Awaiting a Time to Listen

I wrote these words a little under a year ago as Donald Trump was preparing to take office.

"The Progressive Movement in the United States is at a crossroads.  A super minority of the US population wants someone to fixit.  They have little patience for policy, or party, or even the 'rule of law.'  They want someone to fixit.  A demagogue has emerged to claim that he can fixit."

"The Progressive movement must begin to listen to this super minority before they become the majority.  For totalitarian regimes are created by such majorities.  Listen with respect.  Listen with compassion.  Listen until the minority knows that we are listening and care about them.  And then, and only then, will be have earned the right to speak and show how we would fixit."

"We stand at a crossroads. Let us choose the path with heart."

I must confess that after I wrote these words my heart sank.  I never published them.  Frankly, I was angry, disappointed, bitter, and frustrated.  At that point I did not want to listen.  I wanted to hide in a hole and try and sort out what happened. 

Now that we have seen that 45 has lived down to everyone's expectations, I continue to feel all of the above along with a good dose of shame for my country.

I really do believe that I need to listen to the folks who feel disaffected by having having a black man in the White House for four years.  I really do believe that I need to listen to people who are so angry that the privilege that they were promised as children is being siphoned away by history.  I really do believe that I need to listen to people who are frustrated because the jobs they are qualified to do are disappearing in a changing economy and they believe that this President will rescue them.  I really do believe that I need to listen to the people who believe that the clock can be turned back by a failed snake oil salesman pretending to be a world leader.

But, I do not believe I am ready to listen to them.  Or rather, they are are not ready for me to listen to them.  Listening only helps when people are ready to be honest with themselves.  It only helps when there is a a desire to grow beyond their present circumstance.  Many of these folks believe that their prejudices and hatreds are being legitimized and vindicated by this resident of the Oval Office.  Listening to them now would only reinforce their feeling of vindication.

I believe we need to ride out this unfortunate time in our history, standing ready to listen and support these folks when their world begins to crumble.  We will need to be there when 45 proves that he is incapable of turning back the calendar to the 1950's.  We will need to be ready to listen when they discover that they have been used to further the agenda of men and women whose only concern is the cashing out of the American experiment.  I believe that all of this will come to pass. 

In fact, it is imperative that we be ready to listen, because if we allow our anger and bitterness to permanently alienate ourselves from our neighbors they will see no other recourse than to follow 45 and his masters through the gates of fascism.  We have the ability to welcome them back into the America we hold dear, but we must not allow our hearts to be hardened.  Neither can we be afraid of what the future may hold.  When the time is right, may we reach out and embrace our sisters and brothers as we all come together to build the America of our highest hopes and ideals.  Stay strong, the future awaits us.