Your Story Matters: The aftermath

It has been a long week. I provide care for patients on all sides of the political fence and some who are hoping to avoid the fence altogether. Inevitably, mental health and policy are intimately connected. Patient opinions are frequently shared and I, trying my best to remain neutral, listen.

We are all entitled to our own definition of safety and progress. From what I gather, votes on all sides were cast mostly on positions of frustration and fear — not hate. For some, this week’s results brought relief and celebration, while for others there has been panic, anger, and powerlessness. It has been a week of trying to encourage against uncertainty, and to refocus on what we know to be true versus operating on assumption. This can be easier said than done with the onslaught of misinformation and profit-fueled propaganda. Nonetheless, democracy, as messy as it can be, has spoken once again.

November 11 was Veterans Day. I am reflecting on the blood, sweat, and tears engrained in our nation’s soil as we fought and fought again (and still we fight), striving to uphold the constitutional pursuit of liberty. The morality pertaining to where liberty begins and where it ends is continually evolving. Its edges have been shaped and reshaped, expanded and contracted as the curtain fell on slavery, as women fought their way to the ballot box, as segregation was dismantled, and as marriage no longer had to be defined by man and woman. What used to be considered criminal, is now protected. We can disagree on where these edges ought to be, but this debate and choir of opinions is a special brand of liberty in itself. It is in mystery and curiosity, not certainty nor absolutes where liberty thrives best.

My hope is that we can prioritize the pursuit of liberty above any political figurehead. My other hope is that we do not reduce each other down to a political label, but challenge ourselves to remember nuance and complexity. It may seem we have to dig deep for common threads, but often these connections are just under the surface. The media and curated algorithms have told us stories of deep polarization and contempt for one another fueling a level of distance and distrust counterproductive to any progress.

Yes, oppositional and hateful behavior exists, and some of us will drink the Kool-Aid served by the pundits, but from my window there is still an abundance of decency and goodwill demonstrated daily by folks on all sides of the political spectrum. Maybe we can surprise ourselves and prove wrong toxic narratives.

This does not mean we cannot be angry, or sad, or fearful. Is there a time to fight? Yes. I have come to believe that some of the most successful battle campaigns are those without weapons or words of spite, but the continual and stubborn insistence to prioritize dignity and respect for one person at a time. That said, as those who have served this country can attest to, our constitutional mandate to safeguard Lady Liberty, can also come with the greatest sacrifice.

When we are in our defensive space, we tend to fight, flight, or freeze. We have tunnel vision. We get primal, territorial. Post-election, many of us might find ourselves in this place. Nobody has a crystal ball to predict what is coming down the pipeline, but it can help to ask ourselves what we know for sure. Do our feelings lie in an assumption? What is our evidence? Is it possible to transcend popular narratives of fear and division? No doubt we should remain watchful and no doubt, idolatry should never surpass our Constitution.

Our right to voice dissent ought to be forever upheld. In the meantime, let’s do our best to stop making opinions based on our social media feed. Let’s engage with our fellow citizens and neighbors — face to face. Let’s appreciate sentiment and nuance. Let’s share our stories. Let’s be brave and stand up for individual liberties. Let’s take care of ourselves. Nobody said democracy was easy business, but it is in our right to disagree and express differences that we are strongest. Worry most when the fight stops.

Thank you to all who have served this complex and beautiful country.