11 11 11

At the end of four years of World War I’s devastation in 1918, leaders negotiated for the guns in Europe to fall silent once and for all on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. 11 11 11. 

That peace did not last, wars continue, deaths and devastation have grown much worse. Armistice Day is now Veterans Day. The world still longs for peace and goodwill. 

On November 5, to our utter shock and despair - Donald Trump won the US presidency again. As the 47th he will most likely do worse than he did as the 45th president. 

Remembrance Day observing the 105th anniversary of the end of WWI 

wonder | wonder | women are reeling and distressed at the prospect of four more years under his extremist eccentric thumb. Can we remain motivated and continue to create change and positive growth? Allow this resilience and not bow down under the arc of history as it continues to churn through errors?

This is cold comfort indeed living through this moment of uncertainty and chaos. We live on, we create and strengthen communities, we keep alive. Our selves, our ideas, our ideals. 

From each other we find the strength to keep trying, to hold people accountable. Be able to tell this next generation that human decency matters. That all these are still actionable and there is real hope for the future.

The only way out right now is to go through this period. Hard as it is it's an inescapable truism. What choice do we have but to keep on going forward? It's inevitable but beyond that humans are human. We do try to do what's right - to build communities and take care of the people we love and value. 

Political historian, Heather Cox Richardson, talks about her research on the Wounded Knee Massacre. She believes there were two heroes at the event - one was Sitting Bull, who was a Lakota, and the other was George Crook, who was one of the army officers who died long before the massacre. 

That a hero is somebody, as both of them did - who keeps trying to do the right thing even when we know the walls are closing in. 

That is what we are all called upon to do now - to do what is right, even with the walls closing in. As our dearly departed veterans have done before us. 

Hand in hand, we can build a better life and future to live in.