The Results Are In…Now What?

You can say we're screwed. You can say 'I give up'. You can let fear, racism, misogyny and corporate greed win. Or you can fight.

I couldn't sleep tonight. I just lay there—heart pounding, head throbbing, ears ringing—staring into the vast darkness. I don't think silence has ever sounded so...heavy. Like many Americans (and many across the globe) who witnessed the 2016 U.S. Election, I am stunned. 

Today, America voted in a president who has repeatedly and unapologetically attacked me and the people I love.

I am deeply hurt. I am horrified. I am afraid.

Because as a woman, a mixed person and the daughter of a Korean immigrant I feel more abandoned, unsafe and unwanted than I have ever felt in my own country. I worry for the safety of my friends and for people I have never met. I thought America was supposed to be progressive. I thought we were supposed to set the example. The rose-colored glasses through which I gazed as a child have been shattered. At this point, nothing shocks me anymore. But it still stings.

This is not the kind of world I want to live in. I refuse to accept it. I will not stand for it and neither should you. I may go down fighting, but by God, I will be fighting. And when I say "fighting" I'm not talking fists and guns. To create a better world, we must be better. If we wish for a world free of violence, we must first ourselves be free of violence. If we wish for a world where love prevails, we must show love. I am devastated that America has elected a president who is filled with so much hatred. But I am also devastated to see cries for blood from those who claim to denounce his hate. When we stoop to his level, we become like him. If we stoop to his level, are we really any different at all?

This entire election has been exhausting. I feel it. No matter where you fall politically, we are all feeling it. Just take a look at your Facebook or Twitter newsfeed. The entire world is feeling this. 

As disheartening as this election has been, what I have felt from people both on social media and in person is that I am not alone. The response to this embarrassing outcome has been overwhelming. That gives me hope.

I hope we have all learned a lesson in passivity; in the danger of complacency. This needs to spark action. The people with the right heart and mindset are out there. They may not have shown up at the polls when we needed them, but we cannot afford to waste time pointing fingers. It's time to step up, face our mess, or face the consequences if we don't.

So please—for the love of God, humanity or whatever you hold dear—do not move to Canada. Do not leave us behind. Keep fighting.

For love.

For immigrants.

For refugees.

For the LGBTQ+ community.

For women.

For people of color.

For Native Americans.

For our Earth.

Do not lose heart. We have much work to do.