Maryland Congressman, Jamie Raskin, speaking to a interviewer last week, was asked what he would do if Donald Trump won the presidency. “Go to work the next day,” he replied.
Such is our fate. This morning, Beth has two online yoga classes. In the afternoon, we have a workshop and a concert for children about mindfulness. And in the evening, Beth and I have a rehearsal for Threshold Choir.
Raskin’s reply was strangely prescient. Sure, there will be a lot of emotions and discussions about what happened and what might happen next, but most of us will go back to putting one foot in front of the other. Some of us will do so with a heavy heart and others will have a spring in their step.
Me? I’m sad. I wanted to celebrate America’s first female president with Beth. I have long felt that our country needs a woman’s touch, a nurturing, heart-filled mother who might bring us closer to the ideal I hold dear: equality for all. The patriarchy isn’t going to get us there.
The specter of going in the opposite direction is depressing and scary to me, but I am going to choose to believe that this is a setback, not an end to the struggle. As such, I will likely recommit myself to our work which fosters the values I cherish. What’s my other choice? Leave? I think I’d rather stay because now more than ever our messages and our presence matter.
Lastly, I want to heal any hate in my heart for my fellow Americans who voted differently than me. I admit that I am holding on to some anger and judgment that’s perfectly normal, but long term will not serve me or my purpose. I do believe in a representative democracy and the people have spoken. Such is life in a free country.
My adolescent self wanted to wipe the smirk off of the face of folks who believe differently than I do. That has always been the case. I remember being a boy when I lost a school election, a part in a play, or didn’t get selected for a sports team or a fraternity leadership role. I wanted revenge! I hated the people who didn’t pick me and thought them “ill-informed.”
Always, though, my losses humbled and strengthened me. And, if I’m honest, I almost always lost to better players or the right ones for that job.
Trump won by a lot. He fought dirtier and outmatched his opponents in a scrappy business. He proved, to my dismay, that politics (like the construction and building trades) is feral, not fair, that power in a leader is what the electorate prefers and often, though not always, seems to make some of us feel safer. Well, darn. As an idealistic person, I was hoping that a higher “good” would triumph in this story, that we would level up to a more loving society. Naive? Probably.
Okay. It’s time to go to work. Scott’s story goes on and I will, indeed, turn the page.
Thank you, Kamala, and crew. It was a noble effort and I appreciate and love you for what you tried to do for us.
As a mentor once told me, “We go on!” Let’s pray that it’s with more love than loss.
