I had a spiritual revelation in my polling place last week in the presidential election. My partner and I chatted with others in line. There were many familiar faces and also many new acquaintances. It was a diverse liberal crowd. I smiled at a man wearing a blue "I'm With Her" t-shirt in the line that snaked around behind me.
When I got to the registration table, an African American woman sitting behind the table gave me a smile when she heard me exchange names with the woman next to me me -- someone in the neighborhood who I had never met before. In the hour in which we stood in line to vote -- we discovered we had much in common. It was then I realized, this is like part in church where people pause and greet each other. The minister in my church calls it a "radical welcoming."
When I joined the Unitarian Universalists several years ago, I quickly became a lay minister -- called a worship associate in Unitarian lingo. As I recently explained to a vehemently atheist friend (there are many atheist Unitarians), my Unitarian Universalist experience has helped me learn about religion (I was raised secular), be open to people of all backgrounds and above all to underscore that no one group "owns" spirituality/religion.
Before I joined the Unitarians, I avoided religion all together since the religious right put me off -- including the white Evangelicals who, according to The Huffington Post, voted for Trump, for the most part. They voted for him in record numbers based on hypocritical un-Christian hate filled values.
One of the epiphanies that I had in line at the polling place was that as a lifelong democrat, I have always voted, and I have voted for more than a few guys (and they were all guys) who I personally did not like. (President Obama was, in fact, the first candidate who I actually liked.) I have always strongly felt that there is a difference between the two major parties -- enough of one that people's lives will be affected.
Of course, this epiphany that I had at polling place the morning of the election was before we would see the devastating effects caused by people not voting.
If you stayed home and didn't vote or effectively cast your lot for now President-elect Trump by voting for a third party -- it is now time to wake up, suffer the consequences and step up to help those, especially the most vulnerable, who are now threatened by this administration. It's time to cast away smugness and entitlement, and to put yourself on the line. Those (of all ages) who sat out the vote and are so apathetic they plan to do nothing are part of the problem.
As a practicing Buddhist, I meditate almost every morning. (The Unitarian faith includes and supports many spiritual paths.)
My emotions quickly cycled through me after the election results came in. On election day, spirits were high. After voting, I volunteered for the Democratic Party and went and knocked on doors. The people I talked to -- almost all African Americans -- had already voted. At the watch party (in my liberal neighborhood), I was stunned. By the following morning, I was devastated and depressed -- so much so that I didn't think I could get out of bed. But then I realized that anger was more healthy. Then for about two minutes, I felt deep grief -- a necessary letting go and a relief -- and returned to nothingness in my morning meditation.
Since then I keep going to back to anger.
Anger is linked to survival and I am blessed to have a strong streak of both. Perhaps it is my class background that makes me unafraid of my anger. I am the first in my family to have graduated from college and I have strong opinions (they may be different opinions from others from my class background but they are still strong). I am also a second-generation feminist and it may be my mother's feminist rage (something I talk about in my book Tea Leaves, a memoir of mothers and daughters).
I also am a lesbian-feminist who came of age under a fierce patriarchal system and I remember the quote from The Woman-Identified Woman By Radicalesbians:
"What is a lesbian? A lesbian is the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion."
I am empathetic but concerned about the stories I am hearing about people -- especially young people-- being emotionally stymied by sadness/devastation and fear. Vulnerability is a good thing but too much of it leaves us open to attack. Remember, they want us to be fearful.
When I heard a friend talking about a young gay man who said he felt like he should go back into the closet, my immediate response was, "NO! -- We have to be more out than ever."
I am with Senator Elizabeth Warren who said in an interview on the Rachel Maddow show that now is the time when "We stand up and we fight back." She advised people to volunteer for the causes they care about, to stay connected, and to stand our ground.
Despite my spiritual beliefs or maybe because of them, I do not have any optimistic words about the future. I do not advocate acceptance and I do not buy into the theory that anything is "God's will."
But maybe it is the goddess in my heart that gives me joy when I see the protestors on the street (#NotMyPresident).
Now is the time to prepare for the worst (even as we may hope for the best). We have to be centered and strong -- to fight for our own rights and to help those who need help.
As the saying goes, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."