So, Donald Trump is going to be the next president of the United States.

I could write about how horrified I am. I could rant about how doomed the world is. I could lament about how the United States population has essentially globally announced that it doesn’t matter if you’re racist, sexist, violent, stupid, hateful, homophobic, abusive or ignorant – if you’re rich, white and male, your abhorrent behaviour will be forgiven and you’ll still be loved and valued by the masses.

I could continue staring blankly at my screen, shedding fearful tears for the world. I could scour my social media feeds for cheap laughs from bitter memes. I could be furious at the bigots who’ve taken this as permission to continue spewing their hate with even greater gusto.

But sadly, none of it would help. Donald Trump – racist, misogynist, ignorant man-child Trump – will still be the next President.

In fact, it would just contribute to the darkness and devastation this world is reeling from since the announcement. Hiding at home, laughing it off and being consumed by grief will only further the hate he’s caused.

Instead, I’m going to do the only thing we can do in the face of tragedy:

Champion love.

I’m going to personally commit to continuing the fight for a better world by loving, supporting and listening to others – especially those whose voices have been silenced by this terrifying outcome. I will strain to truly see, hear and empathize with people less privileged than I, and work hard to be acutely aware of my own “leg up” as a white, middle-class, educated Canadian. I will try my best not to be complicit in discrimination.

I will channel my overwhelming despair into positive action. I will champion young women and continue to tell them that despite fierce opposition, they can still achieve their dreams. That just because the first woman on the ballot didn’t win, doesn’t mean another can’t do what Hillary couldn’t. In fact, after the devastation we’re inevitably going to see during a four-year Trump reign, I honestly believe the United States will be primed more than ever for a better (female) leader.

I will deliberately build diverse communities and contribute to the causes of others doing the same. Because without differing perspectives collaborating towards a common goal, we will only continue this hateful cycle of division that got us here in the first place. Without interfacing, we can never understand one another. I will go deliberately out of my way to seek alternate opinions, cultures and belief systems to gain a better breadth of understanding.

I will do my absolute best to be a positive role model to younger generations and to support and recognise others trying to do the same. This means refusing to entertain or participate in gossip and judgment, even when I disagree with others’ viewpoints or way of life. This means taking the harder, less traveled road towards success against all opposition so that those coming after me can hopefully see a clearer path to equality.

I will refuse to laugh off unacceptable behaviour. Just because Trump can get away with sexual assault, hate speech, bullying and so much more does not mean it’s okay for the “politically incorrect” to shamelessly rear their ugly heads. I will openly call out and shame divisive or abusive behaviour, and will never stand idly by in the face of discrimination. I will do my best to compassionately educate others – who are often good people who simply don’t understand – about how their words and actions have so much more impact than they probably realize, and thus should be chosen carefully.

Lastly, I will focus on gratitude and be endlessly thankful for the blessings I’ve been given as a Canadian. Tonight’s result proved to me more than anything that we are truly different than the United States. We were naive enough to believe that it “just wasn’t that bad” down there, and boy – were we astronomically wrong. I am now even more grateful that Canadians are actually committed to diversity, equality, education and the environment. Yes – we still have massive issues when it comes to race, class and gender discrimination. But we are so much better equipped as a society to make a positive impact on the world and move the needle on equality forward, rather than backward like the States did tonight. (Major shout out to Trudeau. We love you.)

Even if Clinton must concede to Trump, love must never concede to hate.

We can still choose to fight for a better world. One where we love and support each other regardless of race, religion, gender, ability, class or level of education.

(And yes, this includes people who voted for Trump.)

Please join me, or make your own commitments to progress. It’s going to be a rough road ahead, but we’ll be better off on it together.

Love will win if we all choose it.

xo
Emily