Today, Donald Trump becomes President of the United States. And, I think we can all call upon this inspirational quote from Ghandi to help pave the way for tomorrow.
Sorry to greet you on a philosophical level, but I just had to. Today is the Inauguration of Donald Trump here in the United States and the saying “I can’t even…” has never been more true.
Here’s the thing, though: I believed Trump would win.
It was June 2016 when a sinking feeling set in that we were heading fast towards this day: when Donald Trump becomes President Trump. No, I’m not a fortune teller and no I don’t have a magic crystal ball. What I do have? Access to Twitter, where you can bear witness to conversation on virtually EVERYTHING. For months, I observed the conversations his supporters were having. From there I knew the news and polling had it wrong. More people supported Donald Trump than what was on the surface. More people supported Donald Trump than most of us cared to admit.
The Election is in the Past. Now, We Face the Future
Today’s not about reliving the election though. That was PAINFUL enough, for all of us. Today’s about standing up for your beliefs and engaging in painful conversation. It shattered my heart watching the Cabinet hearings in the Senate this week. Watching education, Americans’ health and the environment (at such a CRUCIAL time in our history on this planet) take hard beatings was rough. Hopefully some of these people (*cough* Besty Devos and Scott Pruitt for sure *cough*) won’t be confirmed…but I can’t change the fact that they exist…and I also can’t change the fact that there’s a population of people that agree public education should be disenfranchised and climate change is a hoax. (Even though it’s 60 degrees outside in January, mind you.)
We can’t hit mute the button, though. Not on ourselves – or people that feel differently than us. As Ghandi said, it’s time we be truthful, gentle…and fearless.
Now is the time to respectfully defend your beliefs and fearlessly stand your ground.
Truth is, Ghandi is right. We can’t expect to get anywhere if the only way we communicate with our opposing side is by throwing insults at them. We have to be “gentle” when sharing our truth(s) if we ever expect the other side to truly listen.
The constant bickering and name-calling across party lines is horrific, both by candidates and their supporters. And make no mistake, Donald Trump has greatly contributed to the tone of the heated debates we have among ourselves. Also culpable are network news outlets that have turned the news into a 24/7 finger-pointing circus.
Through it all, we must find a way to respectfully engage in conversation without resorting to below-the-belt insults. We’re adults. We should be better than that. This isn’t a childhood playground anymore.
On fearlessness, Ghandi was also correct. As we kindly share truth, we can’t buckle against the heated backlash that comes with it. As the flames are fanned and tension rises, we can’t call ceasefire and retreat to our private lives. That might work in some places (although I’m not sure where?) but in the democracy we live in that’s not practical. It’s also not the way to ever get anything accomplished. To be constructive, we must respectfully stay in the battle and work towards resolution.
It’s 2017! We have a lot of tools and resources at hand to educate ourselves and make our voices heard. We need make best use out of the knowledge and platforms available to us.
We need to stick it out, stay present…and work towards coming together. Now is not the time to bury our heads in the sand for 4 years. Now is the time to engage – even when it’s PAINFUL as heck and we want to run away screaming from the conversation. Yes, even then we can’t give up.
Do not let today, Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day, define tomorrow.
Please enjoy your weekend!
I’m now going to step off my chatter box. Lord knows, we ALL need to have a great weekend. I hope you find a way to truly enjoy yourself and make some great memories.
You deserve it!
Side Note: As Dream in Lace is at heart about fashion, Couture Week kicks-off on Sunday in Paris! Haute couture collections are always among our favorites, so stay tuned because I look forward to sharing & discussing them next week. If nothing else, we can all use haute couture as a way to ease our frustrations. Right? If you spot a specific collection you’d like to know more about, let me know!
As always, stay stylish and keep chasing your dreams!
XOXO
Kelly
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