Thursday 10 November 2016

The morning after



Yesterday felt like a massive hangover. I was as dismayed and in shock as many of you, but I couldn't deal with it. So I did what any responsible adult would do: Took a nap at 5 pm, woke up three hours later and went straight to bed.

This morning I considered my options: Act like nothing happened, and carry on as usual? Or acknowledge this huge, terrifying, world-changing event that happened on Tuesday night? 
I really, really wanted to choose option A. To stick my head in the sand, to ignore it, to hide behind light and frivolous words. 

But I can't. This is too huge, too important, too scary. 
Voicing a political opinion is always iffy, because it usually deteriorates quickly. People have their opinions, they are not prepared to listen, but want to say what they have to say. Emotions run high, insults are thrown about quickly, and you usually leave dazed, hurt and angry.
During this election more than ever, it was about taking sides. 
The newly elected president (I'm cringing as I type this) ran his campaign based on hate. Hate for minorities, women, gays, immigrants, Muslims, for anyone different from him. 
His Twitter files are worse than Regina George's Burn Book.     

We can't just sit idly by and watch him spread his message of hate. It not only affects the American people, it affects the entire world. His racism is beyond frightening. How can you trust a man with so much disdain for so many people? Many rights that people fought hard for are threatened: Gay rights, women's rights (who will ever be able to forget his disgusting - and revealing - "Grab them by the pussy" remark?), the right to free speech (or even just having your own opinion).

I've been trying all morning to find something positive about what happened. It certainly isn't easy. 
However, there are seeds emerging that speak of action, of not letting our rights be taken away, of fighting for what we believe in. 
Maybe it took this shocking election to shake us out of our inertia? 
Maybe we will find our voice now?
Maybe something good will come out of this?

I am sharing some bits I've found online that give me hope. I hope they will give you hope, too. 

From J.K. Rowling:
"We stand together. We stick up for the vulnerable. We challenge bigots. We don't let hate speech become normalised. We hold the line."

From Albus Dumbledore (I thought it appropriate):
"I say to you all, once again - in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."

"To all the little girls watching ... never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world."

"the subway today is like nothing I've experienced in 14 yrs living here. silent, near-empty, lots of silent crying & tiny acts of kindness."

From Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany:
“Germany and America are connected by values of democracy, freedom and respect for the law and the dignity of man, independent of origin, skin color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views,” she said in a statement, adding: “I offer the next President of the United States close cooperation on the basis of these values.”


This is the new reality. We are all in this together. I so hope that something good will come out of this. 
To close, I want to include one last quote from President Barack Obama:
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

I wish all of us hope, love and light. 
And the courage to fight for what we believe in.


P.S. Photo found on Pixabay, a site for free stock photos. It perfectly reflects my mood.

P.P.S. If comments are disrespectful or hateful, I will delete them. To add one last quote (from the incomparable Maya Angelou: "Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but it has not solved one yet." 




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6 comments

  1. I have a sad hangover right now too. It's been a tough week.

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    1. It sure has. It's only been 5 days, yet it feels much longer. We need love and understanding more than ever now.

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  2. So many feelings, including being physically sick to my stomach. Anger at an unfair political system that didn't give my candidate a fair chance. Sadness that so many people in this country took the time to vote for a buffoon that was given so much airtime on media just based on his celebrity. Hoping that this will jar into action the 45 plus percent of people that could not be bothered to vote. Thank you for your thoughtful post.

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    1. Thank you for your kind comment!
      This has been one of the biggest shocks of our time. The person who was regarded by so many of us as a joke, had way more supporters than we ever thought possible.
      As awful as this outcome is, there are some important lessons to learn here: How important everybody's voice really is; how unhappy and angry many people are; and that we have to try to open up communication to understand the "other" side better.
      I sincerely hope that we can find the light in this difficult situation. We need to. ❤

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  3. I so prefer this attitude over those who would rather riot and be hateful. Thanks so much for sharing :)

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    1. I love how many people have been talking about wanting to spread kindness, to do something, about having the desire to start a conversation with the people who are unhappy with their country. It's such a positive, big step in the right direction!
      At their core, I believe that most people are good.

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