I’m impressed with how you are engaged and involved with today’s political & social issues. I’m hopeful for America’s future because YOU are that future. And yet it breaks my heart to see you filled with stress at having to witness the moral degradation of late.
Exhausted from the two-year fiasco we’ve endured we’re also concerned for our unknown future. My 22-year old daughter said “it feels like a death”. Students are crying, wearing black and protesting on campuses all over the country.
It’s not enough for us to verify that the country seems hopelessly divided and say we fear for your children and grand-children. Better that we circle the wagons—keep all of you close via face-to-face conversations, video chats, texts and phone calls because ~ yes we have seen a death of a measure of common decency and human spirit, but also of apathy, which needs to die. Let audacity live in its place. Your generation is waking us up to the call for paying attention and holding ALL politicians accountable, on both sides. Van Jones says—we must mourn (and drink water!) in order to heal, and then we must pick up and move forward. As President Obama said, “the sun will come up again tomorrow” ~ a place where from death there can be new life.
I know it’s hard for you to imagine that America has been through worse than what we are seeing now, but it’s true. Much, much worse. It’s up to those of us who were there for those times to help you navigate these rough waters by elevating morals.
We who believe in decency and “re-spect” must look deep and “see-again” the Good Wolf embedded in the foundation of America—a determination that had to be strong to rise from the blood and ashes of piracy and genocide that is, sadly, America’s bedrock.
Beginning in the 1600s with the collisions of First Americans with the entitled Spanish and British dissidents, the forced migration of enslaved Africans, indentured servants and others, race was constructed in America—and as Farai Chideya, said on Twitter, “white” is also a race. One cannot build on such a wrongful foundation and escape the consequences. An America where forces that embrace wide-spread bigotry can rise to power is part of those consequences.
Through centuries of hardworking fighters who would not be moved the phoenix called Audacity rose and still flies in the hearts of all who believe. Trust in the power of one; we must continue to not be moved and be the positive, inclusive change we want to see in the world.
With each rising sun of the next four years we will renew the journey as countless fighters before us have done. We will not succumb to the notion that at its core America is anything less than benevolent and humane—otherwise we would not have survived these 240 years. THAT is the balm to begin healing.
And no. We don’t move to Canada; we move forward like The Scales of Justice ~ working to strike a balance between the forces that seek to divide us and our collective Audacity.
Please leave a comment…
Well we are very concerned in France but as you say the respect is the emergency . Trump denied this respect during his campaing In France we already have the same problems I love so much the USA
As soon as the pit in my tummy calms down I’ll be ready to move forward.
Well put!
I road on the bus with a woman yesterday both of us hesitant about today and what it would bring. We were riding through Central Park at the moment and I said right now we have this to look at and its beautiful so lets use this to set the tone of who we are. Things around us may change but we still decide who we are and how we respond to what happens and always remember to be our best self. Now that he has won I think he is daunted by that is what he has to be his best self and climb up out of the gutter he dragged all of us into just so he could win. Now we need to make him stand by his word he will make America great because that is what we do each day by our actions and as our President he needs to become a man of his word for all of us. Who he has courted to win and who he will be don’t have to be the same.
President Obama once again the voice of reason has given me hope to continue forward along with some wonderful local government wins in Berkeley and Oakland that are big steps forward!!
I would think that the greatness of a country is determined by the generosity, decency, and intelligence of it’s citizens. The total popular vote appears to be almost precisely 50-50, with perhaps Hillary having a slight edge. However the control of the Federal government at all levels (Executive, Legislative, & Judiciary) is completely in the hands of the Trump voters as is the vast majority of State Houses. How does this happen is a 50-50 country? To paraphrase a famous quote–the only thing necessary for animosity, anger, and hatred to flourish is for people of integrity, compassion, and understanding to do nothing.
Thanks for sharing that, Tom. Here’s the actual quote: from the great parliamentarian Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
We really are stronger together. Thank you for being such a swift, hopeful voice.
Thank you all for these comments. I’m leaning heavily on this blog right now, knowing we are connected inside this space helps. I hope it helps you, too. I’ll continue to share: as Gloria Steinem said: “This is a vote against the future and the future will happen anyway.”
Read Karen’s moving comment that was upgraded to a Guest Blog Post: http://wp.me/pUmze-1wH
Karen, Thank you so much for this powerful sentiment. You walked us through your experience and helped pave a path forward ~ we can ALL be helpers.
I love fo read the message in reply of yours Its so human and good God bless you Anita