Unexpected Calm

This post was reserved for reflections of the 2024 presidential election. I assumed Trump was going to lose and there was going to be chaos and crazy and all kinds of angry screams of voter fraud and more lies and conspiracies, so I wanted a place to capture the moment in history (like I did before here and here). But alas, Trump won. He won the electoral college votes and he won the popular vote. Overwhelmingly. 

I did not see this coming. I really believed that truth and character and integrity would weigh higher in people's decision-making on who to vote for. I am sad. I am disappointed. I am confused. I honestly just don't understand. 

I recognize that people vote for lots of different reasons -- and reasons that are clearly way different than mine. People vote for what they think is best for themselves or maybe they vote against the other candidate out of fear or dislike. I did that....I did not want to live through another 4 years of discord and divisiveness and narcissism and short-sighted decisions that tend to favor the rich and a select few, so I voted against Trump out of dislike for him and what he represents. (For the record, I also do really like VP Harris and what she represents...so it was also a vote for her too, with the added benefit of voting hopefully for the first female US President!)  

I have tried to look for the good and find positives, because I know: what you see depends on what you look for. So I look. I read a variety of websites, left, right, middle, far-right, headlines, stories, books and watch his speeches and rallies -- but I just can't find anything true that I can relate to or appreciate about Trump's behavior, decisions, words, character, leadership style, lifestyle, faith, fashion - nothing. And I usually come back to this: I do not think Trump cares about the country -- I think he cares more about his own success and money and adulation and crowd size, and uses the veil of patriotism and religion as a vehicle to rile Americans to stoke his ego. He appears to have very few core values and will say whatever will make himself "bigly". When has Trump put God or America above himself? 

This whole thing has been a good reminder about the importance of learning to think - and about being aware how one might be influenced by fear and by an "us v. them" mentality. We are all Americans. We are all made in the image of God. And in case anyone forgot:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Yes, I have accepted the situation and will focus on what I can control, and not waste any energy or time getting worked up on things I cannot control. Time is too precious. I have decided to limit my news intake (be aware but not consumed) so that I do not get caught up in the circus or in the "what might happen". Republicans and Democrats have been at odds on big v. limited government since the beginning, so this is just another round. I choose to use my energy injecting more joy and goodness into each and every day and loving on the people in my sphere! 

(If you need a break for the news and want a good example of living a calm, meaningful life amidst discord, I highly recommend checking out Maria Shirver's Sunday Paper.)

THAT'S IT! There is one positive as a result of Trump's victory: unexpected calm. Had Trump lost, I'm pretty sure most of us can agree that there would have been unrest and lots of noise and turmoil and perhaps another unfortunate "January 6" with injury and death. This is not a stretch - his supporters have done exactly that before. So there. I'm extremely thankful for the peace and calm in this moment. 😔