I'm not a super political person. At least, that's what I told myself before this election cycle. Ok, that's what I told myself before last week. My 'Path to Enlightenment" so-to-speak started when I was borrowing my roommate's car on the way to work and the NPR station was on. Then I caught a few episodes of House of Cards.
Then I watched The Purge. Yikes.
Then I started reading up on this Utah 3rd party dude, Evan McMullin.
It was a mess! All this He Said/She Did/3rd-Parties-are-a-waste business. Apparently no one in the history of anything ever can hold a different opinion and not be attacked with a digital pitchfork, but I digress. I voted early for my candidate. Now don't get all crazy, all these hasty generalizations, and assuming stuff. I did not because of my race, income, region, religion, or because my reproductive organs are on the inside of my body.(I'm kind of partial to Susan Sarandon's "I don't vote with my vagina.") I voted for the person who I thought represented closest what is important to me. That person was not named the President of the United States and I don't regret my voting choice.
Anyway, so I was listening to PBS NewsHour and checking the Google update every couple of minutes as I was finishing work. I get home, turn on CNN, and I listen to a man I have come to respect after just a few minutes of hearing him speak.
Van Jones. He is one of the most well-spoken and gracious people weighing in on election night and I agree with a lot of what he said.
We are in a such a state right now. It's in our best interests as individuals and as a nation- all of us 'normal,' 'average Joe' Americans- to stand together and stand up for each other. I think many people voted for Trump because of fear: Fear of a corrupt and impregnable government, fear of losing our individual freedoms, fear of a fading and less relevant Constitution, fear of being vulnerable to the gamut of terrible things happening in the rest of the world. While I don't believe that fear should be the driving force for electing the next POTUS, this is our reality and we have made our decision.
We can choose to move forward, to be kind and respect all humans, and to disagree without resorting to petty name calling and mockery. We can choose to use our energies to get involved in making a difference rather than complaining that things didn't go the way we'd have hoped.
Mostly, though, we can still choose to be the people fighting to 'form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote general welfare, and [strive to] secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity."
