None of This Is Normal
Little over a month into the second Trump Presidency and many of us wonder if the chaos creators will come up for air.
The attempt at eliminating waste in the federal government has led to massive overhauls that lack discernment and thoughtful consideration. This impacts so many lives and most of us know (or are ourselves) facing job loss, elimination of benefits and so on.
Also: Deportation, erosion and attempted erasure of Trans Lives, elimination and complete vilification of DEI, and MORE.
None of this is normal.
However, it makes sense in the worldview of Trump. Trump doesn’t see the planet as a living, breathing organism with a web of life that coexists together. He sees the planet as real estate, a dead rock that has value only through its mineral and other resources for extraction.
He only sees relationships as valuable in relationship to transactions.
He doesn’t see the necessity of checks and balances between the executive, legislative and judicial branches in a healthy democracy. He views the other branches as a means to an end and sees himself as a CEO rather than a public servant, here to represent ALL Americans, not just those loyal to him.
And there are many Americans who prefer this worldview to a democracy.
None of this is normal.
This clash in worldview sees some folx rejoicing n these cuts and changes and reversals of civil rights and equity and others, like me, shell shocked, rage filled and deeply saddened.
None of this is normal.
None of this is normal and many folx are not okay.
Please, check on your friends and your beloved folx.
Many of us are not OK. I know folx who have lost jobs. I know and love folks that stand to lose more than jobs and none of this is OK. And none of this is normal.
Folx face uncertainty around their ability to make a living in these times, and many people, including our family, stand to lose access to healthcare and other supports.
There are people facing the erasing of their identity and people facing deportation.
In can be so easy to hunker down, glued to social media, bracing for the next catastrophe and rage posting in between. (No judgement here, clearly, this is also me.)
It can also be easy if you have a spiritual practice to “pray it away” or focus on your own wellbeing exclusively.
PRAYER + ACTION (Think Civil Rights Movement, Gandhi’s overthrow of the British Empire in India)
It starts with your wellbeing, AND please don’t let it end here.
And don’t also forget to be kind and reach out personally to those that you know are struggling right now. Let them know you see them and love them in their struggle. Show up for their struggle not as a savior but as a “I am here to root out causes of harm and oppression with you.”
remind them that they are not alone. All of our liberation is bound up in the freedom of each other.
And if you are seeing people being very angry, don’t pathologize their anger or grief. Seek an understanding of the nature of their pain/fear and suffering, rather than a judgement.
and if you are silent in the face of injustice, think about how your silence is received by those who are struggling and suffering. If you’re not comfortable posting your thoughts on social media, okay, please reach out to those personally that are impacted and let them know you see them and love them.
AND what are you willing to do?
Sometimes silence can be equally devastating to folx on the receiving end of oppression.
So, find your people.
Find spaces to coregulate.
Deeply Listen.
Honor each other’s pain until something else emerges-some possibility, a connection that is rooted in compassion and the desire for all beings to be well, live free and safe from harm and have peace.
May each one of our thoughts, words and actions contribute to the wellness, freedom, safety and peace of all beings.
Maybe this is also not normal, but it is beautiful, builds resilience and fosters strength in togetherness.
Please take care of yourself right now, but don’t let it end here, none of us are well until all of us are well .
None of us are free until all of us are free .
#collectiveliberation
******************
To keep track of the onslaught, Follow Heather Cox Richardson on Substack or Facebook, a historian who tracks the numerous actions of this administration, creates a context and impact in real time.
To hang on to a glimmer of hope, follow Jessica Craven’s blog, Chop Wood, Carry Water. Jessica Craven on Substack
5 calls- an app with scripts to link you to your elected officials around pertinent issues
