We the people

Here we are. The day we’ve been awaiting.

For some, a day of disappointment. Others, jubilation.

With so many voters in so many places, there’s bound to be some discord. Not everyone can have their way. And, of course, there’s no guarantee.

So whether we are ecstatic or downcast, whether we ‘won’ or we ‘lost’, whether got the result we had hoped for (or didn’t), what we do now—today, tomorrow, moving forward—is what counts.

Because, today is not doomsday. Anymore than it was 4 years ago. (Just another day—bad or better, depending on your outlook.)

At the same time, it’s not necessarily a day of celebration either. Democracy is not a panacea for our ills (literally or figuratively), it’s just the ‘best’ form of a representative, civilized government that we have.

In four years time, we’ll have another election, you’ll cast another vote, and you might win this time, or not. At any rate, who we become and what becomes of us—as people, as communities, as a republic—has less to do with who wins and who loses, and more to do with who we choose to be and become.

Whether we burn buildings, bulldoze statues, build bridges, or raze walls is mostly up to us.