These last few weeks have been uprooting for our entire
nation. They put into question our
values and our sense of belonging. Many
of us are wondering if this nation can remain our home when its beliefs seem so
distant from our own. As I listened to
the news and watched the posts on social media, I found myself feeling more and
more disconnected from my community.
Every story being flashed in front of me seemed to create division. Not knowing how to face the turmoil, I simply
shut it out. I turned inward to search for the roots that ground me.
When I feel the need to go home the first place that comes
to mind is a golden aspen grove in the Colorado mountains. For me an aspen grove represents connection
and community. It is symbolic of
individuals coming together as one to reach higher potentials. Just as every aspen in a grove is connected
at the roots so are we. No matter what
our beliefs or our fears or our cultural backgrounds we now stand connected by
our American roots. Dividing the
community would mean cutting us off from our source of nutriment and stability. The only way to heal is to do so together.
In order to reestablish my sense of community, I cut myself
off from everything that was promoting impersonal judgements and came back to
those who were present in my day to day life.
I returned to my home in Buena Vista and basked in the love and connection
of that little community. Amongst
friends one forgets about all of the beliefs that divide and simply sits in the
comfort of sharing. We laughed until we
cried, danced until we collapsed, and cried until our sadness melted away. We connected over what makes all humans the
same; our emotional experiences.
After my time in Buena Vista I went to Pennsylvania to spend Thanksgiving with my family. This time gave me insight into loving individuals who do not share my same belief systems. In the news and social media I was being fed information that was building my disdain for Trump supporters. In my mind they were individuals who were racist, greedy, and ignorant. When I turned away from all of these stories and looked into the eyes of my grandfather, I saw nothing but love. The media creates a wall of information that blocks us from seeing the humanity of each individual involved. The truth is that no matter what political party we support we are still simply humans who are doing our best to end our own suffering. When we drop the propaganda and come back to those who are here with us, we can see past the labels and find what binds us all. We all just want happiness.
