What next

Whelp. Tuesday did not at all go how I had hoped.

A friend of mine lives next to a high school history teacher who posted the text below on one of the big social media sites yesterday. I found it helpful.

This one is hard if you wanted Harris to win. Because Trump won fair and square. The Republicans will control the Senate, and most likely the House as well. So what do you do when everything feels like it went wrong?

First, and most importantly, you don’t give up. You never, never give up. Because that is when you actually lose. This? This is a setback. A big one, but a setback nonetheless. But if you allow it to make you quit, or comply, that’s when it is a loss. So never give up. Fight for what is right.

Second, remember you have a lot of great people in your life. People who love you and care about you. That doesn’t change. So when it feels hard, lean on them. And let them do the same. Love does conquer hate in the long run, so let that sit with you today.

Third, be an example of what you want this country to be. Lead with courage and compassion, face down injustice and immorality, and speak the truth. But also be willing to listen. People had reasons to vote how they did. Hearing them, and talking to them, and then fighting for solutions that help all of us and uplift all of us, is how we make real fundamental change.

It’s that last point that I hope Democrats really take to heart, the listening. There are a lot of folks that have felt unheard for a long time. I am certain of this from speaking to extended family that don’t live on the coasts.

It’s easy to be cynical, snarky, or dismissive of other people’s concerns. It’s easy to shut out opposing voices, especially if they aren’t family and especially when you feel such unwavering conviction about your own views. It’s a lot harder, it takes a lot more work, to listen with an open mind and heart and to follow that up with conversation. You don’t have to concede your own values, and you don’t have to compromise where you think compromise is impossible. But you do have to look for the overlaps however small they are, the “yes, and” possibilities.

But also, it’s ok to take a moment to be angry and sad. I sure am today.