A Vortex of Emotions

                

Emotions all a muck swirling in a giant vortex as we approach the dawn of the rest of our existence…rage…hate…anger…fear…sorrow…sadness… disgust…no trust.  A myriad of feelings followed the most bizarre election in the history of the United States of America.  Donald Trump was elected the 45^th president of our country based on a platform of rhetoric, persuasively appealing to fear and hate, and effectively dividing the country into an enclave of compassion surrounded by callousness and confusion. This man said he would build a wall to keep Mexicans out and stop Muslims from coming into this country. This man did not emphatically denounce the endorsement of the KuKluxKlan, and this man was also known to physically grope women viewing them as sexual objects.   This man is a person many of us thought was one big dangerous joke but in the end he got the last laugh.

I ran across a quote of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which I feel appropriately describes what just happened in our country. “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”   A year or so ago when I first read this quote I didn’t quite understand it and glossed over it, but after this election and upon re-reading it had an “a ha” moment, a light bulb experience, and with some reflection was able to apply his words to our new reality:

Sincere ignorance stayed home the day of the election because of the thought that their vote didn’t matter, and were comfortably clothed in the notion when in doubt don’t vote. Sincere ignorance blinded many blue collar workers to the fact that the 5% unemployment rate is about as low as you can go in a capitalist system and was achieved by our current president Barack Obama. Sincere ignorance hoodwinked laborers with empty promises and them not realizing the impact of technology, which is rapidly replacing workers because highly skilled training is required.

 Sincere ignorance pierced the fear of coal miners into the belief that “go green” is a fad and the mining industry will be revitalized in spite of fossil fuels contributing to global warming..  Sincere ignorance fed on the uneducated who don’t have a clue as to the economics of this country, who idolize wealth, and who think that the 3% of this nation that controls the money has compassion for the shrinking middle class and the less fortunate. 

Conscientious stupidity stymied the hands of many right winged Christians who in spite of the Divine Doctrine of Love voted for hatred and intolerance…their paralyzed  hands keeping them from opening the bible and doing a fact check: St. Matthew 25: “³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”  The rallying cry of  “let the oppressed go free” rings throughout the Bible from the Old Testament to the New.

Conscientious stupidity was black people voting for the same man that the KuKluxKlan endorsed. Even sincere ignorance does not justify a black person casting a vote for the KKK, an organization that has tortured, hung, murdered, and burned their way into the psyche of the African American collective conscience and is forever embedded in the historical tapestry of the United States of America.
Conscientious stupidity voted for a man who wants to violate the first amendment by curtailing the migration of Muslims to this  country. This amendment states:“Congress shall make no law prohibiting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the exercise thereof; abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances. 
Conscientious stupidity ranted and raved about building a wall to keep our southern neighbors out, and about deporting large numbers of people who came to this country seeking a better life. Nevertheless the Statue of Liberty stands in the New York harbor singing out: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses to breathe free…send these homeless, tempest tossed to me. I will lift my lamp beside the golden door.” 

This is a country of immigrants no matter how many generations removed, and then of course  the many African Americans whose ancestors were brought to this country by force. The only indigenous people are the Native Americans, and here in 2016 the multicultural nature of this country is one of its greatest strengths. 

What do we do? Do we wait and see what’s going to happen over the next four years? Do we simply become complacently compliant only grumbling every now and then?  Or do we continue to work at making a difference in our communities, keeping our commitment and compassion for justice alive, and continuing to embrace humanity with empathy and dignity?  Do we stand up for something or do we fall for anything? In conclusion more wise words from Dr. King, Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."