Noa Rosenberg It’s been quite a week and, if my prediction is correct, there seem to be plenty more “quite-a-week” weeks on the horizon. It has been heavy and it has been loaded and long and in moments where I didn’t know exactly what I knew anymore, the one thing that I never doubted is that I wanted to write about it. As President Obama said, “No matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning.” The outcome on the 8th is now history. Whether you regard it as shameful or wonderful or terrifying or none of the above, it is significant and, above all, it happened. There is no denying that (no matter how much anyone might want to). The truth is that all the talking in the world won’t change it or bring it about sooner; all we can do is think about what’s next. So, what is next? How can we be expected to move forward when so many people find themselves on shakier ground than they could have ever anticipated? How can a country that seems so divided be expected to come to a consensus? The thing is: time doesn’t stop. The truth is that we are progressing without even knowing it. What it’s about now, then, is shaping what we move towards and how we get there. Personally, after I blinked and pinched myself about a thousand times to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming, I came to one conclusion: now, more than ever, it is vital that we don’t let each other down. In a time of change and uncertainty, it is unfair to leave those who fear alone in their worry. No matter your reaction to the outcome, choose to show through actions, not just words, that things can and will be okay. In the days following the election, the amount of raw emotion around me bred some of the strongest feelings of closeness that I have experienced in my life, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. It’s now that we have to be strong for and support each other. Even Mr. Dunn expressed the increased need for a school-wide look out for one another, even if it’s just a simple “hello.” When it comes down to it, caring belongs to no political party, nor religion, gender identity, race, or ethnicity alone. Caring is just a thing that is human, and I don’t know about anyone else, but this whole thing has lit a real fire under me to care as hard as I can. So, if anyone wants to talk, I’m here. ]]>