A Call for Renewed Faith in Goodness After the 2024 Election
There are many parts of me that are terrified of a Trump presidency in 2025: the Cuban-American blood, the asexual female body, the neurodivergent brain, the chronically ill genes, the loving Christian faith, the scholarly advocate heart and the English teacher soul. What feels like every part of me prayed that Trump would not win this presidential election and that extreme right politicians would not win locally.
The opposite of what I wanted has come to pass, unfortunately. There’s only so much I feel I have in my power to do. I follow the law, I pay for healthcare even though I can’t afford it, I seek medical and therapeutic treatment, and I love others by advocating for them. It isn’t enough for me to feel safe as the political system seems to turn away from me.
As I see all the X hashtags telling Kamala Harris to not concede and wishing harm to people in Gaza as revenge for Gaza supporters not voting Democrat, I am sickened. Why wish for more turmoil? Why wish for a repeat of Jan. 6, 2021? This will not fix what is broken in our society and world.
When Trump won in 2016, I remember reposting an image on Facebook that said something along the lines of “Hoping for the newly elected to fail is like being on a plane and hoping for the pilot to crash.” The thought sticks with me today. Yes, what I wanted did not happen. Yes, I am anxious about the future. But I can still hope and pray for good.
I hope Donald Trump and all the elected extremists prove me wrong. I hope they bring an era of peace, not war. I hope they make America and the world a better place. I pray they lead the nation in hope, truth, justice, and love. May women feel safe and supported. May LGBT+ people feel safe to be themselves. May the neurodivergent feel included. May the chronically ill and disabled have access to quality health care and be free to participate in society. May immigrants find their place in America and feel welcome instead of turned away. May those in poverty get support they need to thrive, not just survive. May people of color feel known and appreciated for all the great things they bring to our communities. May white people, straight people, and male people in power invite others to the table and evenly distribute power and wealth across our communities.
In all of this, I pray that my deepest fears about those elected in this election stay fiction. I truly hope I’m wrong. If you are as scared, upset, or angry about the outcomes of this election, I invite you to do the same. We cannot change the results, but we can change how we let it affect us during these difficult days.