The “whys” will go on forever.

“What now” provides a glimmer of focus. And I am clinging to it.

I’m not sure it’s ever been tougher to start one of these messages. The reality of last week’s election at the national level is still sinking in. Every morning I half expect to wake up and learn it was only a terrible, persistent nightmare.

So here we are, facing the experience of living in a nation in which so many of our fellow citizens chose to go all in on racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and homophobia. To elect a convicted felon to the highest office in the land. The “whys” will go on forever. Our human minds long so passionately for explanations. Explanations help us restore a sense of safety: “oh, I get it.” They help us restore a sense of agency: “now I know what to do, to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Something in me, in these early days, resists this path. All the “whys” seem painfully incomplete, if not empty, when faced with this devastating “what.”

Over time, building our understanding of “why” is essential. Scholars are already tracing the influence of massive misinformation and propaganda campaigns supported by foreign actors, for example. Others return to questions of how support for authoritarians rises out of fear and alienation. We need to learn these lessons, as many times as needed.

For now, for me, I turn my attention to “what now.” How do I navigate this terrain, maintain the core values that sustain me, take care of those who are even more vulnerable now, step into the world as it is: ugly and hard, certainly, yet still filled with the people and places I love.

“Why” drains my energy. I’ll get back to it, and I’m grateful for others examining it with care and rigor. But I can’t go there, yet.

“What now” provides a glimmer of focus. And I am clinging to it.

However you are doing, wherever your attention is called, know that you are not alone. Follow the path that means something to you in this moment. Take the best care of yourself and your loved ones that you can. Become quiet and still enough to listen to your heart and soul, and follow their guidance as best you can.

The only way through this is together, in solidarity.