in the Oval Office.  And, ultimately, I'll be a lot happier, because as I'm moving toward being at peace with the world around me, I'll also be at peace with myself.

"Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.                                         Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.                             With God as our father, brothers (and sisters) all are we.                                     Let me walk with my brother (sister) in perfect harmony.                                     Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now.                                         With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow:                                             To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.                           Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."                                        --Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller

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