My father’s situation was hard, too

A couple weeks ago, my wife, Elysha, asked for help from her friends on Facebook. She’s been struggling with the news coming out of Washington and beyond – specifically the racist, ignorant sex offender in the White House but other things, too – and wanted to know how her friends were coping.

I had two answers to this question.

The first, and most important, is that I constantly remind myself that Americans have faced other impossibly hard times and survived.

My father, for example, was drafted and forced to fight in Vietnam under a corrupt commender-in-chief. He came of age during a turbulent, violent time in America when 58,000 of his fellow service men and women returned home in body bags, and those who returned alive were not greeted with handshakes and ticker tape parades. He came home to a country that did not understand post traumatic-stress disorder and was in the midst of a massive economic slow down.

Unemployment rose as high as 9% following the war. Inflation was out of control. Interest rates were as high as 20% at times.

This was a difficult time in America.

This is not said to mitigate the challenges of today. Donald Trump and the spineless, power-hungry Republicans in Congress are legitimately threatening the rule of law and creating enormous personal hardship for many people. Children are placed in cages in the border. Nazis are marching in America’s streets and referred to by Trump as “very fine people.” A massive tax cut for the wealthy has pushed corporate profits to the richest Americans while the bottom 60% of Americans have seen their wages and savings fall during the Trump Presidency. The deficit is the highest it has ever been.

That’s just a few of the problems we face.

Just remember that past Americans have also faced enormous struggles and survived.

Before my father, both of my grandfathers came of age during the Great Depression, Both fought in World War II when nearly half a million American servicemen and women were killed in combat and the very survival of our nation was at stake.

My great grandfather fought in World War I, returning home to face the Great Depression.

These times that we live in have been hard, but they have been hard before. Keeping this in mind helps to remind me that this, too, shall pass.

My second answer to Elysha’s question about coping with today’s world is to take action. For me (and Elysha), it comes in several forms:

1. Elysha and I are members of the ACLU, supporting their actions in checking this unlawful President whenever appropriate and supporting Americans in need of legal representation.
2. I was a member of the Knight Foundation lawsuit that forced Trump to unblock me on Twitter. Checking Trump’s power whenever possible is something we should all do. Today I get to tweet my outrage at Trump daily, which is both cathartic and amusing for me. I also feel like it’s my duty to tweet at Trump given all the money spent on my behalf in the lawsuit.
3. Elysha and I are school teachers, helping children to become good American citizens everyday. We teach respect, tolerance, and nonviolence. We celebrate diversity. We teach children about the Constitution, the rule of law, and how important it is for all Americans to vote in all elections in this nation. Every one of these things – simple, American ideals – are in direct opposition to Donald Trump and his actions while in office. Helping children become engaged, informed, and energized citizens of this country is the best way to prevent the rise of an authoritarian ignoramus in the future,
4. Elysha and I own and operate Speak Up, an organization that brings people together to share stories and learn about each other. Our storytellers are diverse and remarkable people who share stories that promote understanding, respect, and mutual cooperation. Our storytellers are a diverse group of people from around the world who bring new perspectives to our audience. We’ve even hosted US Senator Christopher Murphy on our stage.
5. We attended the Women’s March at our state capital on the day after inauguration day, bringing our children along so they could see protest in action.

Doing something is important. You need not change the world. Just push on the wheel of progress with as much energy as you can muster, whether it be in the form of a political donation, a letter to a Congressperson, or a smile of support to an immigrant in your community.

Doing something, anything, will help.

I wish the news didn’t upset my wife as much as it does, but I know that she is one of many. I also know that her reaction to the news out of Washington is completely rationale given the traitorous, self-dealing racist and sex offender in the White House.

Of course she is upset. It would be crazy not to be upset.

It’s just important to remember all that has come before us and all that can do and have already done to help our country and our fellow Americans survive this challenging time in America.