My dear friends of compassion,
This is a hard morning. I too am in dismay, if not despair. The menacing clouds of war and vengeance that loomed so close last night now shadow our hopes and obscure the dawn. The storms we thought unthinkable have arrived, with forecasts of sharp and damaging hail, cutting wind-shears that spawn tornados of unraveling, retribution, and death. Some among us may become refugees.
We trusted our neighbors and friends to discern truth from lies, and they did not. We clung to a faith that love and joy trump fear and division, and they did not. We thought the plain evidence of a world on fire would carry water where it’s needed, and it did not. We stood shoulder to shoulder doing work that is real, gave generously, and brought the best of ourselves to our labors, and it was not enough.
We believed that the arc of the moral universe is long, but bends towards justice, and… well that remains to be seen. It is far too soon to comfort ourselves with proverbial silver linings, but the darkness of this morning begs for some glimmer, some sliver of lightness concealed in the gloom.
My neighbors and friends who chose this path may be misinformed, may be shortsighted, may have allowed fear to clench their fists and hearts, may even prove right in some or many ways, but I insist, as Mahatma and Martin insisted, in the essential goodness of people. I remind myself to assume good intentions; sociopaths may deceive the majority, but they are not themselves a majority.
Pendulums swing. If all that we feared for 2025 occurs as promised, the true nature and impact of these awful projects will become obvious soon enough—to enough—and then the self-correcting experiment of our resilient humanity will prevail over our fragile humanness. This, too, shall pass.
In the meantime, we will harbor one another. We will set aside the word “mine.” We will embrace the always-intimate presence of our vulnerability, and we will open our doors to the even-more-threatened among us. Just as this day’s dark clouds conceal slivers of light, we will conceal the innocent from rampaging forces of hatred. If necessary, we will construct railroads underground, in car-trunks and shipping containers, with floorboards and pronouns and courage, and we will do this because we have always done this.
The political world is powerful and far-reaching, but Mother Nature holds the ultimate line-item veto. The laws of physics are not subject to popular vote. It was 78 degrees here in PA on election day, and today may break records at 80 or more. There are cards up her sleeve.
I would have preferred a Great Turning, from brinkmanship to kinship, from ambition to compassion, from bitterness to kindness. Yesterday this nation chose a different kind of turning, and the horizon appears dark and foreboding.
Let us find slivers of silver light among the clouds: in a seventh-generation view of history; in our own resilience and determination; in wilderness; in the pure starlit skies above all clouds; in the essential goodness of our humanity; and in one another.
JD Stillwater
jdstillwater.earth
You mention a great turning. I recommend Strauss and Howe's book, The Fourth Turning. The premise is that every fourth generation through history (they go back to the Roman empire), societies go through a wrenching, stressful change and then rebuild. In my application of their book, what we see in International elections the past few cycles is part of this Fourth Turning. It is not about this candidate or that as much as social upheaval.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book rec. "The Great Turning" is Joanna Macy's term. I like that word "upheaval." Here we go!
DeleteWe it not for the climate and ecologic boundary crises, we might have time for the great rebuilding. "The future appears dark and foreboding" - I agree completely, and I appreciate your reflection. As Kevin Anderson has said about climate change ..."we have chosen to fail." It looks like that can be said about democracy as well.
ReplyDeleteIf "drill baby drill" becomes U.S. federal policy, 4.0°C becomes far more likely, and sooner. Short-sighted economics over long-term health and wellness, possibly even livability.
DeleteJD, I appreciate your thoughts. I too worked 15 hours yesterday as a poll worker not too far away, with a record turnout for our precinct.
ReplyDeleteI am not hopeful that this experiment called the United States of America will survive this. It was a majestic endeavor, but like Rome it must come to an end some day. But I have no doubt we will harbor one another as we have in past turmoil, and we shall come out the other side in a place we cannot well foresee.
I wrote the following verses right after the 2016 election...
Darkness darkness, dim my vision
For the future, let me hope
That my actions, and decisions
Make a difference, not push rope
Darkness darkness, uncertain master
Lend no confidence, to our plight
Take away take away, sure disaster
So in the gloaming, we can fight
We can fight, to set it right now
So our eyes, can see the light now
We can spurn, the hard right turn now
Avoid the burn, begin to learn again
Darkness darkness, be my pillow
Let me dream, and understand
To find the light, disperse the shadow
Make our nation, great again
Make our nation, great again
Nice, Mark! "Not push rope"... an engineer's prayer for right action!
DeleteThank you, thank you JD. 🥰
ReplyDeleteIn so many settings (universities, churches, offices, neighborhoods) in recent years, many people have been reluctant/afraid of sharing alternative views with each other. As a result, many of us lived in silos of our own making, perhaps assuming that silence meant agreement. Is this why so many are surprised and dismayed by the election? I read that Trump won in 90% of counties! Not just in red states. This suggests that a LOT of our neighbors and colleagues felt differently than JD. Perhaps this election result offers us a reason for some self-reflection in order to reach out, ask, inquire how and why others see the world differently and what they hope for now. Us vs Them can be a slippery slope.
ReplyDeleteAgreed on the slippery slope, Anonymous. Honestly, there is no "them." There's just us, and we sometimes make decisions we regret. Good people have always made bad choices. History is full of moments like this one. I'd love to be wrong about what's now likely, but people who have seen this movie before in a different theater are pretty unanimous: It's the same movie. And it's not a comedy.
Delete