so what do we do now?

So...the election result we were all scared about happened. Where do we go from here?

I wish I didn’t have to write about how the world is falling to pieces yet again. But alas, that is not the world we live in.

Instead of trying to form my own thoughts into words, I’ve decided that for this month’s newsletter, I’ll compile a list of what other smart people are saying/have said about the U.S political climate. In my conversations with friends, family and colleagues in the past few days, many of us have been plagued with the questions of how we can move forward, how we can keep going on in the face of adversity.

I think a lot of those questions are big, and my understanding of them will evolve in the coming weeks, months, years. But one thing I know is this: Sitting back, escaping somewhere else, ignoring the scary things is not something that I want to do. I want to know: What are the real problems here? What, realistically, can be done?

My favorite stress coping mechanism is to read voraciously, so in the past several days, I have been doing just that. Here are a couple things that helped give me a bit of clarity:

10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won | Daniel Hunter, Waging Nonviolence

It’s easy to retreat into fear, blame, distrust when things go wrong, but we need to do our best to not give into that. My friend shared this article in a group chat on the morning of the election results, and I found the framing of it all to be quite helpful. Lots of great points made, including: Resistance can be thoughtful. It’s not burn it all down or nothing. There are paths forward.

This fantastic essay by Rebecca Solnit in The Guardian also touches on similar points. As she writes: “We do not know what will happen. But we can know who we can commit to be in the face of what happens. That is a strong beginning.”

Focus on the Things That Matter | Jennifer Senior, The Atlantic

A lot of my personal objectives in journalism is to look beyond the events and to get at the humanity behind them. Jennifer Senior is a brilliant master of this (she wrote a story about disability that I’ve shared in the past.) In her most recent article, Senior argues that instead of sinking into ideological arguments post-election, we should focus on the existential matters and vulnerabilities we all share. We all seek connection and fulfillment, experience loss, love and grieve. Perhaps it’s time have more conversations around these common struggles, with those who are willing to listen.

Along those lines, Jose A. Del Real, a national features writer at the Washington Post, reported a beautiful collection of narratives in the past year or so. These stories highlight how tensions of the American political landscape play out in everyday lives, including this one about an aging couple in Iowa. A longer list of Del Real’s work can be found here or here (let me know if you need help getting past the paywall!)

My ancestors did not die for my right to vote. They died for my right to life. And I intend to live. | Taylor Crumpton, Missing Perspectives

So an election didn’t turn out the way you wanted to. This isn’t the first time this has happened in our lifetime, and certainly not in history. A government that doesn’t prioritize your values, your rights, your existence is something that countless have experienced, and yet people persist.

And so as this wonderfully written essay by Taylor Crumpton says, learn from your ancestors. Life does not start and end on Election Day. Changing the world is never a given, but we can always choose to show up for our communities and build an abundant life — in spite of it all.