Hope in the Aftermath
“While there’s life, there is hope.” ~ Cicero
As I publish this post today, the final results of the hugely controversial, contentious and possibly contested U.S. presidential election will likely still be unknown. With something like 225 million registered voters, that means there are going to be about 112 million crushingly disappointed, maybe devastated, fearful and angry people in my homeland. I am worried about the aftermath.
I have friends and family on both sides of the cavernous and thorny aisle. I do not know, as I compose this, if the candidate I voted for will be victorious or defeated. So I am writing more from the perspective of defeat, which could well be where I end up but if not, still, there are bound to be many of my readers in both camps, and I care about us all.
The winners, of course, will feel a huge sense of relief and elation. My hope is that the defeated will gather their courage, their hope, their dignity and their civility and resolve to go forward with an attitude of: How can I be the change I want to see?
It will not be easy. There are powerful passions on both sides. I pray that we can all center ourselves in hope rather than hate. Fear can be debilitating or motivating. I pray it will motivate resolve and not violence. I pray we will not see our opponents as “the enemy.” I pray that we will remember that it is the common good we are all presumably working towards in a democracy.
“We cannot always see the path toward the common good; often it seems that evil has won the day, and sometimes the leap of faith required to bridge chasms of disagreement seems to be a [desperate] choice.” - Barbara Holmes
I pray that we will make that desperate choice to try and bridge our chasms of disagreement.
Awake with jet lag for most of the past few nights after returning to England from Alaska, I have wrestled and fought from feeling helpless to hopeful, from fear to faith, from panic to peace, from terror to tenderness, from confusion to clarity, from chaos to courage, from a deep well of doom to a deeper well of goodness. The human spirit is pretty indomitable.
“Look for the goodness and it becomes obvious. Where you don’t see it, create it. Where you do see it, celebrate it. Stand in awe of it. You would be crazy not to see it, and if you ever can’t see it — look closer.” ~Liz Gilbert
Flowers, waterfalls and stunning sunrises will not save the world. Only we can do that. But they might inspire us to care, to hope, to work towards change, and to remind us that there is much goodness still, and always, about.
“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” -Dalai Lama
Looking at your beautiful pictures always relaxes my body Melanie, they bring a big sigh of release of tension I’m sometimes not even sure I’m holding, so thank you for that.
I don’t know what to think about the election result from across the pond. These are strange times indeed, but you’re right, there’s no need for anyone to be enemies, having being human in common we often share more values than we realise.
Hope you’re getting over your jet lag.
This line that you wrote made me think: ‘Fear can be debilitating or motivating’…I’m going to aim for motivating. Thanks Melanie ☺️
I'd rather we did not take the path on which we now, collectively, stand. It is known that Donald admires Hitler, that his speech resembles Hitler to the extent that he may well be qouting him. Donald knows that the voters know this about him, and that they decided to give him a mandate by way of their overwhelming support.
The two are so obviously aligned that a vote for Don, is like voting for Hitler. We were asked to weight that concern, and gave Hitler the nod. Thumbs up.
No, I don't lump all Trumpers in with Hitler, but it is sad that this is where we stand. It is not good for a good person to support someone like Donald Trump. It harms them.
Yes, I remain hopeful. I do not condemn those I disagree with. I will speak my mind and that is one way I keep hope alive and search for what might be best.