 Today, we are feeling shockwaves from what transpired south of the border. Each one of us will have a different experience to the election results. Personally, I am in disbelief, all along I felt that Trump couldn’t really get elected. I feel a real sadness and sense of loss for what the future could have been if a Hillary (or another sensible human) had been elected. I know HRC wasn’t the perfect choice and that there was residue following her along the campaign trail from her previous errors in judgment and choices. But, I was hopeful that if a woman was elected as President of the United States she would, through her experience and unique perspective and approach create opportunity for new conversations and work to create a positive ripple for girls, women and society.
Several times today, I’ve paused wondering what to say about the results of this election to my teen and young adult children who are beginning to carve out their own path in life. It’s difficult to gleam a silver lining and fully make sense of how Trump got elected. What I’ve decided to tell them is this: today, as with any other day, we have a choice in how we use this moment to create our next one. This is an opportunity to take a take a good look to see where we each can make a difference and can learn, empowering us to make wise choices in the future. I’ll reinforce with them that they are loved, that there are very good people in the world who will be guiding the President Elect to make responsible decisions. I’ll share that while the election results have exposed several significant breakdowns in the U.S., these breakdowns extend well beyond their border. We need to face the challenges that have been exposed even if we don’t yet know how solve them. What I do know is this: cultivating a healthy, environmentally responsible and culturally diverse society where openness and inclusiveness are upheld is a global challenge and everyones responsibility. And we each must do our part to create the world and future we want rather than simply react to events or feel like a victim to our circumstances. We can begin where we are and with small steps. We can pay attention to the words we use when we talk to our kids and our friends and in our social media posts, our emails and our texts. It’s essential for us to pay attention and be aware that language is generative. The words we choose to use when we talk to our children and our friends and family create our future. How we choose to talk about the future will determine what actions we see as possible. Words of hope and peace, of care and love will create a completely different set of possibilities than words that provoke fear, anger or resentment. Collectively, we have a choice to perpetuate a negative and limiting story for our future or we can choose to seek out and cultivate hope and possibility. On a micro level I saw the power of language in action yesterday. I had the privilege to help about 30 professionals who have recently been restructured out of their job. Emotions ran high as we started our work together and the mood was heavy. Anger, frustration, fear, resentment, resignation, lack of trust, loss of hope flew from their mouths. We gave space to name the emotions and to acknowledge their shared experiences and bleak view of the future. Four participants held a different worldview and described their current reality in words such as hope, excitement, relief, new chapter and opportunity. And while they were most certainly the minority in the room, giving voice to their perspective exposed the group to consider an alternative response. One participant bravely captured the moment so clearly, “what resonates for me is now I see I have a choice in how I can frame what has happened. It’s (restructuring) is disappointing and I can be resentful, distrustful and angry about it. Or I can choose something different. I’m choosing to look for opportunity.” This experience with 30 disenfranchised people is a micro example of what is possible in the macro post-election aftermath. Our response to the election is a choice. We can choose to look for the possibilities rather than drown in wash of negativity. When we see we have a choice it creates a shift we can choose how to respond and act empowering us to feel more in control of our circumstances. While we have no choice with who the US elected to be President of their country for the next four years, we do have a choice in how we respond and talk about it. We can choose to highlight fear, hopelessness, corruption or other negative views on what has transpired. Doing so will only add to the boiling cauldron of despair, dragging our energy and mood into a soup of negativity. The outlook for the future from this view is limited and grim. Alternatively, we can choose to look for opportunity and focus on hope, paying attention to what we say and how we say it. We can direct our energy towards creating a shared future where so much more is possible. Let’s choose to engage in conversations that seek to find peaceful, sustainable strategies to address racial, cultural, gender, and environmental and economic problems. We must choose to focus on what we want our future to look like by talking about what we care about and what we can do to take care of it. How we talk about today’s events matter, let’s choose our words wisely and create a ripple to open new options and conversations for a future we can all look forward to. |
