I would be remiss to not address the insanity that has been the past 24 hours. Yesterday our world changed with the election of Donald Trump as our 45th President of the United States.
Never in my life have I encountered such a divide, such negativity and such discourse between all of my family, friends and acquaintances. It's disheartening, overwhelming and makes me want to lock myself in my basement for the foreseeable future.
For what it is worth, here is my two cents:
If your friend states "I am so sad about this." That is not a time to get on your soapbox and attack. Let us mourn. Let us have a few days to figure out this new world we were not expecting, how to impact change with the issues we fear will be of concern to us (and there are quite a few.)
Conversely, when we hear someone say they are excited for the win, we can not attack them since our democracy chose this man. Clearly nearly half of people who chose to vote chose him for a reason, and those people have children just like us and are not purposely trying to destroy their children's world. Just as when politicians I have voted for have won, I would not want to be berated for that, I think the pendulum swings both ways.
A very wise friend of mine said today that I am my children's Commander in Chief, not Trump... and I could not agree more. I am setting the immediate tone for them. I need to continue on our path of kindness and inclusion. I can not be spewing hatred or lack of compassion for others. I need to teach my own children manners, love, tolerance... not that if things do not go my way that I shall riot and hurt and be disrespectful and condemn half of the people in the country I live in.
I know this too shall pass but, man, what a rocky few hours it has been.
Here are some ideas:
The charities that will need our support now more than ever.
Coming together.
A primer on understanding and compassion.
In a hurting world, why our self compassion needs a check.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
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