Over the last few weeks I have felt despair and grief. Grief for lost opportunities, for the insidious nature of the patriarchy and how damaging it is for all of us, for the individualist neo liberal nature of the societies we are in and for the humans who have already suffered and those who will suffer in the coming years of this administration.
Trump becoming president was a joke in a Simpsons episode in my childhood - and I’m struggling to understand how could it now be a reality for a second time. Having seen Project 2025 (https://www.project2025.org/) which feels to me like a wild turning back of the clock. There seems so much on the line. Suddenly Celeste Ng and Margaret Atwood’s dystopian futures depicted in books don’t seem so far from reality. How could I be living in a world where it is rationally argued that the word diversity be removed from public policy, where medical termination of a non viable pregnancy putting a mothers life at risk becomes a crime or where hate is the sentiment coming from the so called “leader of the free world”.
I have struggled to understand how any woman could vote for a government bent on reducing bodily autonomy - to the point of refusing medical treatment resulting in multiple unnecessary deaths. Equally I am aghast that anyone with a hint of migrant history (almost all of us) could vote for a government full of such vitriol for those positioned as “other”. And I am frightened that Australia will follow suit quickly back to governments with conservative individualist agendas.
I have felt fortunate that my curated social media feeds are full of people who while sharing my disappointment - are trying to be present to their despair with grace and courage. People who are promoting pause and peace - alongside meaningful action. People who are promoting seeking to understand over othering.
So I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things which have helped me to reflect and ground and carry on - holding hope for a better future and faith in the essential kindness of humanity in our hearts.
Simon Sinek (an author and speaker on business leadership) often talks about the current divide in our society being deeply reinforced by virtue of us living our lives being feed only content which aligns with our political views and social stances. He argues that we have stopped seeking to understand the others point of view. I love this conversation he had with Deeyah Khan a muslim woman who ended up spending a year with white supremacists by engaging Extreme Listening - it is a life changing listen …
One of my favourite podcasts of all time
“We Can Do Hard Things” had a beautiful conversation just after the election about how in the despair of the bigger picture it is easy to lose sight of the very real work we can do in our homes and communities
And finally Valarie Kaur released this newsletter this week about how this election result is just another transition … not an end point. I love her work which sits beautifully with Deeyah’s Extreme Listening - Radical Love
Go gently in this often beguiling world.
May you practice the art of tending to your wounds while holding onto the joy available to you.
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