Sending Out Ripples Of Peace

Tomorrow will roll in just like every other day, with the sunrise to greet us. Somehow, my world just won’t feel the same though. As a man who stands for hatred gets sworn into office as the 45th president of the United States, many of us will shed tears at this reality. No, I can’t simply accept it, as some have suggested. I absolutely refuse. Maybe I will have to accept his presidency, but I will not just sit here passively and allow his divisive sentiments to seep into my soul and the souls of my countryfolk; I will work my ass off to bring peace into this world.

As much as we social justice warriors try to work with love and light as our mediums, that doesn’t mean that darkness never creeps into our world. We have seen that all too clearly in recent times. We sit here in mourning for our nation because of all the work that has already been done. The suffragettes who devoted their life to not only helping women gain the right to vote, but also worked to end slavery. Not just Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, but the many nameless women whose names don’t end up in history books for the change they helped bring about. Jane Adams, who began the field of social work. Ezell A. Blair, Jr., Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond, who protested at a Woolworth’s counter in Greensborough South Carolina to say that separate would never be equal. Gloria Steinem, who reminded us that “the personal is political.” Those who stood their ground at the Stonewall Riots, to pave the way for queer rights. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who preached simply for us to use love as our guide in this world. Countless everyday citizens who make it part of their life’s work to make the nation a more just place for the diverse souls who live here. These are the people who make us all feel that we are in mourning. What a disgrace to their passionate, loving spirits that we are about to let a hateful bully take charge, when so many have fought for so long for love to lead the way. How has it come to this? What will people endure? These are just some of the questions we ask as we try to fall asleep, but anxiety wracks our mind instead. But for many of us, one question screams inside of us more loudly than others – what can I do to help keep this nation a just place for everyone?

I don’t think I am being dramatic when I say that I feel we are about to see some ugly times ahead. But with that, I see the beauty too. I have seen the kind, knowing smiles of strangers who seem to feel my pain – most likely because they feel it too. So many people are already out there working toward peace. For every hateful word and movement, my sisters and brothers work to smolder it with love and peace in action. Some suggest that focusing more on peace than all this fighting makes more sense if it is peace that I want to see in the world. That is exactly what I am doing; focusing on peace. I don’t hate anyone. Hate is a waste of my energy. But sometimes we warriors do have to fight – it is one of the ugly truths. You must fight hate. Now, I don’t condone violence – ever – but we have to fight with all of our souls to know that we are giving our best effort to work for love. This is how we sleep at night. (Some of us will be doing this by attending one of the women’s marches taking place in many major cities on the day after the inauguration.)

Please join me in sending peaceful vibes into the nation as we see a new era take place.

~ Peace and Love, Tracey

© Tracey Love, 2017. All rights reserved.