“The rose and the thorn, and sorrow and gladness are linked together.”~  Saadi.

I have no memory of this, but when I was quite young (our family was still living in England at the time), I stood in front of our black and white television and yelled: “Stop talking about Mr. McMillan!”  He was the British Prime Minister at the time, and I had had enough of him.  I may have picked up some general disapproval of him from my parents, although they made it a habit not to speak openly of their political affiliations.  I remember my father once saying (when I was quite a bit older), everyone’s a socialist when they are young and poor, and a capitalist once they have some money.  In public, and particularly from the pulpit (he was a Christian minister), my father never discussed politics or politicians, nor did he ever endorse one candidate or another.  To all intents he was apolitical.  Unlike the Evangelical Right in this country, who tell their congregants who and what to vote for, and encourage the belief in all manner of conspiracy theories.

On the other hand, he had a strong social conscience, and, along with his two brothers, refused to fight in World War II, having to go before tribunals to argue their pacifist beliefs.  As Christians, they declared, ‘I cannot kill or cause the death of my fellow human beings’.  My own political leanings have always been left of center, firmly believing that a government should do all in its power to make the world a better place for all of its citizens.  I dislike a social order where a small group of people flourish at the expense of others.  As I grew up and learned more about the history of British Colonialism, I could see its impact on the country we migrated to in the 60s, Jamaica.  The class structure there was loosely based along color lines.  The lighter the complexion, the more likely it was your family was well off, or in positions of power.  The darker your complexion, the more likely you were working class, your parents less educated, probably working the land.  But that changed over time, as education lessened the barriers to growth and advancement. 

When I married my Jamaican high school ‘sweetheart’, he was a full radical, reading all of the Pan-African political leaders of the time, along with Garvey and Malcolm X.  We were living in South Florida, and it was obvious to me that racism in the US was alive and well.  I read along with him, and understood more about the history of slavery and its effects on the African American family generations after ‘emancipation’.  In Jamaica, those descended from the enslaved Africans were in the majority on the island, and gradually were seen in all areas of authority and power. Meanwhile, those Africans who had ended up in the continental US had remained in the minority, and underwent all manner of injustice after emancipation.  During Reconstruction, those formally enslaved could be arrested for any trumped up charge, and end up in prison working in a chain gang, a different form of slavery.  During the Jim Crow era the ugly segregation rules were strongly in effect, and lynching by a white mob was common, again for perceived, imagined or even deliberately false charges. 

In the Civil Rights era, non-violent resistance, protests and marches were met with brutality, just to fight for equal treatment under the law.  It was 60 years ago that the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, preventing discrimination (in Federally Funded Institutions) on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and nationality. This Act also protected the Voting Rights for all Americans.  There have only been 15 Presidential elections in this country since this was enacted, and unfortunately, a Conservative Supreme Court has effectively weakened the protection of voting rights since then.

In the aftermath of the latest election, one which had held such joy and hope for so many, we are discovering that fear and anger are far more potent as motivators for the majority of those who voted.  I am one of those who thought that there was no way that a convicted felon, a misogynistic racist, a narcissist whose first impulse is always to think ‘What’s in it for me’ and then act on it, could possibly be reelected.  It was impossible, I thought, that after a hate-filled campaign with no clear policies verbalized (although Project 2025 outlines in horrific detail a grim view of the future), voters would recognize the erosion of rights that have already taken place, with more threatened to follow, and choose a path that allows all Americans the freedom to make their own decisions. 

When it comes to reproductive and women’s health, we have already seen how restrictive abortion bans have resulted in the deaths of women who weren’t even seeking to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, but were instead having complications and needed the medical procedure.  Those who didn’t die came near death.  And this was as a result of actions taken by the current President-elect when he was last in office.  And yet, even as voters chose amendments that would protect reproductive rights in their state, they also chose to elect this man as President.

In the last 72 hours I have limited my watching of cable news, unwilling to sit through hours of post-mortem, of finger-pointing and blaming.  What was the most painful was to imagine that more than half of this country (or of the voters anyway) are comfortable electing such a flawed candidate.  Are they all also racist and sexist?  And would they admit that to the exit pollsters?  But I had to listen to another possibility (and there may be many more reasons) when one of the biggest concerns voiced was the economy.  Not the macro-economy, which by all measures is strong and improving daily, but the micro-economy, the personal bills that working class people are struggling to pay.  And I realized that, just as I have taught nursing students, there is a hierarchy of needs that human beings follow.  According to Maslow, I cannot worry about higher level concerns (highest being ‘self-actualization’) when my basic needs (like nutrition, oxygenation etc.) are not being met.  How can I fault someone for not seeing the big picture: the impact on the world; the possible long-term impact on global warming (see Project 2025);  the possible loss of support for Ukraine’s war with Russia (and the implications for the rest of Europe); and countless other policies that can have long-term impact on the world.  How can I expect someone who is working two jobs to be up on all of the news of the day? They are voting their pockets.

The greatest joy for me in watching Kamala’s campaign, was to see Americans of all persuasions united behind her.  She had a strong, unifying message that countered the hateful, racist, sexist rhetoric being heard from the other side.  It is my hope that those of us who wish to see this nation continue to evolve into a ‘more perfect union’ will continue to demonstrate hope, joy, and love towards all of our fellow citizens, even those who we think have lost their way.  We have to believe that love can conquer hate, just as we know that violence begets violence. 

On this Friday morning, as I try not to over anticipate what the future may hold, I am hopeful that over time, our Better Angels will steer us back to higher ground.  I am encouraged by the coalition of a diverse, inclusive group of supporters across the country, and optimistic that they will continue to find ways of spreading the message.  I am resigned to the possible negative implications of the next four years, but perhaps this is needed to force the nation to come to terms with its past, and begin to forge a new way forward, with liberty and justice for ALL. 

Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste.