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How can we make sense of this turn of events? How can we
continue to build a new paradigm of environmental sustainability, respect for
the earth and all sentient beings, interdependent community, and interpersonal
safety in this political climate? How can we explain this to our
children?
Since the Civil Rights Movement, there has been a dizzying
and painful pendulum swing between protecting and expanding the rights of
oppressed peoples and repressing and subjugating us – while the deeper roots of
that oppression have never been addressed or healed. From JFK/LBJ to
Nixon/Ford. From Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan. From Bush to Clinton to GW Bush
to Obama. This pattern cannot continue. We must
find a way to understand one another on a deeper level, to develop empathy and
find compassion for those with whom we disagree politically, so that we cannot
be divided and manipulated based on the identities that separate us, as a
tactic by the wealthy to remain in control. We need to build connections in such a way that there is no
“us” or “them”, only “we the people”.
And so, I have been looking into myself for the ways in
which I agree with Trump supporters, the ways in which our hopes, dreams,
fears, and pains are the same. Here is my attempt to elucidate some of these
similarities, in the hope that doing so may help us find common ground on which
to connect and move toward a world of safety, healing, and stability for our
children’s children.
We are both full of rage at the “leaders” of this country
for neglecting us and our needs, and for favoring the needs of others over
those of our families.
We are both fearful of the future, sure that our current
trajectory leads to nowhere but destruction and greater suffering.
You felt as scared and bewildered the day Obama was elected
as I did the day Trump was – like your world was suddenly crumbling, that your
family was in danger, and that the country was being taken over by people you
could not trust.
We both feel the impact of a struggling economy, and believe
that certain communities have been most neglected and deserve to be better
represented and championed by the government while others are receiving
undeserved advantages.
We both feel negatively impacted by religious extremism, and
fear the continuing rise of these violent and reactionary forces to undermine
our freedom and safety.
We both feel personally persecuted by the changes happening
in our culture, and wake up in the night in fear of our current trajectory and the
unforeseen repercussions yet to come.
We both feel unjustly persecuted and that the anger and
violence directed toward us in unwarranted, while also feeling that our own
rage is fully justified and under-expressed.
The truth is – we are all in deep pain and suffering, carry
the wounds of historical and personal traumas, and live in a state of anxiety
and fear encouraged and promoted by a broken culture of disconnection and
dehumanization.
Rather than focusing on silencing or neutralizing the power
of any individuals, let’s focus on moving
beyond the ideas of white supremacy,
misogyny, and environmental subjugation. When these myths are finally broken,
we will heal from their consequences without continuing to be on this pendulum swing
of reactionary outbursts. We will be able to have black lives matter to every
person, every day. We will be able to address rape culture as a species,
grappling with the impact of our genetic legacy and cultural baggage together.
This work existed last week, and it will exist four years
from now. It is our work in the world as healers and visionaries. Let’s draw on
our shared dreams of liberation to bring sustenance to our communities, taking
care to work toward the future while also finding ways to bring beauty and
wellness to our present realities. We will only achieve sustainability and
health by being sustainable and
healthy. So reach out to someone you care about and share your love with them,
today and every day. Let’s practice
viewing all people through the eyes
of compassion, acceptance, empathy, and unconditional love, so that all people
will learn to view us that way as well!
