Fight or Enlight?

As I start the long process toward gaining a better understanding of why many voters supported Trump in the 2024 election (so that from there I can most effectively contribute to a different outcome in the future), I have first focused on his White Christian Nationalism support, as outlined in my last post, Freedom to Believe (Nov. 12, 2024). Several other factors to explore have come to mind post-election. But before I delve into each of these individually, I’ve been considering a more immediate personal question. And that is a question of mindset: Do I adopt a “Fighting for democracy” mindset or a “Let the chips fall where they may” mindset as we endure the electoral transition and opening weeks of a new Trump administration?

I’m actually leaning towards the latter – and that’s not because I’m giving up on democracy. First, of course, I don’t have much choice but to accept many things are going to happen that I don’t like but that are beyond my control. That’s where an election, by definition, puts us after all. We elect fellow citizens to a position in which they have the power to take actions on behalf of the rest of us for the length of their term. That doesn’t leave me, or the rest of us, with much in the way of actionable power. We can protest, march, write letters, scream into the night, etc. But none of those things will change reality in the short term.

Second, I’m truly believing right now that Trump voters and non-voters alike need to learn the consequences of their action or inaction. Memories fade and people believe what they want to believe. It seems clear they need more to remember the next time they enter the voting booth or contemplate staying home.

What makes this option so hard, of course, is having to watch the pain, destruction, and chaos that will unfold around us. But again, we really don’t have much in the way of actual power to stop that from occurring. So then, what do we do?

My plan will be to: 1) document and share the cause-and-effect injustices we witness to the best of my ability, and 2) continue to engage Trump supporters and non-voters in respectful discussion about the consequences of their electoral choices.

A widely help belief is that feelings matter over facts. I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. We are ultimately emotional creatures, which means we should endeavor to steer feelings in a constructive direction. But that doesn’t give anyone permission to dismiss facts. Facts are important. We can’t make sound decisions about our future without understanding – to the best of our ability – what’s actually going on in our world and what’s happened in the past. So, no free pass on ignoring facts.

What is your mindset right now?