After Wallowing, What Will You Fight For?

Sometimes we need to take a little time to wallow.  Animals do it to cool their bodies from a relentless sun, to slough off nasty insects, and to indulge in comfort. But eventually, they come out and face the environment in which they live.

We have no choice but to do the same.

The election results were disappointing (ok, devastating) to half the population, but it’s time to emerge and accept the things we can’t change, have the courage to change the things we can, and have the wisdom to know the difference.  (Credit to Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer).

Accept it.  Donald Trump will be president of the United States come January 20, 2017.

Be courageous.  Fight for change.  For me, it’s protecting Marriage Equality.  I believe that love is stronger than any fear, but fear has done some horrible things to this world.   In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.”  Keep demanding.  If you knew the pure love between my son, Richie and his husband, Ryan, you couldn’t ever let our society turn backward.  So for me, I’ll join every movement I can to ensure that we don’t return to intolerance.  What will you fight for? 

Know the difference.  Don’t waste time moaning about the results.  The fact is that half the population wanted this president.  Be productive and pray for his success.

It’s time to dust ourselves off.  As Paulo Coelho said, “the world is changed by your example, not your opinion.”  Fight for the environment and clean water, disavow racism whenever you see it, treat people with kindness, embrace another culture.  If we hold onto our bitterness and grudges, we’ll never be able to reach for anything new.