I'm sure you feel it too: that weight, worry, and wave of disappointment and fear that strikes, again and again, every time a new headline drops. It's relentless.
The big and powerful think they have it all figured out, but I want you to remember that kindness, love, empathy, diversity, and community STILL exist. There are millions of us that have chosen love over hate, and I've chosen to cling to that, while allowing myself to mourn.
I learned again recently that everything comes in nuances. Nothing is either black or white, good or bad. Every human has the capacity for making poor choices or positive ones, every home has both shiny and murky memories attached to it. Your identity is built through both pain and pleasure. I have tried to distance myself from the bad parts but ultimately that proved more painful than learning to accept them; and accepting doesn't mean approval or complacency, it means not running away, it means facing the bad aspects honestly. To those who are also from the US, I know it's been painful to see what kind of country we come from, but remember that we also come from a place of incredible openness, creativity, strength, optimism, kindness, diversity, gumption and innovation. All of those things still exist in the people around us. We can get through, together.
Continue seeking joy, making connections with others, and creating art. Continue doing whatever little things you can to resist oppression and support your community. Just keep doing the next right thing.
