Jan 22, 2024
We’re 22 days into the new year and sigh, does everything feel incredibly bleak. I know it’s not the right energy to start the year off, and I know it is unwise to speak of any political matters on my own site, but for the time being, I have this space that isn’t really controlled by anything, so here goes.
It’s really frightening to see already the numerous changes that are happening with this administration under that guy. To know that the future is fully controlled by the elites of the elitists; to watch our country regress on so many areas that we’ve made progress in (i mean what, efforts to protect public health, rolled back our climate change initiatives, etc...) with the snap of [Thano’s] fingers, so many people now fearing for their place in the country, including the LGBTQ community, PEOPLE without the proper documentation, the list goes on… beyond, now that all our social media and news outlets are controlled by this same group, many people who are on the fence will be swayed towards thinking that all this is somehow right? And oof, the fires in SoCal that we continue to see as a result of climate change + let’s talk AI… My heart weeps.
Why should I even care? Largely, these topics don’t affect me directly. Sure, I’m Asian American - and we can chat about how this will ultimately come down to affect my group, but I’m Asian American in the Bay Area, among many other Asian Americans. We are, at this time, a somewhat protected group, going about in our “model minority” ways. I grew up very middle class. My parents owned restaurants/small businesses. We were able to afford some nice things. I have many privileges. My parents also advised me to not get too wound up in politics because they know it’s all a big, corrupted mess. I really don’t have to care about the sweeping changes that have been made, but I do. At a young age, I’ve latched onto the values of kindness, of equality, of diversity, of the idea that every human deserves good things no matter their background. I have not said this until this year, but I fear the future of my two boys. A. LOT. As a mom, my battle uphill revolves around how to instill humanity and good values and my wishes are for them to have a strong moral compass no matter what they face in the future. I believe that most people have valid reasons to vote for this administration, and that we should listen to each other’s needs, but I highly doubt that by promoting divide in the country, by pushing down diversity, with only to benefit those who are the richest - that any of that will trickle down to benefit those who want affordable food, medications, safety, etc. I fear that this administration is instilling in the minds of many that this elitism and whiteness is somehow good, and I don’t want any of that to seep into the minds of my boys.
What can I do? I’ll pivot here to goals as I have to keep my own brain sane. The very very basics – to sleep well - because that affects my mental health a lot; to eat healthfully - no brainer for a dietitian, but also to be physically strong for my family; to be physically active, with a real real goal of this year to DANCE [ballet] again in the studio; to save money and spend wisely; to do good by the environment in whatever capacity.
Years ago, I printed the words “grace x resilience” when I took a foil stamping class. This was years before kids, but words and motto I used personally for myself. Bringing them back to light again. Grace - at the time, I thought of grace more as in “to act with grace,” to hold my head high and these days, it also means to “give yourself grace.” Resilience - a word my nutrition ecology professor in grad school over ten years ago used to describe our future food system; that the word “sustainability” would go out in style, but that we should be focusing on building a resilient food system that can withstand changes to the climate and various conditions. Is that not so appropriate to apply personally right now? To remain resilient during such uncertain times. As afraid as I am for my kids' future, it is also with them that there is hope. There has to be.
I write all this down to remember this moment and these feelings now. If you’ve actually read this far, thank you. I hope we can connect. I hope you are taking care of yourself. I’ve spoken to many kind, nice people who voted for that guy with this illusion that there will be changes to benefit them (cheaper medications is one hope, but it’s not looking that way). I think it’s so important to understand at large what matters to people and also believe in the humanity - so, yea. I scratch only the surface with this long-winded post, but I think at least longer version of all the snippets we see on social media. Let’s keep talking.