Where do we go from here?
It has been a week. A week since my personal hopes for the election, as well as the hopes of many in the Notre Dame community as revealed by our mock election, were proven wrong. Polls were wrong, but not really by that much. The odds never guaranteed a Democratic win, but they did lead many to believe it was a certain outcome.
This was the first election I followed. I became passionate about my candidate and felt strongly about the choices we were facing as a nation. I disagree on policy with the Republican platform, but that is not the reason my heart breaks at this outcome. My heart breaks because, regardless of the powers of the president to shape legislation, the president-elect models behavior that is unacceptable and promotes hate and division. This election season we learned that enough Americans could overlook sexism, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia to elect an inexperienced candidate.
But what has given me hope is Notre Dame. I have seen so many professors offer words of wisdom, solace, and a listening ear to students this past week. I witnessed most of a computing class shed tears at a professor’s discussion of fear. He told us that we had to hope that the fear many of us felt now was what those who voted for the now-president-elect had felt. He said he has to believe those voters felt backed into a corner, like they had no option, and hope that most of them do not have hate in their heart. I was not expecting to hear the best argument for empathy in coding class. Other professors gave up class time to discuss our emotions, or dove into the lesson plan to grant us some brief respite. I discussed fears, disappointment, and anger with classmates, fellow hall residents, and friends at home and abroad, and tried to listen to the concerns of those more vulnerable.
I have heard homilies and reflections on love, suffering, and compassion. I have seen prayer services and campus ministry emails and protests that prove we will stand together. I got to hear prayer from the Qur’an in Arabic, a psalm in Spanish, and the Gospel at a candlelit prayer service. I needed to hear every word, and I believe the communities I am part of needed it too. All the kindness and fear I heard in the past week has made me determined to effect positive change.
I am now, more than ever, determined to fulfill the Notre Dame cliche: I will change the world. I never felt a particular attachment to this goal, but as I work to discern my calling in life, I know this will shape it. I don’t know what I will do when I graduate, I have a year and a half to figure that out. But now, I need to dig in my heels. Our amazing community has modeled for me that I must use the privilege I have to fight for policies that preserve the dignity of every person. I must condemn discrimination wherever I encounter it, especially when it affects those more vulnerable than me. I should always be engaged in the political conversation and be aware of legislation, but now more than ever I must remain passionate and determined.
I hope that you will, too.
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