The morning after a presidential election in the United States always finds some people unhappy, feeling disenfranchised and unheard, maybe even afraid for what the future will bring. A lot of people woke up that way today, and I get it. It's hard to lose, especially when the stakes seem so high. That's why I want to offer us all something to help put our situation in perspective - a reflection that arose from our new president-elect's first term. I read The Soul of America about six months ago and kept it in my Kindle library, thinking I might need to take another look at it and today, I do.
Jon Meacham isn't just a historian. He's also something of a philosopher in that he doesn't only examine events. He looks at trends, at how events take root over time, how they take their place as part of a greater whole and, in this book, he doesn't discuss only what happened in history but tries to refocus our eyes on the future based on what we've done in the past. His view showcases the line of human striving that rises persistently from mankind's first caves to today's declarations of freedom. Humans, as it turns out, know we are extraordinary and we will not stop trying to realize it. Whatever is happening today, we try to achieve something better. Sometimes, the run to freedom becomes a crawl under fire, but the trend upward has less to do with who is in power than what is in our hearts.
For those who feel there is less hope today than there was yesterday, well, Meacham differs. We've been here before - as a nation, as people - and we have used adversity to rise. Whoever got elected yesterday did so because they promised more people than their opponent to make things better and people believed them. It remains to be seen what will happen now that the collective voice has been heard.
Our individual voices, however, even those in the minority, do not have to be silenced. In fact, in this United States, it is sometimes the minority voice that raises the loudest cry.
So, this morning, we have a choice to make. If we have raised a concern for decency, for inclusion, for generosity and the freedoms that go with them, now is the time to show we mean it. Now is the time to extend a hand to help, not a fist to threaten. Now is the time to continue to welcome the stranger and immigrant in whatever way we still can. Now is the time to build whatever bridges are possible. Now is the time to show that when we said we want progress and decency, we meant it. What the government may not want to do, we, as individuals each in our own small sphere, still can. What we do now can inspire boldness in upcoming generations.
We may not have realized our short term objectives, but the election mattered less than we might have supposed anyway. What does matter is showing the world we are who we've been claiming to be - free and decent.
