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We all went together to vote, as we always do. Your mom and I want you to see democracy in action; that it is important to go to the polls and participate in democracy. Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose.
Anyone can be anything they want; you could be President one day, Aidan. We will one day see a female president; she could even be you Julia!
But, 2016 was not the year for that. The candidate we preferred did not win. The candidate that did win had espoused some core values that are in direct contradiction to how we try to live and how we try to make the world a better place.
I'm not exactly sure what his Presidency will do for our nation, or for our lives. But I do have some thoughts on how your Mom and I can continue to do our best, even though neither of us were elected president.I processed the election results through my view as a "dad" because, to be honest, being your dad is THE most important thing I do.
I love you. Mommy loves you. Your family loves you. And we will continue to fight for you; and to teach you to fight for what you believe is right.
Here were my thoughts on the day after election 2016.
The election is over. Votes were cast. Half the country wanted this; half the country wanted something else. Trump did not have my support, he has not earned my respect, but he has my attention. The whole world is watching, Mr. Trump; make us proud.
Love will always be greater than hate.
I have been wondering what I can do to promote Holly's and my vision of the future, what we were taught by- and what we learned from- our parents. Now- as it has always been- each of us needs to be the change we want to see in the world. Hard words to live by; hell, even Gandhi is loathed by many for what they see as his failures to live up to that promise.
But I will continue to try be a model for my children, as I have tried to do since they were born. Maybe even a bit more pro-actively now…
I want them to live by this self-evident truth: all people are created equal. A smile or friendly comment to a stranger of any stripe costs me nothing and even enriches my day; an act of kindness for a friend or neighbor who looks and believes the same as us or looks and believes differently than us is never out of season. Sexual orientation, color of skin, religious beliefs (or lack thereof), profession, gender identity, gender...they define who we are and enrich us as individuals...but they shouldn't restrict or limit our access to the riches of the human experience. We're all human and deserve all the rights, respect, love, and opportunities for the pursuit of happiness as the next person.
I want them to be stewards of this earth. We pick up our trash, we pick up other's trash if we see it, we respect nature, we don't waste our resources, we care for creatures great and small.
I want them to know that the surface is just that: the surface; appearances aren't a tool which should be used to judge.
I want them to deconstruct the power of bullies by embodying support, and acceptance.
I want them to follow Louis CK's words: “The only time you look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them."
I don't want them to inherit my implicit biases.
I want them to embrace their emotions and to learn to express them respectfully.
I do (and will continue to) fail at reaching these goals.. likely many times each day. But I will keep trying to live up to my promise to them every day. Because, in the words of the Beatles, “…in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” We sing these words to them every night because we believe them. We sang them last night, and we’ll sing them tonight.
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
