I woke up on Nov. 9 not wanting to do anything. Anything at all, up to and including: go to class, eat breakfast or even put on pants. The wind was taken out of my already fluttering sails.
It was something I didn’t see coming. I joked about it. I half-heartedly said “but, what if?”
I didn’t fully absorb the reality until the following Sunday, when I saw a “60 Minutes” preview that read “45th President” with Donald J. Trump’s face beside it.
There is a tsunami of feelings that came with that reality. I felt let down, confused, scared, worried, frantic, desperate and apathetic. One thing I wasn’t, not in the least, was hopeful.
Now, that was more than a week ago, but I am still swimming upward, treading water. I am closer, though, and can see thin shades of light shining from the surface. A reminder that the world isn’t ending and nothing is set in stone, but also that there is work ahead. Hard work, diligent and soul crushing, push-yourself-till-you-don’t-know-who-you-are-anymore work.
For everyone. Every single person needs to be on their toes.
Especially journalists. The world that was so “great” in the past was not nearly as open-minded or accepting as the one we live in now. And we are not going back to that place. The only reason the stakes have become so high for racists, misogynists and other offenders is because we have come so far as a country.
A deep-seeded mentality that was receding is making a last stand for the hearts and minds of America.
But America has changed, for the better. Not everything is perfect and, while there is still change to make, we are on our way. Don’t move to Canada, don’t let them win. At least don’t make it so easy for them.
Have there been racially motivated crimes, both against and from police officers? Yes.
Have there been terrorist attacks, both home and abroad? Yes.
Do bad things still happen? Yes.
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But let’s look on a timeline.
Altogether, we are more accepting of gender, racial, LGBTQ and even animal equality, than we ever were.
It may not seem this way when the serpent catches you sleeping, but it’s true.
And with this challenge, comes an opportunity. An opportunity to shake an already frail political system to its knees.
Because, let’s face it: We need reform. We needed reform long before any of this happened. What we got here is an eye-opener and, with it, a glimpse into a future — which closely resembles the past.
Don’t leave and don’t get discouraged. Let’s get involved. Stick our noses exactly where they shouldn’t be. Bother and picket and yell and speak honestly until our voices are heard. There are more good people in this country than bad. Even some of the bad ones aren’t always “bad.”
Some people are ignorant, some are scared. Some have lost family members, some have lost themselves, so they turn to harsh action.
They see the only saving grace as something extreme and different, unhinged. Desperation drives many, not evil.
If we push hard enough and don’t let up, we can turn this around. All of it.
I honestly believe that in my heart. I know it won’t be easy, but I know it’s possible. Hell, now I know anything is possible. Maybe that’s one silver lining of where we ended up.
It’s going to be an uphill battle but just by being present, by not falling silent, that is a fight. You don’t need guns and knives and bombs. Millions of our ancestors from all sides went that route and died, so we could get to this moment.
Don’t let centuries of tragedy and beauty and strife and freedom and war and, at all times, progression, go to waste.
They say it is in the throes of its own mortality that a body fights most. That is what is happening to, what I call, the “Old World” mentality. It is struggling against a wave of change that only started as a ripple, but now looms higher than a skyscraper. And that scares them.
Many feel their ideology truly threatened for the first time in a long time. Many are capable of change, but must see that change is necessary. They need to see that what it means to be American has changed and will continue to change. America to them is this solid concept, but in reality it is fluid. And that’s a good thing.
We’re nearly at the pinnacle of this mountain and, like climbing a peak, it’s going to be hard. But it is necessary. For the future generations to have hope, to be able to look back and say “my ancestors fought for this world, and I’m not going to let that go to waste.”
Because, let’s face it, no matter how much good prevails there will always be some amount of adversity. That is the nature of life.
When you doubt everything, that is when you are most free to strike out wildly. We didn’t get here by sitting around and “letting” life happen to or around us. This is just one more milestone. One more reason to prove ourselves. And we can achieve that.
Nothing has ever been so “worth a try” in my lifetime, I know that for certain.
Matthew Reisen is the news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @MReisen88. The views expressed in this column are his own.
