Let's just put it out there...2016 has been a rough year. The past few weeks have felt like some of the most difficult, especially the night of November 8th and the tumultuous days immediately following. More than anything, the results of the 2016 election season in the U.S. has illustrated, on one of the biggest stages, just how divided our country currently is on a multitude of issues and beliefs. But unlike any other election, this one felt incredibly personal. Words cannot begin to describe the feelings of shock and disbelief, and then subsequent fear and pain that crippled my body as I watched the television - a sequence of emotions I believe millions of Americans, men and women of all different life experiences, felt that exact same evening.
This past year has been consumed by angry and divisive rhetoric, including plenty of sources outside of the presidential campaigns and popular news/media outlets. It seems imperative now, more than ever before in my life, that we come together to embrace dialogue surrounding our differences and re-orient our relationship goals toward shared human flourishing. I believe we are capable, I believe we have been "to the mountaintop" before, and this is my plea for you to walk through this process with me, to remind our communities that it is possible to build kinship and experience "a circle of compassion, in which no one is left standing outside that circle."
No matter what your political preferences are and no matter who you voted for in the presidential race, please know that I am writing this to you. In a time when it is so easy to tailor our news feeds, close ourselves off online to encounters of difference, and are able to rationalize progress with regards to social injustices due to the success of just a few milestones, it is my belief that we have done ourselves an incredible disservice in avoiding to embrace the difficulty of genuine dialogue, especially with the "other." And yes, I mean in-person dialogue with the "other." The need for inter-cultural dialogue is at an all-time high, while the willingness to respectfully and openly engage in such conversations feels like it is at an all-time low. I have been educated to know culture as one's "design for living and patterns for interpreting reality." Therefore, when I refer to encounters with the "other," please know that I am simply referring to anyone who sees the world differently than you do. Following this presidential race, the great divide among us significantly rests on the need to counter hateful attitudes towards "others" with the fostering of inclusivity and a reinvestment in the belief that every human story is worthy of acceptance, respect, love, and belonging. Although the wounds of last week, even these past months, may still be fresh, we must be willing to engage authentically with one another in order to not give in to the ease of taking sides - a decision that leads to the divisive "us vs. them" rhetoric.
In order to engage authentically with others, I ask of you, each and every one of you, to enter into conversations with empathy and open-mindedness. We cannot begin to process the experiences within our communities right now when our defenses are built high and we are quick to assume which "side" the other is on. We all have implicit bias, but must be able to recognize this and not let it hinder us. Please do not demonize one another and genuinely try to hear the other's story. In just this past week, my heart has broken too many times in hearing of instances when both parties discriminate against the other, not knowing that both sides actually yearn to walk together. Regardless of what stereotypes the media or presidential campaigns have attempted to foster, not all White Americans are racist, white-supremacists and not all African-Americans or Mexican-Americans are criminals, for example. Buying into these sort of lies either way (the lists go on), is an injustice to everybody and every community. My hope is that we can all take a step back from this, very human, inclination and attempt to intentionally engage with one another with the goal of shared human flourishing in mind.
Considering all of this, privilege also undoubtedly plays a significant part in how we are each able to step forward in the upcoming months, years even, to bring communities together. My hope is that you might take the time to evaluate your own intersecting characteristics that influence the power of your own voice in this current society. In doing so, we might be able to more authentically connect to others. Privilege has always been a source of frustration for me growing up. I hated the fact that some people are born with it, while others are born without it. My own privilege today frustrates me more than anyone knows. Being a male, Filipino-American allows me to sort of just be "in between" the two extremes of our country today. I am aware that when I am in public, my skin color is not dark enough and my facial features are not stereotypical enough to be considered a threat to White Americans. But my skin is also not white enough to be considered a threat to minorities or persons of color. I am able to exchange smiles and share spaces with strangers of both populations, unaffected by the polarizing nature of the racism we are plagued with today. But I have recently begun to reevaluate my stance as an "in between," despite my frustrations, in hope to use my voice to build bridges between sides and bring people together. What is your voice capable of? How will you use it to build bridges?
Lastly, we must continue to hope. I need you to hope with me and deeply believe that better days are still ahead. I'm sharing myself with you in this moment, not because I have anything to gain or want my own opinion to be voiced, but simply because there is so much pain and fear in the hearts of people I love right now, that maybe some of these words might serve as a resource to keep hope alive. Regardless of our differences, I truly believe we are bound by goodness and a desire for shared human flourishing. We're in this together. And we have to be willing to go there, to dialogue with one another, before we even begin to move forward.
There is still so much of our own stories yet to be written. We each share a hope for specific dreams or goals or chapters to come. I have some big dreams myself, including one day raising a family. But I would be lying if I told you I wasn't scared of the future and being able to do so, considering recent events. But I have hope. In concluding this reflection and congratulating you for making it this far with me, I want to share the song below, a personal favorite that has instilled hope in me many times this week. Thank you for reading these thoughts and please continue to hope.
