“Elections are not the end of the world,” so proclaimed the Rev. Reneé Windsor-White to the congregation at First Christian Church in the heart of Eugene on the Sunday after the Nov. 5 election that to many felt like the end of the world.
And no wonder, never has there been a candidate who has shown such disregard for truth, disdain for the rule of law, admiration of dictators and the willingness to unleash a mob on Congress to overturn a free and fair election. And that’s not to mention his lewd comments, sexual abuse and felonies.
That a majority of voters would choose such a person to lead our country is incredibly discouraging.
But choose they did and we have to now live with that reality. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross introduced us to the five stages of grief in 1969. They seem particularly apropos today.
First came denial as the election results came in. Then depression when the results became undeniable. That was followed by anger, maybe at voters on the winning side or maybe at the decisions made or not made by those on the losing side. Bargaining with God is a stage which is understandable in matters of life and death, but not as helpful for changing election results. Finally comes acceptance, hard as it may be, but necessary to deal with grief.
Here is what I can accept. Donald Trump won and now he and his supporters get the opportunity to show that they can deliver on their promises to the country. They earned that chance. But acceptance does not mean going along with violations of basic human decency, civil rights and principles of democracy.
And this means, as Windsor-White said in her sermon, that we are going to have to work harder than ever before.
Trump’s enablers have assured us that his more outlandish statements were simply campaign rhetoric and that he isn’t a threat to democracy. His cabinet picks, however, are far from reassuring, and his original pick for attorney general not only suggests that he will do exactly what he said he would do, it also makes a mockery of the Christian values he claims to hold.
For progressives who believe in the values of democracy, this will be a challenging time. For those who understand that climate change is real, there will be significant setbacks. For the undocumented and the trans community who live in fear for their safety, know you are not alone. For women who cannot find the critical health care they need in their home state, build alliances with those who care.
For all who are discouraged, know that this too will pass. When Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that the arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice, he of all people knew that the road was hard and filled with pain. On the night before his assassination, he told us that he had been to the mountain top and had seen the other side. And so with confidence he could say, “I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!”
I do not know what trials await us or what calamity we must endure, but the Good News is still the same. Whatever the suffering ahead, light will always shine in the darkness. Love will always be stronger than hate. Justice will win in the end.
How can I be so sure? Because I have faith in the people who will accept no less.