It was the perfect storm of what I needed this morning. While I was waking up, my wife screamed “South Dakota has a float!”. It was as though normal had returned for a brief moment. This happened while I watched a Harry Chapin clip where Harry talked about kids, education and sustainable eating for everyone. There was a dream. A minute later, I received an email from Elizabeth Warren’s new organization for progressives on how to listen to Trump voters to look for places where we agree. It was like we were one humanity once again.
Wait! It’s like there are good people in the world — people who want the world to get better! After my shower, I saw some of them — my family!
In all of the traumatic news of the week — and there is a lot of it — it is easy to think that evil is stronger than good. It is not. 200 people in a room with their hands saying, “Heil!” Do not outnumber the millions of people who love and care for the people around them. Watching the parade this morning, there were millions of people of all races, genders, nationalities, orientations, religions, and so much more — and there were no burning crosses, skinheads, hateful rhetoric to be seen. There was simply people and their loved ones next to each other in a huge line that went on for miles.
These people exist the rest of the year, as well. We just pay attention to the scary. Maybe we should focus on the loving people, the joyous people, the faithful people, the people we actually know. Joy, love, peace, hope and doing caring things will strengthen us for the work ahead. There is lots of work to do, but there are enough of us, and enough love to fight the hate around us. Living lovingly is the best revenge.
Resisting with peace,
John
Because It Matters 