As many people know, this week has been both confusing, difficult and sad for a lot of Americans in response to this election. We have mourned the loss of what we were so certain we had in the bag. I’m not going to use this article to talk about how angry or upset that I am over this loss. Instead, I’m going to talk about the power of doing things for yourself so that you can move forward.
Something that helped me reach this idea was actually one of my roommates, as we were walking to get Panera the night after election day. We passed the Majestic Theater, one of the many theaters our campus is lucky to have. They were advertising the “Mala," a show that is “an utterly unsentimental journey towards the end of life" and according to the Art's Emerson website, "an irreverent exploration of how we live, cope, and survive in the moment. Grounded in Lopez’s distinctive emotional language and sharp humor, 'Mala' dances between doctors and urgent 911 calls, a mother’s growing frailty, and a daughter’s quest for grace—all set during an epic Boston winter. Rather than depict a 'right way,' the play opens the door for conversation in our universal struggle to support those we love in dying, especially when all we’ve ever focused on is surviving”
She told me she had thought about going to see the show the night after the election so that she could watch "Mala" deal with all of the obstacles and issues that she faces and watch her get through them, and know that we, too, will be able to get through the next four years. I was inspired by this idea that there were other outlets that I could distract myself with in order to put the current state of the country into perspective.
When Thursday came around and I was still in a strange headspace, one of my best friends from home texted me that morning. She goes to Tufts, and happened to be directing a show that night. The show was called “This is Our Youth." As the playbill explains, “Set in New York in 1982, 'This Is Our Youth' follows 48 hours in the lives of three very lost young souls: Warren, a dejected nineteen year old who has just stolen $15,000 from his abusive, tycoon father; Dennis, his charismatic drug-dealing friend who helps Warren put the stolen money to good use; and Jessica, the anxiously insightful young woman who Warren yearns for." Watching this show was just what I needed to both distract me and cause me to think about my own life.
"This is Our Youth" taught me that it’s okay to fuck up sometimes; we’re young, it happens, just as long as we learn these mistakes at this age so they don’t follow us as we grow older. My friends and I were unsure as to what is going to happen in the future, but something we can be certain of? We are all in college deciding paths for ourselves.
If this election has taught us anything it is that now more than ever we need to stick together and stand up for what we believe in. We need to stay in school and continue to be educated and informed so we can go into whatever the world becomes able to handle anything. Watching this show and being surrounded by close friends helped me to forget everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours and live in the moment because thats all we can do. We can continue living each moment we are given, no matter what fears we have for the future because being afraid will just keep us from living, so whats the point of it?
