Humanity
Now we know! Now we finally know who is going to be President of the United States of America for the next four years. The election night was quite a thriller and the result has sparked up various reactions all around the world. My original plan was to write about the Swedish coverage of the election and the reactions that I have seen during the day, but it just did not seem enough. I have tried to sum up my thoughts and pair them with some snapshots from the election watch I participated in at JU.
a) everything is indeed political in some shape or form and
b) there is a lot of injustice to be found.
I used to think everything was black or white, true or false. You are either right or you are wrong, with me or against me. Over time, I realised that it wasn't that simple. People are motivated by so many different, often selfish motives. The way we perceive the world differs greatly. We each have unique sets of experiences and values that shape us and the way we interact with ourselves, others and the world at large. It took me some time to understand, and even longer to accept.
In this subjective world, where we all have different understandings of life, how are we supposed to know what is true? Is there any truth at all? Some would say no. But I would always come back to this:
The truth is that no matter how different we think we are, we are all human with the same rights and responsibilities. We are all part of the very same unit.
"Who could argue this?" I thought, "who could deny that we are all connected and that we impact each other?"
I am shaken to the core after the presidential election. I know that humanity is already hurting itself every day on a global scale, I know that. I am painfully aware that people justify and uphold so many different types of oppression. Yet I never thought that a man that on countless occassions harassed women, people of color, the lgbtq+ community, immigrants and Muslims was going to run the United States. I never thought that so many people would actually vote for him. I get it, not everyone is going to see the injustice. Not everyone is going to perceive it in the same way because we all have different experiences. Privileges. But the empathy, the mere thought that we are all connected to each other, will that not cause people to think twice about what they put out into the world?
I am shaken to the core after the presidential election. I know that humanity is already hurting itself every day on a global scale, I know that. I am painfully aware that people justify and uphold so many different types of oppression. Yet I never thought that a man that on countless occassions harassed women, people of color, the lgbtq+ community, immigrants and Muslims was going to run the United States. I never thought that so many people would actually vote for him. I get it, not everyone is going to see the injustice. Not everyone is going to perceive it in the same way because we all have different experiences. Privileges. But the empathy, the mere thought that we are all connected to each other, will that not cause people to think twice about what they put out into the world?
I haven't given up on my truth though, Our truth. I still think we are one and the same, I still think we are connected and capable of so much more than this. We have to be! I keep telling myself that we have to be better than this. Let's take some time to sit down with this pain, these negative feelings, and then let's move beyond it all. Let's move forward. In a world where racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, bigotry and hate is so apparent, we must nourish the other things. Love, true acceptance, unity. We must all work to better the world in any way we can! Take part in projects, talk to the people around you, speak up when something feels wrong. Seek support and advice. Comfort those around you that are hurting, help those who need your help. Praise the people who deserve it and remember:
We must not turn on each other. We cannot afford to.
