States of Mind: The Politics of Certainty and How to Proceed After the Election

The shock of having one’s worldview pulled from one’s feet.

We were so sure. For weeks, articles and polls predicted Hillary Clinton’s inevitable ascendancy to the presidency, reassured anxious citizens that, yes, Clinton would indeed win and reminded us she was the favorite of the presidential race.

Whether through digital or print media, the notion that Clinton had secured the election seemed to take root in our collective psyche, on a party, a state and perhaps even a school wide level.

Democrats across the nation looked forward to retiring early and stress-free on election night. But, as the hours slipped away, Clinton’s path to the White House only grew longer and steeper.

The night culminated in Donald Trump becoming America’s President-elect.

In the hours after the results were announced, citizens across the country rejoiced and mourned, rallied together for celebration or protest. But, the election victory was overshadowed by a general sense of uncertainty from both sides on how our new President-elect would proceed.

The fear Trump incited during the campaign is real, and his racist and sexist comments cannot be ignored. But, we are still here, and America will not crumble this easily.

If we look to our history classes, we should truly try to envision the events related to us across the stretch of time and often only through textbooks. America, the ongoing experiment in democracy, has survived growing pains, a whole slew of sectional crises, a civil war and an assorted collection of economic troubles, to name a few.

Regardless of who our president is, we live in America, and it is up to us to change what we don’t like.

If we don’t reflect, if we aren’t spurred to action, if we don’t hope, what can we do? In a time when our longtime head of school Mr. Christopher Nikoloff is also leaving, it may feel like there is no one we can turn to with our feelings of shock, disappointment and grief.

But, now, especially, is the time to start effecting our own change on a local level. We should reach out to those around us and listen. We must keep our heads up and keep on hoping.