Today is the first full day of the 2nd Trump presidency, and it is a day that could be filled with despair. Already, if you follow the news, you could be triggered, worried, sad, anxious…
Napolean Hill wrote, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartbreak, carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
What?!? You may be in the mindset that there is no good that came out the first Trump presidency, so how could there be any hope in the second, in which he has promised to undo the very democracy that defined the origins of the United States of America?
Well, let’s look back on 2017. Specifically January, and the Women’s March. Billions of people marched for women’s rights. Mostly in the United States, and also around the world. That day, as I marched with thousands in Seneca Falls, NY, I could feel the positive energy around me, giving me hope that all is not lost, that so many people felt the way I did, and that there was at least something I could DO. I brought a sign that read, “Darkness does not drive out darkness, only Light can do that. Hate does not drive out hate, only Love can do that. MLK”
So, out of the fear of what Trump might do came community, positive energy, and hope.
When Trump hired an oil executive to his cabinet, there was fear that he would close down the EPA and work to destroy the earth singlehandedly. This galvanized people to work more diligently to promote education and ideas to help the earth, rather than pillage her.
Since we had become complacent under Obama about women’s rights, racial justice, sustainability, war, and so much more, we found under Trump that We The People needed to take matters into our own hands to make the changes we needed. Under Biden, we did not see full reversals back. Several states kept their abortion bans, two major wars broke out, and the climate is now in crisis mode. While Trump was president, we worked hard for the values we held dear. Under Biden, did we sit back and assume it would all be magically better?
So Trump just may be the fire that we need to recreate the Phoenix, the deep desire within to be the Light, the Love and the Hope that we and our neighbors are desiring right now. No more waiting for a savior. No more believing that government will take care of us.
It is time for you and me to BE the change that we are looking for.
You may be wondering HOW.
First, consider the song that says, Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. Yes, I see now that we can no longer wait for someone else to do anything. So, to create peace on earth, it must begin with ME. I cannot expect you to be peaceful, but if I can create peace in myself, I can feel peaceful when I am around others. They feel my emotions and it will help them come to peace, even if not consciously. Think of a time when you were anxious and went someplace where a peaceful person brought you back to peace. Or when you felt good, but an angry person brought you out of that peaceful place. We can have that effect on others. So start with yourself, and assume that it bleeds outwards and creates more peace. If enough people did that, I believe we could have peace on earth.
This applies to all the issues in the world, all the injustices. Start with yourself. Define for yourself how you feel about each issue facing our world today. Then do something yourself. You don’t have to force it on others, but you can let others know about your actions if you see fit.
For example, let’s consider the environment and sustainability. Have you been waiting for the government to mandate something, forcing you to change your life? Instead, what if you took direct action in your life? Here are some examples. A vegan lifestyle will immediately reduce greenhouse gasses by an enormous amount. Even cutting out beef and eating chicken instead will cut the emissions created by eating that steak in half. Take a look at this graph found at https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/ghg-per-protein-poore:
If one of your highest values is preserving and repairing the earth, you could change the way you eat. This is a suggestion, of course. There is no mandate here.
Other ideas are to stop buying anything plastic and reduce your driving or purchase a very efficient car.
So, the first thing to do is to look at yourself and change your way of living to match your values. This is a very different way of living in the USA. Yet, it is a place to start.
The second is build community. I have found that making a change in myself is rarely easy. It is much easier if I have an accountability partner. When I desired to meditate daily, I rarely did it by myself, but when I found a few people to meditate with, I followed through, and have been meditating for about 5 years now. The group has morphed over the years, but those who have continued are dedicated. It may take a while and several stops and starts to find your tribe, but they are out there.
Community is not only good for accountability, but it also feels good to find those who share your values and who care about each other. It’s like close family that share their personal news, pictures and hope with each other.
You may find community by creating it yourself or actively searching for a group that shares your values. In my city there are religious groups, interfaith groups, and groups of all kinds that create activities for the city based on their values, like a community garden, MLK weekend activities, an immigration coalition, and much more.
A third thing to “do” is not so much about doing. It is about being: being loving, hopeful, generous, and compassionate. How do people see you? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do others see you bringing light into the room? And if not, yet, consider how to change that through therapy, mediation or prayer, and community service. I firmly believe that the energy that I put out into the Universe changes the Universe. I live my life raising my vibration, so that I raise the vibration of the Universe.
If you have read this article to this point, perhaps you can see this point in play. I am hopeful that I leave you now feeling inspired, empowered and hopeful as well. If so, we are all making the world a better place, right now.
May it be so.
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