An American Mourning
An Autumn Landscape
Soft, golden light suffuses the surrounding hills and transforms autumn’s dying landscape into one of incredible beauty. Despite Nature’s light, a pall of darkness shadows this place. I am sad. This isn’t a week for cheerful and humorous banter. Rather it is a time for reflection and resolve. I am in Italy but this week I am an American in mourning.
According to the results of the election, I’m a minority. My vote was fueled by hope and love- love of country, love and respect for others, love of my freedom. In contrast, fear and hate drove the majority of my fellow American voters to elevate an evil, amoral, criminal narcissist to the highest office. And so I am in mourning.
Whether his supporters voted due to ignorance (of the facts contradicted by his lies and a steady diet of misinformation, of the frightening agenda of his powerful puppeteers, and of the inescapable reality of his disregard and disdain for the Constitution he will again swear to uphold with every intent to subvert) or their embrace of his demeaning, sexist, racist, homophobic, lewd, crude, xenophobic rhetoric, the result is the same. Our democracy, as imperfect as it is, will be in peril and the world will be less safe.
Sadly, everyday, hardworking fellow Americans who voted because of the price of eggs or gas or rent will find that nothing this man does will improve their lives despite the (empty) promises. It was never about us- it was always just about him and the very rich. Too late, amnesia about the results of his last presidency -the death, destruction and long painful recovery from COVID, the ridicule of the rest of the world for the chaos he created, and all the rest -will be gone. But it will be too late to undo their votes. We face four years under leadership that will be even less compassionate, less respected, less constrained and less moral than it was before.
So what do we do now? Each of us needs to reflect on how to move forward with integrity. I have two touchpoints for guidance - Daily Meditations from the Center for Action and Contemplation founded by Richard Rohr, OFM and Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson. Daily Meditations support contemplative practice to effect loving action. Heather’s Letters provide well-researched historical context that advances my knowledge and understanding of history and current events. Together these two sources of wisdom inform my commitment to be hopeful and vigilant while I continue to fight for a better America. And in this fight, I resolve to live with love and kindness, even when it’s harder than I can imagine.
Consider this excerpt from the November 7 Daily Meditation for your own personal reflection on how to move forward:
Love as an action is the only thing that has ever changed the world for the better…
Where selfishness excludes, love makes room and includes.
Where selfishness puts down, love lifts up.
Where selfishness hurts and harms, love helps and heals.
Where selfishness enslaves, love sets free and liberates.
The way of love will show us the right thing to do, every single time. It is moral and spiritual grounding and a place of rest amid the chaos that is often part of life. It’s how we stay decent in indecent times. Loving is not always easy, but like muscles, we get stronger both with repitition and as the burden gets heavier. And it works.
This time calls for love. I pray that our leaders and each of us will be motivated by love for the work that lies ahead.