"You are awakening to the same country you fell asleep to. The very same country. Pull yourself together. And, when you see me, do not ask me 'What do we do now? How do we get through the next four years?' Some of my Ancestors dealt with at least 400 years of this under worse conditions. Continue to do the good work. Continue to build bridges not walls. Continue to lead with compassion. Continue the demanding work of liberation for all. Continue to dismantle broken systems, large and small. Continue to set the best example for the children. Continue to be a vessel of nourishing joy. Continue right where you are. Right where you live into your days. Do so in the name of The Creator who expects nothing less from each of us. And if you are not continuing ALL of the above, in community, partnership, collaboration? What is it you have been doing? What is it you are waiting for?"
Written by Venice Williams, a black spiritual and cultural midwife
Thank you for writing this. I'm a 70-year-old white man, and it hit me during DJT's first term that what people like me were facing for the first time in our lives was nothing compared to what millions of others have faced and endured since this nation was founded.
Look to history for the answer. Something similar happened in the 1850's which led to the Missouri Compromise to be declared unconstitutional and enabled the new territories to legalize slavery. This then led to a group of northern senators coming together and revitalizing the nation in 1860 and giving us one of the greatest presidents this nation has ever had - Abraham Lincoln. Similar movements happened in the 1920's and 1930's. Each time plunging the nation into a period of darkness, but good people stood up and shone the light in the darkness and found a path forward so that our democracy would survive. Like those good people of the past, we must continue to have faith in our democracy. Democracy is a messy form of governance, but it is the only form of governance where all people are free to be who they are meant to be. Now, let's get up and figure out how to shine our lights in this dark place and how to spread that light to others.
1. America has fought fascists before and wiped them out, and we'll do it again if we need to.
2. If you voted for Donald Trump, if you supported him in any way, you are not a moral human being. It does not matter how large a margin Trump won by. Morality doesn't give a shit about percentages, and in fact often finds itself in the distinct and endangered minority. The historical examples of this are too numerous to list, but Jesus and his ministry come most readily to mind for me, since I was raised as a Christian.
3. Don't blame Kamala Harris or her campaign for this loss, and don't tolerate anyone--ANYONE--who does. She ran a near-flawless campaign, full stop. Blaming Harris for this defeat is a comforting and egregious lie, because if you have any shred of decency in you, any at all, you'll know the truth: Kamala Harris did not fail us. We failed Kamala Harris.
You are spot on. And for my “Christian” friends who voted for Trump: shame on you. You can’t be a Jesus follower and vote for a horrible person like Trump.
You hit the nail on the head for me about feeling like a stranger in a strange land. I have always recognized that racism exists. What I only know now is that I have comfortably ACTED like I was in the majority of our population as an anti-racist when, in fact, I am a part of a minority. It’s heartbreaking. I can do more and better.
“we will instead be holding an autopsy for democracy as we enter our 250th year, stewarded by a malevolent sociopath who despises empathy and shuns the law.”
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
….and, I might add: willingly swims in the fetid swamp of iniquity and vicious self-entitlement.
I am quite despondent today. My heart aches for everyone who did not vote for Trump, especially those who will be subjected to further cruelty at the hands of the next Trump administration.
I'm doing my damndest to collect my thoughts and work on focusing my rage in a positive manner so I don't hurt anyone with my vitriol, so I started a Facebook group for my "blue/non-red friends" to get them together to they know they have a sense of community amongst others. I think that's going to be an important first step - collective grieving and catharsis. And then you start a plan to move forward in the face of the unknown.
I also want to add I'm from NC as well. I feel fortunate for that aspect because we kept the governor blue, and have a blue AG, and I just saw that Rachel Hunt won the Lt. Gov race. And we managed to break the Republican deadlock in the state legislature. So there's hope there.
But others in red states aren't as lucky as we are in that regard.
Brian, I live in Kentucky. We have a Democrat for governor, but the entire legislature is in full control of Republicans. Yet we still managed to elect, in this state, our very first transwoman state legislator. I'll repeat what I posted separately, it is all very dark for us right now. But we live in an age similar to many behind us. When the British were kicked off the Continent during WWII, Churchill went on the air to tell his people, "This is not the end or even the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning."
Likewise, staying with a WWII theme we will have to fight on until suddenly the "German" people in our country awaken to what they have done to the nation and to all of us. Then even some of them will see what has to be done. The younger ones will have to explain to their children why they were so blind.
I do not hate them, many haven't a clue what they've done including my own sister who is a one issue voter and a fundamentalist christian. The awakening for them will be devastating and many will see the carnage they've wrought and in which they are complicit.
Many of us and our friends (I'm straight but belong to an LGBTQ church) will suffer greatly and the suffering will come as blows just as the battles of WWII slowly mounted up. But victory is on the horizon. People who have been free rise up when the oppression becomes too great. We will, too.
I'm a former Southern Baptist pastor (who left decades ago), a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, and grew up in a racist family in the South during the fifties and early sixties. But despite all those potential impediments to becoming more enlightened, I did. We can't win over those we need by pointing out their failures. In many ways Trump is a result of our failures, too. I failed to convince my sister. I failed to convince our best friends. But I will never stop trying to convince them--and "I told you so," will hinder them from coming out of their own darkness .
Keep faith brother. Keep telling truth to power. But doing it with love and forgiveness will see their eyes opening sooner.
Having read your background, I have a sincere question for you and the many I am discovering who are like you: You see, I am not smart enough to decide which parts of the Bible to "believe," and which parts it is acceptable -- for whatever reason -- to reject. Have you rejected the parts that you don't like? Have you rejected Jesus? Because God cannot lie or contradict Himself, the Truth contained in the Bible must interpret, define and agree with itself -- it either Stands together, or must be rejected altogether. To do otherwise is inconsistent. And we will all be Judged by that "Eternal Word." Please believe that I am trying to understand.
Tim, every person who reads the Bible picks out what parts are acceptable--even the most conservative. And they lobby about it. I think it was in Oklahoma which has a new public school requirement about Bible reading by teachers to their students, when one teacher heard this he postulated that he would read “Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.” Psalm 139. 7. Of course, there was then a flurry of instructions on what is "proper" to read in a public school.
The Bible itself has contradictory instructions. Compare Deuteronomy 23:1 "No man with crushed or severed genitals may enter the assembly of the LORD." with Isaiah 56: 4-5: ”And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.” For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant— I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. "
All of us interpret Scripture in our own way. The multitude of writers in the past wrote Scripture for their time and their circumstances. We live in another time and other circumstances never envisioned by Biblical writers. When discussing Scripture with anyone I try to remember that The Bible + My Interpretation = My Interpretation.
Our host is a better Bible scholar than me, but I think he would echo my thought process: "Whenever I read any Scripture I measure it against what Jesus said and did as I have personally read it in the Bible without relying on someone else to interpret those Scriptures." I either get it or I don't.
I can tell people about my faith journey and how I got here, but I haven't lived their lives nor walked in their shoes so it's pretty ridiculous for me to require them to walk my same faith journey which they haven't experienced.
First of all, Scripture's meaning and possible application is always determined by its context. And it is not subject to "any private interpretation." Your "genitals" passages are not contradictions, but rather wonderful illustrations of God's Holy Purposes, along with His Provisions for those of us who fall short of His requirements and how He provides "means, that his banished be not expelled from him" (2 Samuel 14:14). And that Grace is available to anyone who humbly repents and acknowledges the Truth: "and such were some of you." Nothing is beyond God's ability to "envision" and He has told us everything we need to know. "Not one jot or tittle will pass away until ALL is fulfilled." And He is not finished yet.
And honestly that saddens me almost as the loss for everyone else because they are complicit. Just because you've enabled the leopards who eat faces doesn't mean they're not going to eventually turn on you and eat your face.
You don't know me from Adam but believe me when I tell you that I will be the first one to say, "I fucking TOLD you so!" with ZERO empathy and 100% vitriol.
John, you offer a gut-wrenching appraisal of today's events, and the truth stings. Too bad half the country does not grasp the concept of philosophic truth. One way in which I am able to cope is to measure my life alongside historic figures disfigured gruesomely by tyranny. One would be Alexei Navalny, who stood up to the arch-terrorist Putin. Another would be Galileo, who stood bravely to face the Roman Inquistion in 1630. He would not sacrifice himself, but went on to write one of the great masterworks in scientific history. Each of us needs a model person to bring out "the better angels of our nature" (A. Lincoln, from his 1st Inaugural Address).
What hurts the most is seeing the possibilities of moving past Trump, only to realize people care more about hateful rage than healing. They pay lip service to the idea of moving on and pick the most offensive narcissist claiming he will "protect" them.
The idea of a convicted racist protecting women is particularly nauseating and enraging to me. They think he will fix inflation, but economists say he will only make it worse. Day 1 will bring him ensuring the many criminal trials against him are dropped by the DOJ. Then the revenge tour will begin with no care or thought of anything other than lining his pockets and staying in power. I wanted to believe America wasn't this shallow or naive. Sadly, it seems we as a country still need to hit rock bottom before things get better, and the scariest thing is I really don't want to see what that looks like. Elections have consequences, and for better or worse all we can do is try to hold each other up and not drown in our pain. I am angry, and only time will tell if my optimism can come back. I hope it does, but then again I might finally be seeing America clearly. That's heartbreaking on so many levels.
The more I think about it the people who voted for Trump are like people in an abusive relationship. The abuser continues to beat in the other, but as long as the abuser says they love them all is forgiven. I think what I'm really angry about is that we're being dragged into their dysfunction by proxy, and I will be damned if I say any of it is okay
My husband sent this to my family this morning. At the end just for clarification Mickey and Sam are dogs.
Clearly, the people have spoken, and we must accept their decision. It will be hard to deal with the disappointment on the election tonight. As with any loss of a person, a job, idea, or game, it will take time for each of us to grieve, then accept, and then decide how we as individuals move forward.
We must continue to fight and advocate, for what we think is right. There will be a time to discuss what happened and what was done that led to this outcome. However, now is not that time.
Instead, I am thinking how I will live each day and work to make the world around me a better place and how I will help the people around me. Most of the good in the world is done at the individual level, so I challenge each of us to determine how we can make a positive difference. I’m going to re-emphasize kindness, humility, and gratitude in my life. I’m going to work hard each day as that is what I can control.
I encourage each of us to get up tomorrow and do the things where you can make a difference in the world, and not to be paralyzed by the results of the election. Each person on this message has talents and passions that they should pursue tomorrow. I am going to withdraw from the constant reading and listening to the news. I will focus on the things that I think will make a difference. I will focus on the people around me and my family.
As the serenity prayer says, god give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, and the courage to change the things I can change, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I just discussed these thoughts with Sam and Mickey and they are in complete agreement.
Heartbroken for our country and the progress to be lost in the coming years….All I have to say is the Democrats did a piss poor job of rigging the election.
I'm straight but belong to an LGBTQ church. This is what I sent to several this morning:
"Take heart my friends. As dark and ominous as all appears right now it cannot black out the light that will follow the storm. During the early weeks of WWII, after the British were driven from Europe and isolated from anyone and everyone, Winston Churchill got on the radio to tell his people “This is not the end, nor even the beginning of the end. This is but the end of the beginning.”
Our spiritual war may no longer be able to be in the open. We may have to be like the resistance fighters of France, hitting back strategically before going into the shadows. The fight will no doubt be long and with many casualties. Some of us will not survive to see light after the storm. But we will be closer together in love and support for one another and we will remember those who pay dearly for continuing the struggle. But we will win.
For now we grieve. Yet remember we are still loved and respected by many around us. I am so proud to be a part of this church. Light cometh in the morning."
Trump won. He may even have won the popular vote! My heart is sick, full of dread. It’s often said that “elections have consequences,” and I fear that the consequences will mean unspeakable suffering for our most vulnerable neighbors – close at hand or around the world. Where is there hope?
I will be okay. At least I think I will. I’m a white, non-Hispanic, straight, cisgender, middle-class male. I’m retired, with dependable income from a pension plan that has been solvent for over 200 years. I am a U.S. citizen. I will be just fine.
But the planet will not be just fine. Many of my neighbors will not be just fine. These are the precious, vulnerable people the president-elect has blamed and demonized. These are the precious, vulnerable people he has encouraged despotic leaders to attack and subjugate. These are the ones at the margins, the ones Jesus of Nazareth went out of his way to embrace – the ones Jesus had in mind when he reminded us of the fundamental commandment: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
How do I love my neighbor in such an environment? How do I love myself?
Decades ago, a seminary professor told us that after any election, people of faith are called to join the loyal opposition. The loyalty is not to a person or a party, but to bedrock principles: justice, kindness, love of neighbor with no exceptions.
This morning I read some moving calls to action. It amounts to one call: keep working, keep resisting, keep practicing kindness and working for justice. I’m hearing that call. I’m 80 years old and I’m tired, but I hear that call and I choose to answer it.
But first, I need to let that tiredness speak to me. I need to feel what I am feeling, and be grateful that I don’t have to numb those feelings. But I also don’t have to wallow in them, or give in to despair, or give up hope. I need to listen to music, read poetry, look for beautiful things to see and hear and remember. I must, in everything (but not for everything) give thanks.
I can give myself permission to grieve, and to feel that grief deeply, but I can’t let it stop me from being faithful, from doing the next right thing, from staying engaged, from seeking opportunities to be kind, from making my voice heard, from contributing to righteous causes, from taking risks for the sake of justice. I can’t let grief stop me from thanking God for blessings every moment – and from passing them on. And standing in solidarity with people who are not privileged as I am, to continue to bend that arc of the moral universe toward justice.
"You are awakening to the same country you fell asleep to. The very same country. Pull yourself together. And, when you see me, do not ask me 'What do we do now? How do we get through the next four years?' Some of my Ancestors dealt with at least 400 years of this under worse conditions. Continue to do the good work. Continue to build bridges not walls. Continue to lead with compassion. Continue the demanding work of liberation for all. Continue to dismantle broken systems, large and small. Continue to set the best example for the children. Continue to be a vessel of nourishing joy. Continue right where you are. Right where you live into your days. Do so in the name of The Creator who expects nothing less from each of us. And if you are not continuing ALL of the above, in community, partnership, collaboration? What is it you have been doing? What is it you are waiting for?"
Written by Venice Williams, a black spiritual and cultural midwife
Thank you for posting this. It is powerful and true.
Thank you for writing this. I'm a 70-year-old white man, and it hit me during DJT's first term that what people like me were facing for the first time in our lives was nothing compared to what millions of others have faced and endured since this nation was founded.
You're welcome, David. I didn't write it. I also did not try to verify the source, which appears to be Venice Williams, as noted below the quote.
Thank you. Despite how we feel today, once the news sinks in, we still have work to do.
Thank you.
Look to history for the answer. Something similar happened in the 1850's which led to the Missouri Compromise to be declared unconstitutional and enabled the new territories to legalize slavery. This then led to a group of northern senators coming together and revitalizing the nation in 1860 and giving us one of the greatest presidents this nation has ever had - Abraham Lincoln. Similar movements happened in the 1920's and 1930's. Each time plunging the nation into a period of darkness, but good people stood up and shone the light in the darkness and found a path forward so that our democracy would survive. Like those good people of the past, we must continue to have faith in our democracy. Democracy is a messy form of governance, but it is the only form of governance where all people are free to be who they are meant to be. Now, let's get up and figure out how to shine our lights in this dark place and how to spread that light to others.
Excellent.
Thank you.
THREE MESSAGES:
1. America has fought fascists before and wiped them out, and we'll do it again if we need to.
2. If you voted for Donald Trump, if you supported him in any way, you are not a moral human being. It does not matter how large a margin Trump won by. Morality doesn't give a shit about percentages, and in fact often finds itself in the distinct and endangered minority. The historical examples of this are too numerous to list, but Jesus and his ministry come most readily to mind for me, since I was raised as a Christian.
3. Don't blame Kamala Harris or her campaign for this loss, and don't tolerate anyone--ANYONE--who does. She ran a near-flawless campaign, full stop. Blaming Harris for this defeat is a comforting and egregious lie, because if you have any shred of decency in you, any at all, you'll know the truth: Kamala Harris did not fail us. We failed Kamala Harris.
You are spot on. And for my “Christian” friends who voted for Trump: shame on you. You can’t be a Jesus follower and vote for a horrible person like Trump.
Truth
Well said sir.
Amen!
You hit the nail on the head for me about feeling like a stranger in a strange land. I have always recognized that racism exists. What I only know now is that I have comfortably ACTED like I was in the majority of our population as an anti-racist when, in fact, I am a part of a minority. It’s heartbreaking. I can do more and better.
“we will instead be holding an autopsy for democracy as we enter our 250th year, stewarded by a malevolent sociopath who despises empathy and shuns the law.”
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
….and, I might add: willingly swims in the fetid swamp of iniquity and vicious self-entitlement.
You say everything I have been feeling. I’m devastated but also terrified.
I am quite despondent today. My heart aches for everyone who did not vote for Trump, especially those who will be subjected to further cruelty at the hands of the next Trump administration.
I'm doing my damndest to collect my thoughts and work on focusing my rage in a positive manner so I don't hurt anyone with my vitriol, so I started a Facebook group for my "blue/non-red friends" to get them together to they know they have a sense of community amongst others. I think that's going to be an important first step - collective grieving and catharsis. And then you start a plan to move forward in the face of the unknown.
I think many people who voted for the Republican will find out the hard way he’s coming for them too; they just don’t know it yet.
I also want to add I'm from NC as well. I feel fortunate for that aspect because we kept the governor blue, and have a blue AG, and I just saw that Rachel Hunt won the Lt. Gov race. And we managed to break the Republican deadlock in the state legislature. So there's hope there.
But others in red states aren't as lucky as we are in that regard.
Brian, I live in Kentucky. We have a Democrat for governor, but the entire legislature is in full control of Republicans. Yet we still managed to elect, in this state, our very first transwoman state legislator. I'll repeat what I posted separately, it is all very dark for us right now. But we live in an age similar to many behind us. When the British were kicked off the Continent during WWII, Churchill went on the air to tell his people, "This is not the end or even the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning."
Likewise, staying with a WWII theme we will have to fight on until suddenly the "German" people in our country awaken to what they have done to the nation and to all of us. Then even some of them will see what has to be done. The younger ones will have to explain to their children why they were so blind.
I do not hate them, many haven't a clue what they've done including my own sister who is a one issue voter and a fundamentalist christian. The awakening for them will be devastating and many will see the carnage they've wrought and in which they are complicit.
Many of us and our friends (I'm straight but belong to an LGBTQ church) will suffer greatly and the suffering will come as blows just as the battles of WWII slowly mounted up. But victory is on the horizon. People who have been free rise up when the oppression becomes too great. We will, too.
I'm a former Southern Baptist pastor (who left decades ago), a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran, and grew up in a racist family in the South during the fifties and early sixties. But despite all those potential impediments to becoming more enlightened, I did. We can't win over those we need by pointing out their failures. In many ways Trump is a result of our failures, too. I failed to convince my sister. I failed to convince our best friends. But I will never stop trying to convince them--and "I told you so," will hinder them from coming out of their own darkness .
Keep faith brother. Keep telling truth to power. But doing it with love and forgiveness will see their eyes opening sooner.
Exactly. We have to do it with love and forgiveness. And I will, I hope. But I can’t today.
Having read your background, I have a sincere question for you and the many I am discovering who are like you: You see, I am not smart enough to decide which parts of the Bible to "believe," and which parts it is acceptable -- for whatever reason -- to reject. Have you rejected the parts that you don't like? Have you rejected Jesus? Because God cannot lie or contradict Himself, the Truth contained in the Bible must interpret, define and agree with itself -- it either Stands together, or must be rejected altogether. To do otherwise is inconsistent. And we will all be Judged by that "Eternal Word." Please believe that I am trying to understand.
Tim, every person who reads the Bible picks out what parts are acceptable--even the most conservative. And they lobby about it. I think it was in Oklahoma which has a new public school requirement about Bible reading by teachers to their students, when one teacher heard this he postulated that he would read “Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.” Psalm 139. 7. Of course, there was then a flurry of instructions on what is "proper" to read in a public school.
The Bible itself has contradictory instructions. Compare Deuteronomy 23:1 "No man with crushed or severed genitals may enter the assembly of the LORD." with Isaiah 56: 4-5: ”And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.” For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant— I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. "
All of us interpret Scripture in our own way. The multitude of writers in the past wrote Scripture for their time and their circumstances. We live in another time and other circumstances never envisioned by Biblical writers. When discussing Scripture with anyone I try to remember that The Bible + My Interpretation = My Interpretation.
Our host is a better Bible scholar than me, but I think he would echo my thought process: "Whenever I read any Scripture I measure it against what Jesus said and did as I have personally read it in the Bible without relying on someone else to interpret those Scriptures." I either get it or I don't.
I can tell people about my faith journey and how I got here, but I haven't lived their lives nor walked in their shoes so it's pretty ridiculous for me to require them to walk my same faith journey which they haven't experienced.
Blessings on your journey.
First of all, Scripture's meaning and possible application is always determined by its context. And it is not subject to "any private interpretation." Your "genitals" passages are not contradictions, but rather wonderful illustrations of God's Holy Purposes, along with His Provisions for those of us who fall short of His requirements and how He provides "means, that his banished be not expelled from him" (2 Samuel 14:14). And that Grace is available to anyone who humbly repents and acknowledges the Truth: "and such were some of you." Nothing is beyond God's ability to "envision" and He has told us everything we need to know. "Not one jot or tittle will pass away until ALL is fulfilled." And He is not finished yet.
Yes! Well said! Keep the faith!
So am I. We also won for schools.
And honestly that saddens me almost as the loss for everyone else because they are complicit. Just because you've enabled the leopards who eat faces doesn't mean they're not going to eventually turn on you and eat your face.
You don't know me from Adam but believe me when I tell you that I will be the first one to say, "I fucking TOLD you so!" with ZERO empathy and 100% vitriol.
Yes!! Especially the older Trumpers who are going to be shocked when Medicare is taken away and Social Security is gutted.
They feel bliss in their ignorance. It's just a matter of time till the reality comes for them too.
Here in Australia we are stunned to.
But you said it: Kamala didn't loose, America did - big time!
Feeling with you and sharing in your grief 💔
Thank you.
John, you offer a gut-wrenching appraisal of today's events, and the truth stings. Too bad half the country does not grasp the concept of philosophic truth. One way in which I am able to cope is to measure my life alongside historic figures disfigured gruesomely by tyranny. One would be Alexei Navalny, who stood up to the arch-terrorist Putin. Another would be Galileo, who stood bravely to face the Roman Inquistion in 1630. He would not sacrifice himself, but went on to write one of the great masterworks in scientific history. Each of us needs a model person to bring out "the better angels of our nature" (A. Lincoln, from his 1st Inaugural Address).
Yes, hope is not dead unless we give up the fight.
I’m devastated
What hurts the most is seeing the possibilities of moving past Trump, only to realize people care more about hateful rage than healing. They pay lip service to the idea of moving on and pick the most offensive narcissist claiming he will "protect" them.
The idea of a convicted racist protecting women is particularly nauseating and enraging to me. They think he will fix inflation, but economists say he will only make it worse. Day 1 will bring him ensuring the many criminal trials against him are dropped by the DOJ. Then the revenge tour will begin with no care or thought of anything other than lining his pockets and staying in power. I wanted to believe America wasn't this shallow or naive. Sadly, it seems we as a country still need to hit rock bottom before things get better, and the scariest thing is I really don't want to see what that looks like. Elections have consequences, and for better or worse all we can do is try to hold each other up and not drown in our pain. I am angry, and only time will tell if my optimism can come back. I hope it does, but then again I might finally be seeing America clearly. That's heartbreaking on so many levels.
Yes, it felt so good to have hope and possibilities
The more I think about it the people who voted for Trump are like people in an abusive relationship. The abuser continues to beat in the other, but as long as the abuser says they love them all is forgiven. I think what I'm really angry about is that we're being dragged into their dysfunction by proxy, and I will be damned if I say any of it is okay
And now we know who they are.
My husband sent this to my family this morning. At the end just for clarification Mickey and Sam are dogs.
Clearly, the people have spoken, and we must accept their decision. It will be hard to deal with the disappointment on the election tonight. As with any loss of a person, a job, idea, or game, it will take time for each of us to grieve, then accept, and then decide how we as individuals move forward.
We must continue to fight and advocate, for what we think is right. There will be a time to discuss what happened and what was done that led to this outcome. However, now is not that time.
Instead, I am thinking how I will live each day and work to make the world around me a better place and how I will help the people around me. Most of the good in the world is done at the individual level, so I challenge each of us to determine how we can make a positive difference. I’m going to re-emphasize kindness, humility, and gratitude in my life. I’m going to work hard each day as that is what I can control.
I encourage each of us to get up tomorrow and do the things where you can make a difference in the world, and not to be paralyzed by the results of the election. Each person on this message has talents and passions that they should pursue tomorrow. I am going to withdraw from the constant reading and listening to the news. I will focus on the things that I think will make a difference. I will focus on the people around me and my family.
As the serenity prayer says, god give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, and the courage to change the things I can change, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I just discussed these thoughts with Sam and Mickey and they are in complete agreement.
Good night, everyone. I love you.
Heartbroken for our country and the progress to be lost in the coming years….All I have to say is the Democrats did a piss poor job of rigging the election.
"...the Democrats did a pass poor job of rigging the election" made me laugh Deborah, the first time in days. Thank you.
I'm straight but belong to an LGBTQ church. This is what I sent to several this morning:
"Take heart my friends. As dark and ominous as all appears right now it cannot black out the light that will follow the storm. During the early weeks of WWII, after the British were driven from Europe and isolated from anyone and everyone, Winston Churchill got on the radio to tell his people “This is not the end, nor even the beginning of the end. This is but the end of the beginning.”
Our spiritual war may no longer be able to be in the open. We may have to be like the resistance fighters of France, hitting back strategically before going into the shadows. The fight will no doubt be long and with many casualties. Some of us will not survive to see light after the storm. But we will be closer together in love and support for one another and we will remember those who pay dearly for continuing the struggle. But we will win.
For now we grieve. Yet remember we are still loved and respected by many around us. I am so proud to be a part of this church. Light cometh in the morning."
Trump won. He may even have won the popular vote! My heart is sick, full of dread. It’s often said that “elections have consequences,” and I fear that the consequences will mean unspeakable suffering for our most vulnerable neighbors – close at hand or around the world. Where is there hope?
I will be okay. At least I think I will. I’m a white, non-Hispanic, straight, cisgender, middle-class male. I’m retired, with dependable income from a pension plan that has been solvent for over 200 years. I am a U.S. citizen. I will be just fine.
But the planet will not be just fine. Many of my neighbors will not be just fine. These are the precious, vulnerable people the president-elect has blamed and demonized. These are the precious, vulnerable people he has encouraged despotic leaders to attack and subjugate. These are the ones at the margins, the ones Jesus of Nazareth went out of his way to embrace – the ones Jesus had in mind when he reminded us of the fundamental commandment: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
How do I love my neighbor in such an environment? How do I love myself?
Decades ago, a seminary professor told us that after any election, people of faith are called to join the loyal opposition. The loyalty is not to a person or a party, but to bedrock principles: justice, kindness, love of neighbor with no exceptions.
This morning I read some moving calls to action. It amounts to one call: keep working, keep resisting, keep practicing kindness and working for justice. I’m hearing that call. I’m 80 years old and I’m tired, but I hear that call and I choose to answer it.
But first, I need to let that tiredness speak to me. I need to feel what I am feeling, and be grateful that I don’t have to numb those feelings. But I also don’t have to wallow in them, or give in to despair, or give up hope. I need to listen to music, read poetry, look for beautiful things to see and hear and remember. I must, in everything (but not for everything) give thanks.
I can give myself permission to grieve, and to feel that grief deeply, but I can’t let it stop me from being faithful, from doing the next right thing, from staying engaged, from seeking opportunities to be kind, from making my voice heard, from contributing to righteous causes, from taking risks for the sake of justice. I can’t let grief stop me from thanking God for blessings every moment – and from passing them on. And standing in solidarity with people who are not privileged as I am, to continue to bend that arc of the moral universe toward justice.