In the Season of Change

The sun rose in the east today, as it has done every day since the beginning of time. The first season’s rain has cleansed the air, and strong breezes continue to shake dry leaves from their branches. The announcement of a new leader for our country has paralleled the change of season, as heralded by the dramatic drop in temperature outdoors. A new reality is setting into the psyches of both vanquished and victors.

We are exhausted and weary from the election and all its preceding partisanship. We suffer from verbal and ideological fatigue. We are buried under the weighty rubble of rhetoric that invades our minds day and night. We need a spiritual rainfall to wash away the layers of distrust and suspicion that have accumulated inside of us. Rather than shutting down our hearts and minds, we need to expand them to embrace possibilities that may make things better all over the country and world.

So as we naturally lean into the change of seasons, we must lean into this season of change in our nation. Nature demonstrates that each new season is a necessary preface to the one that will follow. The analogy is apparent: the preface to this moment in history has been necessary to the inevitability of change that lies ahead.

Change is the new certainty. I hope that we can resist falling into easy gloating to elevate our elation or seeking blame to sustain our claims. I hope that we will pause our parodies and cease our cheap humor. I hope that we will blunt our verbal swords and swallow mean rhetoric before it emerges from our mouths. I hope that we will resist the temptation to engage in careless commentary.

This is the change I hope to see. I hope to see the emergence of our better selves. I hope that we will listen more carefully to one another so that we will hear and appreciate that what matters to others is as strongly felt as what matters to ourselves — even in the absence of agreement. I hope that the words of our mouths will reflect the yearnings of our hearts. I hope that we will animate through our actions the ideals that we proclaim to cherish. I hope that Lady Liberty, who welcomed each of my parents into New York Harbor, will continue to extend the torch of promise for all Americans.

We have been given a chance to reset. Many fought against this change, and many fought for it. But a choice has been made, and change will prevail. Today, we are in a delicate state of disequilibrium. Setting things right will require strength, sensitivity, and clarity of purpose. As we look outward for leadership, we must look inward, as well, to align our personal desires and biases with genuine acknowledgment and concern for the greater good. I hope that we will honor the potential of this moment by making sure that our expressions and behaviors accurately reflect our most noble aspirations.

We have been given a chance to reset.

As I contemplate this change, the clouds shift outside my window. The wind is gusty, and everything is in motion. The President-elect has spoken to the nation, and in the days, weeks, and months to come, horizons yet unclear will be revealed. A season of change has begun, but one thing remains reassuringly constant: The sun will set in the west each evening, and each day, in the east, it will rise again. May we, as dependably, rise to meet it with firm resolve, courage, and faith.

Rochelle Ginsburg, educator, facilitates book group discussions for adult readers.