And Here We Are in the Center of the First World

Who am I to breakdown?

     Yesterday was tough. It was a bit like grieving the loss of someone who was then ripped out of my life without any warning. I felt like my hope for kindness and peace on earth and all good things had died. 
      So what do I do when I feel blind-sided? I read. I research. And what did I find in my search? I found that  I had done what so many of us did, something that drives me crazy. I had buried my head in the sand and assumed that everything would be okay. I assumed that the election was in the bag because no one would vote for a raving lunatic. I paid attention to my own little world and not the world at large; something we liberals are good to point the finger at conservatives about. That is why I felt blind-sided, because I chose to ignore what was in front of me. I chose to ignore the fact that people are unhappy.

It's too easy just to fall apart

I'm not the biggest fan of Michael Moore. I feel like his  demeanor is often obnoxious for obnoxiousness sake. But he made such a good point that I wanted to share it here.

 "Everyone must stop saying they are "stunned" and "shocked". What you mean to say is that you were in a bubble and weren't paying attention to your fellow Americans and their despair. YEARS of being neglected by both parties, the anger and the need for revenge against the system only grew. Along came a TV star they liked whose plan was to destroy both parties and tell them all "You're fired!" Trump's victory is no surprise. He was never a joke. Treating him as one only strengthened him. He is both a creature and a creation of the media and the media will never own that. "

     And we all bought it didn't we? I bought it. I too thought Trump was a joke that could be written off. I never thought he had a chance of being elected even after he won the primaries. Even after he won the nomination, I thought there is no way in hell this guy can get elected and I was wrong.

Every day I wake up I choose love, I choose light.

     So what do we do now? We work on making a change like we've been doing our whole lives. We work to make things better for everyone. Do things end just because Trump got elected? I say HELL NO. David Wong made these excellent points in his article, "Don't Panic." 

First, understand that the opposite of panic is not blithe acceptance of the situation -- it's clear-minded, positive, day-to-day action. Panic makes you do stupid shit or, even worse, curl up into a ball and do nothing. Don't tell me you have reason to panic. You never have reason to panic. You have reason to act.
So yeah, be upset for as long as you want. Get drunk. Do whatever you have to do. After that, I want you to sober up, splash water on your face, and consider some facts: 

Gay marriage has overwhelming support nationwide -- 55 percent to 37 percent against.
Legal abortion is favored by 56 percent, with 41 percent opposed.
The vast majority of the population supports background checks for gun buyers -- up to 90 percent in some polls.
A majority of Americans support some kind of universal health care                                       58 percent to 37 percent.

64 percent of Americans are worried about global warming. Only 36 percent are not.
And -- get this -- Americans overwhelmingly agree that immigration helps the country more than it hurts, by a 59 percent to 33 percent margin.
Okay?
Your country didn't go anywhere. It's right here where you left it.

Do we have work to do? Of course we do! So let's get going, time is wasting folks! Good can't win alone, it needs the purveyors of good to keep fighting. 

We're not living the good life, unless we're fighting the good fight.

     As I said yesterday, now is the time to act. It's time to support those who are feeling scared and hurt. ALL of them. It's time to TALK about things and not just pretend they don't exist because they are difficult and we may disagree. It's time do DO something about the hurts and injustices instead of just saying, "Well its not happening to me."  I think we've learned--things aren't going to go away just because we wish they didn't exist. If you believe that, what are you going to do when the other shoe drops? Wake up. Act. Keep fighting for the good and right. Stand together and be a friend, be an ally, be a protector.

(Thank you to The Submarines for the lyrics)