Fear & Compassion in the Aftermath of the 2016 General Election

I begin this blog post by thinking of finding that one word that can help describe how it is that I personally feel about the election results, the country-wide protest and about the future cabinet and administrative appointments. So that word is, “Wow.”

I’ve sat with this post for a couple of weeks now and I wanted to allow my feelings to go through me and have some time to reflect about what it is that is happening, not only in the superficial way as it is being broadcasted in the media, but I wanted to reflect on what this means on a spiritual level (remember: We are spiritual beings having a human experience)

My initial thoughts were…

Wow, America…really?

Wow, this is crazy! 

Wow, this country is really so torn if we can elect someone so divisive as Donald Trump.

I allow my initial feels and judgement to consume me. Here come those judgmental thoughts…

Wow, this country is really racist.

 Wow, this country is just as sexist as it is racist.

I’ll disclose my political stance by saying that I was not a huge fan of Hillary. Through the primary season, I was a Bernie Sanders supporter. Senator Sanders is someone that inspires me. He speaks to the issues that I care for and want to see my political leaders do for our country. I voted for Hillary not because I supported her in the traditional sense, but because my vote for her was a vote against her opponent and what I felt that he represented.  Donald Trump did not (does not) represent the proverbial moral fortitude of the United States. I’m not sure if I gave it serious thought about the outcome of Hillary losing, and how I would feel about that. Voting for a woman for president should have been a f–king awesome feeling for me, but yet it was not.  I filled in the circle next to her name, completed the rest of the ballot, and walked away not feeling as though I voted for the next president of the United States.

I voted because it was my fiduciary responsibility as a citizen of this country. I voted because I will always owe it to my ancestors to exercise this right. I voted for her because it represented a vote against him, and although I had many issues with her as a candidate, I never once thought that she was a “nasty woman.” 

So here I am, the day after the election and these feelings of despair, sadness, confusion, and a bit of anger with the American electorate as to how we can elect a man that is such a bigot, a chauvinist, a divider.  Then, I notice that I begin to feel sorry for Hillary. I know she wanted this so bad, even more so than he did. She worked hard for it, and for whatever reason, I guess it just was not meant to be for her. Perhaps, her purpose is something different that she may have to reconfigure for herself, and I know that’s got to be so tough for her.  In that moment of feeling sorry for her, I realized that this country needs healing, and one of the many ways to begin the process of healing is to have compassion for one another. In that moment, I didn’t think about the things that I did not like about her, or the other negative things that people said about her, but I had compassion for her. I was able empathize and sympathize with her.

Russell Simmons says that compassion is the ultimate expression of your highest self. You see, the thing that I love so much about my spirituality and being such a “spiritual person” is that I use my spirituality to be a filter for my perception and my reality.  Its my go-to tool to process events that occur either to me, to others or to global events. The moment that I realized that this country needed more compassion is when I began to tap into my higher self.

I do not believe that everyone that voted/supported Donald Trump is a racist, or a bigot, or a male chauvinist. I am sincere in saying that. However, what we fail to recognize is that for the same reasons that I was a supporter of Senator Sanders, can be the very same reasons that someone is a supporter of Donald Trump. It was/is something about him, that resonated with people, and we have to not only acknowledge that, but we have to also respect that.

The fear of many Americans, especially foreign-born American citizens, or other immigrants living in this country is REAL, and we have to truly acknowledge that fear. The fear that your life can drastically change because of the election of a candidate is something that we have to have compassion and understanding for. Insofar as we can recognize that the fear of immigrants being deported, we also have to understand the fear of “White America”, or the crumbling middle class and their concerns. We have to understand the injustices that exist in the black community. We have to understand the science that surrounds global warming. We have to acknowledge the fear that exist in ourselves, and the fear that exists in other people.

We have to validate people fears because it is real, for them. Conflict arises when we are not able to understand the other, or when we have incompatible goals. An acknowledgement of someone’s fear is not a conceding act. It doesn’t mean that you’re acknowledging that they are right in the way that they think, but many times, it can be a deeper pain or trauma that exist that you may not be equipped to comprehend, or allow yourself to understanding it from their point.

Ignorance is also REAL, and its hard to argue against ignorance, but this is too where compassion and understanding helps. At the core of every religion, or spiritual foundation is love and compassion. For me, compassion is an obligation, and my higher self often “checks me” when I am not being compassionate.  Compassion is having an awareness of the plights of other people along with the desire to change for the greater good.

For me, while the election did not have the outcome that I wanted, I am still going to tap into that inspiration from President Obama, and also Senator Sanders who calls for a political revolution that I want to be part of. I do not want to continue to contribute to a broken system that leaves me feeling voiceless. For those of you who may be feeling hopeless, I urge you to be the change that you wish to see in this country and in the world. Become an inspiration to other people by the way you live your life. Have important conversation with people who are not like you that are positive and productive and overall conducive for a better society. Become open-minded and understand that everyone that you come across will not think along the same lines that you do, and that is OK. We can always agree to disagree with those who have incompatible thoughts and ideas as you.  Do not demean other, or make people feel as though the way they think is without intelligence, or is mediocre, or f–king stupid. While we may personally have these thoughts in our mind, and I admit, sometimes I do too, but we must have properly articulated discussion with the other side. This fosters learning and understanding of one another, which leads to healing our wounds.

There is no doubt that we are all reeling from the results of the elections, and the events that have subsequently followed from those results, but there are some things that I have thus taken away from it. I cannot, and realistically, will not call President-elect Trump, my president, or look to him to be any sort of leader for me. But, the reality is that we are all beings of light, including him, and especially the people that voted for him. This election reminded me again that not only do I have a responsibility to myself, but my fellow human brothers and sisters too to show and be the love that I know can have a tremendous impact on the global society. And, I don’t have to claim him as my leader to do so. I also, realize that I cannot allow my self to get so caught up in the hype that the media portrays. This election illustrated how divided this country is and also even more so how negative we are to another. Instead of dwelling in my feelings about the results, or getting worried about the direction of this country, we can play such an integral role in the true trajectory of this country by living out our spiritual values, or virtues that are important to us. This is a reminder to love more. This is a reminder to be more compassionate. This is a reminder to we do not need to look to our elected officials to lead us. Let us lead by our own example, and watch our higher frequencies vibrate to the masses.

More then ever, I believe that this is truly a time that we have to come together for the greater good. I do not wish for him to fail, that doesn’t benefit this country or the world for that matter. My wish is that he be as ever much so compassionate now than he has ever been. My wish is or him to acknowledge and understand the fears that exist in ALL of us, not just a select few of us who do not represent the country as a whole. My wish is for him to see the light that exist in everyone one of us, that is so important.

Let us hold on to our ideals and the things that we value the most in our life.