Half of America had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. Not the half that was either going to be happy or enraged, but the half that was either going to be happy or stunned. The half that could not grasp that rage could and did lead to such a strong desire for a smackdown. They wake up now in disbelief. To this? -- They're saying. It leads to this guy seizing control?
Ed came up to bed later than I did, but he hadn't bothered studying the latest results so he provided no updates. We both knew by midnight what the outcome would be. Still, I was up pretty early, reading the comments not of the stunned, but of the once-enraged-now happy half. I did that in 2020 as well, before I shut it off. I took a break then from reading nasty stuff from fellow bloggers and their followers, from pundits and sources that delighted in mean punches levied against those they learned to hate. Actually a rather permanent break. I came back to it today, but only for a day.
You have to understand hatred, I tell myself. You have to dig deep into disgruntlement.
At the same time, I reminded Ed that when I moved to America from Poland, I did so without hesitation. I loved the dynamic pluralism here (and felt trapped in the homogeneity I left behind in Poland), I loved that women were able to free themselves from the abusive and controlling words and behaviors of the men in their lives. This mattered to me then, at the age of 19.
It matters to me now, too, of course. Only, we have this hiccup. Born (in large part, but not only) of the unhappiness of many -- of those feeling at a loss in the current status quo. Looking for someone to turn on. Is it that democracy requires a testing of the extremes every once in a while? This is what I need to tell the grandkids: you live long enough, you will experience the big bounce. This time, more like a hurricane.
But what a strange bounce this is for America! May it gain strength going forward, because frankly, the way things are right now, one party hasn't the support of the majority to do anything at all to get the disaffected out of their downward spiral and the other, the winning one, hasn't the tools or imagination to lift them to where they want to be either. We all know it's far far easier to be there knocking things down and far more difficult to structure a better outcome. So here we are, at a tipping point. About to find out what it's like to be under the leadership of someone who knew how to throw those mean punches. But, but... tell me, who is going to have the wisdom and imagination to create a humane and caring alternative?
Well, never mind. We have to move on and take care of each other. And especially of the planet. It's on us now. We haven't the leadership that has any ideas on that one. It's on you and me.
So I walk to the barn, taking a good look at all that lives and grows here on farmette lands. So effortlessly moving through the late fall season, as if nothing could disturb its gentle progression. Oblivious to the drama, the threat.
And then I drive to pick up some bakery treats for breakfast. I think it would be good to sit down and indulge our craving for something sweet right now.
I read some more, and then I head out to pick up the kids.
It's hard to explain to them what happened. They're too young to get the politics of grievance. To give it a historical depth that is required here. It's hard to say -- well, probably both parties can share in the blame for creating a world in which so many are unhappy, only it's going to be the one in control that's going to get the anger, the wrath of the electorate. Years of discussion will now follow as to what might have been done to put someone other than Trump in charge, and more importantly, to address the dissatisfaction of so many at this critical time.
How do you give a two sentence answer to a kid, an answer that leaves them feeling hopeful about governance and leadership?
Luckily, kids dont want extra long narratives. Very quickly we switch to a discussion of whether today is a good day for ice cream.
And at the farmette, we return to familiar routines.
And then I shuttle them to their drop off point, returning home to cook up a pot of chili. So perfect for a gloomy gray day.
with so much love...
