Stay Present

The 2024 election was an eye opener.

Given a choice between an adjudicated sex-offender and convicted felon, who spoke in fascistic language about immigrants “poisoning the blood” of Americans and using the United States military against the “enemy within” — a man whose own employees told us was not fit for office — and on other side a strong, qualified, and compassionate Democratic candidate, who had built a bridge between Americans as diverse as Dick Cheney and AOC, a clear majority chose the sex-offender and the felon.

Every American who voted for Donald Trump saw January 6th on television. They saw the grift and self-dealing. They saw the racism. They saw the cruelty. They saw children separated from their parents. They saw a tax bill that transferred income from working people to wealthy people. They saw an American president genuflecting to our greatest geopolitical adversaries. They saw the immaturity of a man not suited for the office he held. And, having seen all that, they voted for Trump in even larger numbers than in 2016.

We learned something new about America this year. And we learned something surprising about our friends, relatives, and neighbors.

We’ll talk later about what we learned, and why people voted this way. But right now I want to join hands with your higher self and ask you to stay present.

A lot of people are tuning out. Media viewership is down. Newspaper readership is down. People are turning off the news and turning inward.

Attempts were made to organize another woman’s march, like the one that happened after the 2016 election, but the support wasn’t there this time.

Powerful men with the means to mount a significant resistance — men who own newspapers and media platforms — have either joined with Trump or have declined to stand in his way.

The feeling is different this time. If the mood in 2016 was resistance, the mood in 2024 feels more like resignation.

I worry about that. I worry about Americans accepting and resigning themselves to outcomes they vehemently rejected just four years ago. I worry about Americans beginning to question their own judgment and to doubt their ability to make a difference. And I worry about the cumulative effects of the constant gaslighting from a movement that would — if it could — reduce all of us to impotence and despair.

Reality is painful. And withdrawing from pain is something we do for our own survival. But your higher self needs you to stay with it. And I want to ask you to do the same.

If you’ve read Harry Potter, or if you’ve seen the movies, you’ll know that there were four houses, each representing different human strengths and weaknesses.

Ravenclaw represented cleverness. They had an academic disposition that emphasized learning over action.

Hufflepuff represented steadfastness. They weren’t the brightest, those Hufflepuffs, but you could count on them to do the right thing.

Slytherin represented human weakness. There was, among the Slytherin, a kind of resentment of courage and a surrender to fear — an unwillingness to face their own shadows and a corresponding darkening of their own personalities.

And then there was Gryffindor. Gryffindors were principled and heroic. They saw clearly the struggle between good and evil, and between love and fear, and they were willing to put themselves in harm’s way on behalf of the good. To do anything less would have been a betrayal of self.

In the years to come, your higher self and I need you to be a Gryffindor. We need you to remain present and to not give in to the diminishing of humanity that is happening all around you.

Slytherin has won the quidditch match. They’ve taken over the headmaster’s office and they’ve won control of the Ministry of Magic. The muggles are useless, as always. The Ravenclaws want to bury their noses in their books. And even the Hufflepuffs are disheartened. The Gryffindors are the last thing standing.

What we do next is what makes us Gryffindors.

In the weeks and months ahead, we’ll be learning from what went wrong and we’ll be making a plan. I have a lot to tell you and I need you to stay with me. We can overcome this wave of weakness, but only if we remain strong ourselves.

Your first challenge will be the holidays. Please read the post about talking to your relatives. Challenge yourself. How much wisdom, sensitivity and compassion can you project in the face of your uncle’s conspiracy theories? Even a small amount is a victory. You’ll get stronger with time, but only if you practice it.

So practice it.

Remember, you’re a Gryffindor. Love and courage will always triumph over fear and conspiracy theories. Try it on your uncle. He won’t know what hit him.