Americans, we are going to weather this and we are going to still wake up every day and do good. You are not powerless, although I know on today of all days, it feels like it. American democracy is not dismantled yet, even though it feels like that’s a foregone conclusion. Here’s the thing, though: giving into defeat, deciding that everything is so bad that you’re going to avoid doing anything, or posting on the internet about how doomed we all are is just going to turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Take your time to grieve. You do not have to act today. This fight is for the long haul. But then come back, and we’ll do this again. Our systems are not set in stone: Trump has shone a light on that, but he has also shown the weakness of that. The reigns of power have been grabbed, so we must redefine what it means to have power in our country. If you look at history, we have done this over and over and over again. I’ve learned over the past two and a half years from my dear friends in Ukraine that it is critical to find your sources of joy in these times. You MUST find something that brings light to your life. You must continue living. It is a defiant thing, to capture joy in a time of darkness. Don’t forget the power this has.
Spend time with people you love. Take a moment to indulge in something that makes you happy. Get involved in a movement. Start organizing. The system is broken beyond repair, so how do we take the ruins of that and build something new from it? Everything is wrong, but we have built better from catastrophe before. You can still protect the vulnerable. You can still stand up and fight.
I’m so proud of everyone who fought so hard to stave this off. That’s not over just because of this one election.
We cannot give up. That’s all there is to it.