Devastated

I don't even know where to begin.

I am devastated with the results of yesterday's U.S. presidential election. I have been trying to wrap my head around the fact that Trump was able to win the nomination for months, and now to try to figure out how he was elected... I don't even want to go there. I don't want to acknowledge that there is such a deep level of ignorance, hate and fear that someone like Trump can garner support from nearly half of the voting citizens in the country.

I've been criticized (by Republican "friends") for caring about the results of an election in a country I am not a citizen of. But I wonder how anyone could not care about the results of this election. America's actions impact the world. It is Canada's biggest ally. Our biggest trading partner. Our cultures are intertwined. On a more personal note, half my family is American. My children may one day become American citizens. I travel with my family to the U.S. often. Of course I care about the results of the election.

I believe that as human beings we are all linked. That we are accountable to one another and should do what we can to support each other. That positive connections foster more positive connections and that negativity does the same. I fear the divisiveness that this election has brought to the surface and the implications that blatant xenophobia, racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. will have on our society.

Tomorrow I will try to think about how to make things feel right again. Today I am in mourning.