It marks a year since I found the silver-lining around the scariest night of my life, when I rode the Parisian metro hoping I would live to hear the sirens that signaled city-wide responses to a terrorist attack come to end. A year later similar fears found me, and at first it was harder to go to bed thinking things would be better in the morning.
A year ago the world mourned with Paris and United States citizens “stood with them” from the safety of their homes. We watched as politicians gave condolences and used the tragic event as a way to promote their platforms on terrorism. The media was slammed for not giving the tragedy in Beirut and the other awful occurrences of the week the same coverage. I shook my head and struggled to admire how American leaders handled the sadness and fear that erupted in the world, but found joy in imitating the approach of the Parisians that surrounded me while I felt like an intruder to their suffering. However, terrorism we can all agree is a global concern in its many forms. The world united under the principle of terrorism being a violation to human rights and a cause of human suffering even if everyone that suffered was not a part of those attacks.
This year people are suffering again, but the American people, let alone the world, cannot come to terms with what has happened. The Facebook filters that illustrate where people stand have change and there are more of them. The media has once again received intense criticism for their part in the events that have ensued and while it may be at least partially deserved, the hypocrisy is more real. Who are we to say that people don’t have the right to fear what the future holds? Who are we to discount tears as real or fake? Who are we to say that everyone on the “other side” bears us ill will?
I will admit that the day after the election I was baffled; I had the right to be and it does not reflect my intelligence but my certainty in specific perceptions I had about the nation in which I live. My reaction was not a personal pity party, but rather confusion about who I could turn to express my opinions without causing distress or a fight. In Paris I was less afraid knowing that if I asked for help, complete strangers would not hesitate to give it. It’s troubling that people have to wear safety pins to signal to those feeling threatened that they have an ally. If a large group of people feel scared it is not up to the rest to discredit their fears but recognize the cause as an indicator of a need for change. No one told me not to be afraid in Paris, they told me to be cautious. When I went about my day and chose to follow through with my plans to tour the city I did so as an act of protest. There were those who thought I shouldn’t but I did so and learned a lot from it.
I don’t personally agree with all the forms of protest I have seen in the last week, but I do understand why people feel the need to protest on both sides. We have problems, America, but looking for one leader, “the best leader”, to solve them is not an option. It was not and is not an option for quelling terrorism and no one person will unite an entire nation, although they may try. If the election has shown me anything it is that humanity is flawed and that we must be willing to do more than vote.
We did vote in more than one person through this election. Many of our leaders still represent the diverse interests of United States citizens. As a young woman I find hope in the elections that have brought in the first Latina senator, the first Indian-American to serve in the Senate, the first Vietnamese-American to serve in Congress, the first Somalian-American Muslim female legislator, the first the LGBTQ+ governor, and the first Indian-American female to serve in the House of Representatives. We all have leaders that represent our interests that we can work with constructively to solve these problems. We can work and learn with one another as well, but we can no longer let them do all the work and sit back and complain at the results.
When I was in Paris my allies were French, because I could agree with how they comported themselves and how they handled their losses. I cannot currently agree with the president-elect for how he has conducted himself, nor can I blame him for all the problems that arose, however tempting it may be. These problems are too big for any one man to sort out and solve on his own in four years, but I choose to be optimistic that many things will change while he is President, though I doubt much of the changes will be as a result of him. We needed the catalyst to speed up this complicated reaction, now we can use the additional energy to evade apathy and effect change moving forward. Fear is useful when it becomes the challenge to overcome.
