“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Marie Curie
How do you feel about the election? Does the late counting disturb you? How will you feel if your candidate doesn’t win?
This election has created heightened anxiety for many of us and it may be days before we really know the outcome. Initially, Trump is doing better than I expected and some seats in Congress and the Senate aren’t going in the direction for which I had hoped.
I often walk around shaking my head. How can so many people vote for a man whose words are often so demeaning? How can they vote for a president who has refused to help people struggling during this pandemic? How can women vote for him when he often acts so disrespectfully toward women?
I don’t understand. Obviously, there are people who think like him, who have the money to do what they want and buy what they want, who don’t need government help even in this trying time. Do they like him because they share his values? Do they like him because he pushes people around and disrespects them to show he is powerful or to prove how manly he is?
Will they vote for anyone who attaches the label Republican to their campaign? Are they afraid that their family or community will reject them if they don’t vote for him, even if they don’t agree with him in all respects? Or do they vote for him because they actually think he will help them in some way although his actions so far prove otherwise?
I often feel like I’m living on another planet although fortunately I live in a very caring and aware community that takes seriously police reform, affordable housing needs, and the goals of Black Lives Matter.
While some of the election results are not what I wanted to see, I have to be hopeful to the end. I refuse to give in to the darkness that hovers over us and the fears that our democracy will soon be destroyed by a man who admires Putin and Hitler, who loves to create fear in people by threatening to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, the only income and medical insurance many older people have.
Years ago, I watched one episode of his reality television show The Apprentice. The way he treated and manipulated people frankly grossed me out. It disturbed me to think that people actually enjoyed watching him act like this. After seeing this program, why would anyone want him to run the country? Perhaps many of our citizens have become so addicted to the characters on television that they have begun to believe that is real life.
I guess all we can do today and for the next few days is to take quite a few deep breaths, pray for peace, and love all those in our lives regardless of their voting choices. Maybe one day, we will understand. And by all means, remember to love yourself as well.
© 2020 Georganne Spruce
To learn more about how to release your fears read the following:
AWAKENING TO THE PEACE AND WHOLENESS BEYOND FEAR
Awakening to the Dance 
Thank you for this meaningful piece today!