It started with a conversation with a friend yesterday who said that she can't fly her American flag or she would be accused of voting for Trump.
I've noticed in the past few years (specifically post-9/11) that conservatives have somehow embraced the symbol of our country more than liberals. It seems that every time I see a flag waving from a pickup truck, the bumper has a Trump sticker and/or some anti-liberal sentiment.
When I spoke with a relative today, he was very distraught about the fate of our country under not only Trump but also his cohorts and ultra-conservative Republicans like Paul Ryan whose goal is to privatize Social Security.
It's been a long election cycle. I'm glad it's over. However, the anxiety and fear that has been rampant during the election has escalated and turned into catastrophic thinking. My husband reminded me of 1972 when MA was the only state to vote against Nixon. MA Dems were convinced that Nixon would pave the entire state over in retaliation. Well, we know how Nixon's story ended.
My propensity for anxiety and panic forces me to choose another path or I will certainly suffer for it physically. So I work to find a way to find balance in my thoughts.
My love for astrophysics has helped me see that the universe seeks balance. It is how it not just survives but continues to expand. Sometimes stars implode but they create more stars from that radical shift, and on and on it goes. Augusten Burroughs writes, "Inside every single thing that lives is a debt to a distant star that died. Nothing new is ever created without one thing colliding into another."
We not only have to have faith that balance will ultimately happen but that something new will come from it. And for something new to be created, we must work for it. No one ever accomplished anything worthwhile without work.
There is work to be done in our country. Work to ensure that the Constitution is upheld. That the marginalized are not harmed by changes in policy. That our voices are heard. That this collision creates new stars.
I do what I can to help my country and those in it. I have been an election officer in my town and worked every election no matter how small since 2004. I have been a member of three non-profit boards that promote animal rights and land conservation. I work with youth to encourage free thinking and social justice. I serve on the Pastoral Care team at my church to help those who are struggling. And I do a lot let less than others I know.
We need to get out of our electronic devices and start putting our hands and hearts to good work. There is so much to do and, as Tip O'Neill famously said, "All politics is local." Let's start there and with our good intentions we will make change in our communities. Even if it doesn't change the nation, we can say we have done all that we can do.
I can't fix this divided nation. But I love it anyway. With all its broken pieces and people. They are my neighbors, my family and my friends.
So fly the flag proudly and if anyone makes assumptions then consider it an opportunity for dialogue. And those stars on the flag? Let them collide.
