Like the rest of the world, we were stunned by this week’s US election. How, in the light of such An American Tragedy do we find the strength to get out of bed, let alone stay focused on our work? Then as the week unfolded, our own values of listening, empathy, inclusion, and mutual respect began to provide a reassuring guide light. It is abundantly clear that a full 50% of the American populace feels disenfranchised, disempowered and not considered. This isn’t about us vs. them. This is about us. All of us. Together.

It is also abundantly clear that we need to learn a new way of being with each other, and that this is not a job we can off-shore to our politicians. It is time for all of us to come out from behind our screens and gather in our civic squares. More than protest, though there is an obvious increased need for this hallowed American tradition, we need to learn to come together in safe, non-judgmental circles to have some very difficult but crucially important discussions about income inequality, racism, education and opportunity for all.

We have a lot of work to do. Just when we thought we might rest a bit we are called to answer the siren of learning to live together, as one nation unified by respect and justice for all.

Here are a few positive things you can do right now

Article: If You’re Overwhelmed By The Election, Here’s What You Can Do Now

Competition is not the defining characteristic of human relations

Article: Neoliberalism – the Ideology at the Root of all Our Problems

We were were in a bubble and weren’t paying attention to our fellow Americans and their despair

Michael Moore has a five point plan. “5. You must say this sentence to everyone you meet today: “HILLARY CLINTON WON THE POPULAR VOTE!”
Facebook Post: Morning After To-Do List

Richard Branson is thinking about his grandkids

Article: It Is Up to All of Us To Shape the World We Live In

Seek to understand, even if baffling

On Wednesday, when we just wanted to hide under the bed, we were inspired by a tweet from TED head Chris Anderson: “My personal pledge: Seek to understand, even if baffling. Speak truth, even if uncomfortable. Look for goodness, even in those I fear.”

Persist. It matters

“We each have a platform, access to tools, a change we’d like to make in the world around us. We each have a chance to connect, to see, to lead.” – Seth Godin
Blog Post: Rolling Up Our Sleeves

Playlist

This week Otis Redding has been soothing our troubled souls. Rooted in gospel there is a comforting warm, shoulder to shoulder feel to his music. It is also doleful and melancholic, very appropriate to the experience of mourning we are feeling. His song A Change is Gonna Come takes on new significance today. His Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay is turned into an anthem of hope when covered by the Playing for Change, Song Around the World project.

Image of the week

The illustration in the headers is by Barry Blitt and appears on the cover of this week’s New Yorker Magazine. His drawings appeared on eight covers during this very trying campaign.

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