Hopeless. Powerless. Voiceless. These are some of the common words that keep coming up in the conversations I have been having with friends and family back home as the new Presidency has taken its first week in office. The Cabinet members are being selected, and with each selection it feels like a blow while we are still knocked down to our knees. A cloud seems to be permanently hovering over us and blocking out the light of hope and a better future. I am reminded of the scene from Star Wars as Senator Amidala sits in shock as liberty dies and the end of the Republic is met with a thunderous applause. The Dark Side assumes power and the hope of the future is seemingly wiped out, but that is not where we are my friends.
We are not fighting the Dark Side. Those who elected Trump are not senseless idiots. They are human beings. Those who are in office are not spineless monsters. They are human beings. I am not saying their actions or intentions are either ethical or moral. They often aren’t. I am not saying we will not demand change and accountability. We will. What I am trying to get at here is for us not to fall into the trap of derision and division. Disdain and misunderstanding grow out of separation and a slow and subtle creation of the “other.”
One week ago, millions of people came together for the Women’s March on Washington. It was a glorious display of committed individuals uniting together with one voice that demanded to be heard. The Women’s March was the largest single political protest that the US has ever seen, but it wasn’t just the US. The world joined in, and there was representation from all continents and over numerous countries across the globe. The power this protest boasted was in its unity. Women, men, young, old, liberal, conservative, black, white, brown and everyone in between came together. There was no “other,” there was just one voice that demanded justice and equality.
We all have differences in opinion and political persuasion, that is true. But let us not forget our shared humanity and intertwined existence on this earth. The current changes in the US political system will influence not only Americans, but the entire world. I am writing to remind myself, and all who will listen, not to give into the fear, hopelessness and powerlessness so often felt when on social media or reading the news. I am writing to remind us that there is still hope. The Women’s March is a declaration of that hope. I am writing to remind us that we still have power. Power in numbers. I am writing to remind us that we still have a voice. Hear our voice.
Compassion demands that we stand beside those without a voice and extend our hand. That part seems easier to accept. The more challenging action compassion demands is that we also extend our hand to those who clap in the thunderous applause. We hold them accountable no doubt, but we refuse to let them become the “other.”
TAKE ACTION: Our Voice
Join the movement and let your voice be heard. Write to your Senators and tell them why you march. Tell them why you stand with women across the States and across the world in unity. Hear our voice.
Visit this site to find out actions and get involved: Take Action
