Hope is the thing with feathers

"Hope is the thing with feathers - 
That perches in the soul - 
And sings the tune without the words - 
And never stops - at all."

If you are reading this post, I am guessing today has been hard on you. I don't know if I can be a voice of comfort to any of you, but I did feel the need to add my voice and my feelings to the void here.

Today has been hard on me too. I woke up this morning terrified and upset, and immediately started crying when I saw how many of my friends on Facebook felt the same way. And if I am this terrified and upset as a young white woman, I can only imagine how terrified my Muslim, Latinx, immigrant, African-American, POC, and LGBT friends must feel. How can we continue to live in a country that elected a man who seems to hate all of us so much?

I don't know, but we must. As easy as it is to say "I'm out of here," we must not leave. We must continue to fight for what is right, fight for love and hope and freedom for all. Yes, this election has been a slap in the face to all of us who spent the last eight years fighting so hard for freedom and love everywhere. This has been a slap in the face primarily from rural, working class white men and women who feel that the government does nothing for them. In some sense, I think I can understand why many have felt left behind by Obama, though he certainly has been my champion. But I can't understand why those people would vote for this racist, sexist, xenophobic rapist. I feel that this loss wouldn't have hurt quite so much if Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz or John Kasich had won over Hillary. I can never know how I may have felt if that had occurred, but I imagine it wouldn't feel like this.

Because right now I personally feel attacked. I am scared I will lose my right to have an abortion if I ever find myself in that situation. I am terrified that I will lose my  healthcare, as a young, very low-income graduate student. Hell, I'm even terrified that I may lose my job, my career path, and a planet for future generations under this president-elect and Republican congress who have such hate for science.

I also feel for my friends who will and are being told to leave the country. My wonderful Muslim friends who are told they are terrorists. My LGBT friends who are being told that something is wrong with them, they can be "converted," and, oh by the way, no you can't marry the person you love anymore. I feel for you. And I stand with you, as a young white woman who actually probably has the least to lose under this presidency than any other group, with the exception of white men.

I am grieving right now, and I am going to hold on to that for at least a few days. I urge you to as well, because the grief process is important and essential to your well-being. But then I encourage you to pick yourself up on the ground and remind yourself of all your friends that are here with you. We have not left. And we cannot leave, if we want to continue to build an America for all of us. The rest of the world has not left us yet either. Stand with your people, and stand up and speak up for those who may become increasingly marginalized the next four years. Even if you feel like a whisper among the massive shouts. Find people who will be your voice. And do not stop fighting.

"The human voice is different from other sounds. It can be heard over noises that bury everything else. Even when it's not shouting. Even when it's just a whisper. Even the lowest whisper can be heard--over armies...when it's telling the truth." -The Interpreter

These next four years are going to be hard. The rest of many of our lives may be very hard, especially if what many of us fear will occur with the Supreme Court comes to pass. But do not become cynical. Even in the darkest of times, in places of the world where the sun has set, a tomorrow will come. Do not give up hope on the world. Hold onto your hope, your love, and do everything you can to be a beacon of light and strength in this world we live in that currently seems so hateful. 

It's tough to make predictions of what will happen to our country currently, and so I actually urge you not to try. Try to spend less time engulfed by fear, and more time engulfed by hope. Spend less time engulfed by fear and more time fighting. Your voice does matter, even if today it does not feel like it. We cannot, and we will not, be silenced.

I love you. Keep up the good fight and continue to spread the light. 

"Walk in Unity. Walk in Love. Walk in Light and Wisdom."