Dear Friends,
Well, I guess my prayers were not enough. I am dismayed by the election results. It is so disheartening.
It is a good lesson in facing reality. I wish that more people voted thoughtfully, that more people used critical thinking and examined their biases and assumptions, that more people looked past factions and scapegoats and fictions created to manipulate. I wish that people in this wealthy nation were better cared for by their government. I wish that wealth weren’t able to influence politics so much, and that religion were actually kept separate from government.
Wishes are not reality. And so I am trying to release my clinging to wishes because longing for them and mourning the fact that they are so far from reality is asking for misery.
I wish that my disability were easier to live with. Sadness is justified in that, but what kind of life is that to live in sadness over something that is so far from reality? I allow the sadness and anger to well up sometimes, but I choose to more often recognize where I can focus my energy to make my life better.
Same with this election. Sadness and fear might be warranted, but what can be done with that? I think they can cloud our vision. I don’t begrudge anyone their process, but for me, I opt to be pragmatic. It is clear that my assumptions about how people vote and why are too reductive, because I know that this country is not so populated by the image I have of a Trump supporter. There must be more nuance and diversity of understanding and motivation than I have assumed. So I hope to learn more about this all, and to find a better way to connect across beliefs. I doubt I will ever agree with supporting Trump, but I hope to better familiarize myself with different perspectives and the people who hold them.
This is tough because I am so driven by integrity and I am staunch in my beliefs. I know many advocates see a quest to connect with those whose beliefs seem fundamentally offensive as foolish or enabling. I get it. But in my heart, I feel that connection is needed to process and move forward with the work of building a better future.
I hope you are all taking care.
Your Friend,
Danny
Danny With Words 