Here We Are Again

Last month, a friend of mine was being optimistic about the election and said to me, “Maybe MAGA will just disappear like Nazis did after the war!” I think it was then when I realized that this wouldn’t be just a close race, but that I was assuming a Harris win to the point that I wanted a “Reagan style landslide” so that it couldn’t be contested. I got what I asked for. I have to learn to be more specific in my manifestations.

Now, I would assume that no one reading this newsletter is surprised that I am not a Trump supporter. I did get one unsubscribe request last week (if you are reading this, please just click unsubscribe at the end of the email as I don’t know how to add or delete people since it is set up for people to be only able to subscribe if they want my newsletter).

With both of those elements out of the way...now what?

There is a difference between being surprised and disappointed.  Being hopeful is wonderful, and we certainly could use more of it!  Being surprised though, that is something we really need to examine.  Grieving hope is a good place of empathy that have been waiting for Project 25 to become reality, I’ll be charitable and assume some pieces may be more of a priority than others.  I believe it was Joy Reid, on one of the pre-election panels that talked about Boomers being alive pre-Roe would turn out to codify abortion access and I realized that it also means they could have been waiting for it to be overturned for over 50 years.

This is all a long time coming for some.

Nazis didn’t disappear either.  

It is imperative that we stand at the center of White Supremacy, Christianity, and Capitalism, and take account of how we benefit from these systems. Then we can be a part of society, together, instead of an us/them dynamic that has landed us in a polarized mindset allowing us (me) to be surprised/blindsided.

I’m seeing memes that range from “The only thing Americans hate more than a rapist is a woman” to things that project voting demographics that highlight black and Hispanic votes when white votes need to be considered the most out of at most the 60% of eligible voters that participated in the election. Many voters made decisions about each candidate and issue and didn’t just vote straight down party lines.  

Luckily, I just wrote a book on disruption (check), normalizing complexity (check), and how we need to be more complete in our initiatives so that we can Prepare, Recognize, and Respond in unison.  This is the force that brings about momentum.

Don’t get me wrong – I am fearful, worried, anxious, concerned; all are variations of my need for control, and I am facing that desire outwardly instead of controlling what I can control.  I am a neighbor as much as I am a target – I am privileged enough that I will likely survive the next presidency and I won't actually know that until we get there.

I have included a picture of a friend that is dropping off cupcakes at neighbor’s homes that have Harris signs in their yards because she needs something to do to be supportive.  We give support to get support in return.  She is also worried of being harmed by being in people’s driveways.  The note with each cupcake says, “Dear Harris Supporter, You are not alone. I’m sad too. Take care of yourself.”  I imagine there is sadness in a lot of pockets in our worlds for many different reasons; I hear reports of numbness, shock, grief, loss, as well as glee, insight, hope, joy, delight, optimism. Toxic positivity and genuine euphoria of a battle won.

It is the case that democracy prevailed for those of us who focused on that concern. For once in a long time, the popular vote and the electoral college aligned. Claims of voter fraud disappeared immediately, just like they did in 2020 for all of the other Republicans who won their elections.  There will be a peaceful transition of power between presidencies, and this isn’t nothing.

Perhaps a cupcake soothes the giver as much as the receiver. Either way, we have and will coexist with folks who don’t understand each other, and it is up to us to figure out how to listen to their priorities, fears, and sources of joy.  It is the only way we can take risks and come together.  

Please hear me when I say I am terrified for many reasons, largely because I feel responsible for people that I will never meet, and largely my Trump-supporting family and friends may feel similarly.  We must close this gap and be in community with one another, and if I am certain of any one thing, this initiative is likely to only start from my own position.