Yes. I feel sick to my stomach, my shoulders hunch and my draw my head in like a turtle trying to escape into its shell when I think about what has just happened. Yes, it feels much like the grief from the loss of a dear friend. Yes. A person full of hate, bigotry, and dishonesty has been elected presedent of the United States, and their party holds the majority in both Senate and House. Yes, a large part of me wants to hide away somewhere, curled up into a ball, waiting for it all to pass. Or better yet, wake up from this nightmare.
But no, dear friends. Dear more than 50% of the people who actually voted (not the electoral college votes.) Dear lovers of your fellow man and woman, nothing has changed in what we must do. Our job, as always, is to listen with courage and compassion to our hearts, our conscience, and do what we know is right. And not to stand by when we see injustice happening in front of us. Which may be happening more often these next 4 years.
In good times and bad, this is our job. It would have been easier with Hillary. And we would have been able to keep moving forwards. Now it seems we will have to struggle with all our might to keep the current from washing us too far backward.
Take heart from the courage of others. This is not the worst humans have had to endure. Think of the people who ran the underground railroad. Think of those who hid minorities from the Nazis. Think of the people who had to live during the mad emperors of Rome like Nero and Caligula, lead poisoned, insane, inbread, literal murderers. Heck, think about the people who have to live in North Korea, right now. There are many situations worse than ours.
Are you upset? Angry, sad, terrified? That's understandable. But we are not helpless. We can't change the world by ourselves, but we don't need to. All we need to do is stand up, dust off, come together as brother and sister, and do what is right, one day, one step at a time. Don't give up, don't give way to despair, or hatred, and don't loose faith. If we each make the decision to do this (or something like it.) Then we change the whole world.
And even if not enough people join in, then still, on our deathbed, we can look back without regrets.
You don't have to do this alone. Don't try to go it alone. There are others eager to stand by your side on the path of love and light. Now especially we need to support each other. Together we are strong. It's something love has that hatred never will. Reach out to friends, family. We need to support each other so we can support everyone else.
Have the courage to change what you can, and the wisdom to know and accept what you can't.
The Bhagavad-Gita: You have control over action alone, never over its fruits.
So don't act only to get the results. Otherwise, when you don't get the results, you'll get depressed and quit. Act because it's the right thing to do. Because it's what love and truth would do. Then the results will come, and you will be able to persevere even when things seem darkest.
And things are not hopeless. Back to the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Mahabharat: the heroes of the story were humiliated and had their hard earned wealth and well-governed kingdom stolen from them through cheating. They wouldn't break their code of honor and thus were forced into gambling away their kingdom in an obviously rigged game. Then they were sent away to live like penniless hermits in the forest for 12 years, while the totally corrupt Duryodhana (the main antagonist) enjoyed an opulent lifestyle off his ill-gotten gains.
In their exile, the hero's were tormented by confusion as to why they, who always did what was right and good, should be suffering so much. The wise people who they talked to told them not to worry: righteousness always wins in the end. They would wind up even better off than they had started, and the bad guys were not gonna last very long at all. The ill-gotten gains would soon turn to misery and blood. And in fact there was a larger purpose behind all of it, whereby the whole collection of corrupt warrior-kings would be gotten rid of. And it came to pass just as they said.
Don't give up or give in to despair or rage or passivity.
Keep laughing and loving.
Look out for each other.
Do what's right, and speak out against what's wrong.
Roll out of bed each the morning, put on your shoes, and keep going, one day at a time.
Truth will win in the end, and Dharma (right action/righteousness) will protect those who protect it.
But that sometimes means getting up and loving fiercly when all you want to do is stay in bed feeling nauseous and watching Netflix.
This too shall pass.
We are not these bodies we wear like clothes, but the Sons and Daughters of Immortality.
In Courage, Faith, Determination, and Love,
Isaac
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