Day of the Thigh Whip, Electra, 16th of Hagwinter, 524 M.E.

 

We have to do four years of Trump over again? You've got to be kidding me.

Four more years of Agent Orange. His idiot sons and creepy wife. Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, Ted Cruz, Marjorie Taylor Green, Jim Jordan, and Mike Johnson. And new this year, we get to include Elon Musk and RFK, Jr.   

I hated the first term. Some of the most stressful years of my life. Certainly the tensest period of the 21st Century. And now we have to do it all again? I know I'll find the strength somewhere, but right now I can't summon any enthusiasm for making that effort.

I just watched Kamala Harris' concession speech. Wow, talk about grace under pressure. It must have been a hard speech to give and she did it with poise and even a touch of her characteristic joy.

The Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, "We cannot control our external circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them." Challenging times can present us with an opportunity to strengthen our resolve. Anyone can stay calm and serene through times that are, well, calm and serene. Try staying calm and serene through a tornado. Through chaos. Through a second Trump term. 

We can all imagine what will happen the next four years to Ukraine, to the West Bank, to the NATO alliance. We can all imagine what will likely happen to our immigrant neighbors, to all marginalized communities, to women. To political opposition. To imagine it all now, before it even starts, can be overwhelming. I'm not saying to ignore it, but I'm going to try to face it and respond as appropriate as it arises. Should I survive, I'll emerge someday as a stronger person.