Yesterday was a long day. Today, somehow, impossibly, was even longer. However, at the end of this long day, I got home, breathed a long sigh of relief, and all I heard in my head was this song.
This song has resonated with me so much over the last few years...first as an anthem for truth, love, equality and change; then as a rallying cry and momentum builder for the realization which had brewing and building in me for longer than I can remember.
Some of you know and some of you don't: I am bisexual. Those of you who already know, its because I knew you could handle it; or the choice to tell you myself was taken from me. Those of you who don't know, the only reason is fear. Not necessarily fear that you would react poorly or disapprove; but simply that the more people who know, the more chances that someone I DID fear would find out. I justified my hiding and fear by the fact that I already have the love of my life, and since I'm male and she's female, I can fit in society's box without having to 'not be me'. But that was a lie I told myself to feel better about living in fear. That's social anxiety for you. I was made fun of for a wide range of things as a kid, from being weak to being the smart kid...did I really need another reason for people to ridicule me? I could just be another white male face and blend in.
Today has changed that. Today has shown me how much hate there still is in this world, in this country...And I think a big part of how it survives and thrives is that in our fear of it, we hide...and in hiding, we stop shining the spotlight on the hate...and it creeps back in the shadows where it can hide, because it is just as afraid-if not more-of us as we are of it.
Trump in the White House isn't the end of anything: this country, the world, civil rights, gay rights, women's rights. None of it will end with him. Rather, this is a begging. The enemy has shown us their hand....they've not only shown us where they're entrenched, but they literally showed us that we outnumber them. Sure, maybe right now we don't outnumber them by much...but we know their greatest weapon is also their greatest weakness: hate.
Probably my most favorite fictional character ever, Master Yoda, has shown us the path to victory over the dark side of this nation, of this culture and society...they're far further down the path than we are, because as we all know:
"Fear is the path to the dark side...fear leads to anger...anger leads to hate...hate leads to suffering"
The dark side of this world is already stuck in the loop between steps 3 and 4...let's stop our journey at fear, turn and face our foes head on, and win them over with love.
No, we're not just going to grow flowers and smoke weed and everything will be perfect. Far from it, even that's what 'they' say we think. They think we're lazy and don't want to work when we are, have, and will keep working for rights and privileges they take for granted, and to ensure that a right or privilege is either for all or for none, not just some.
I've lived in many forms of fear from many sources my whole life, and even with the super specially fucked up shit I've lived through, I know that my experiences still pale in comparison even to many in this country, much less around the world. That only galvanizes me more...because if I can feel this much pain and hurt and fear with the relatively EASY life I've had...the rest of the world deserves to only suffer at least this little; and they deserve to have me fighting for their right to at least suffer as little as I have.
Just remember that no matter what today brought, or tomorrow or the next 4 years bring...hate will only beat is if we let it...and hate is happy for a W with the asterisk that we forfeited by hiding in fear rather than beating them at their own game. Don't give into fear. Don't let hate win. The only way hate wins is if we let it. Look at our history, both Human and American.
Often it takes far too long...and the ones fighting the hardest rarely live to see the victory parade; but, to steal a phrase: On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for all hate drops to zero.
#OneLove tonight everyone...Stay strong and united. This fight isn't over...rather it has only begun.
