To the editor:

The unthinkable has happened. And now, we have no choice but to think about it. Perhaps some of you, like me, have been struck by the following fact: An immature, unstable, uninformed, impulsive man is now the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces with a nuclear arsenal at his disposal. We have put ourselves and the world in great danger. We are mourning the country we thought we were becoming, and we are forced to recognize an ugly part of our nation that is deeper and more persistent than we realized. To be clear – I do not believe that all Trump supporters are racist, sexist or xenophobic. But they are all willing to accept, and by their vote validate, these truly deplorable views.

Now we are reminded that we must take nothing for granted, that we must be forever vigilant. We can grieve for a while, but then let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. This nation does not belong to one man. It belongs to all of us, and we have the ability to at least contain the damage, and at best to undo what has been done.

If you feel yourself being overtaken by fear, sadness or anger, here are seven things to think about that might provide some comfort and hope –

1. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. Her popular vote victory margin may turn out to be greater than that of Kennedy (1960) and Nixon (1968). And it would have been even larger if there weren’t so many voters who are unfairly disenfranchised due to past convictions and others who were discouraged or prevented from voting by restrictive barriers put in place after the Supreme Court’s tragic gutting of the Voting Rights Act. Thinking about all of this can underscore the unfairness of the result and heighten the pain, but it can also be somewhat comforting to know that far more people reject Trump’s views than embrace them.

2. This brings us to the subject of the Electoral College. This antiquated, undemocratic institution is now responsible for the two most disastrous elections of our time (in fact, a few years ago, Trump himself wrote that the Electoral College is a “disaster for a democracy”; how prescient). In our current (mostly “winner take all”) system, large percentages of most state populations are left completely without a voice in the election that really counts – the one in the Electoral College. If we are ever going to rethink our system of elections, now is the time. We must eliminate the Electoral College or substantially change how it works (the latter can be done without a Constitutional amendment).

3. Take comfort in the fact that the demographics tell a hopeful story. The nation is becoming ever more diverse, and some Americans see that as a threat. But look at the statistics for young people. The Director of a civics research center, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, said, “Young voters supported Hillary Clinton and other Democratic candidates more than any other age group did.” Older voters went for Trump. This nation’s increasing diversity is inevitable, and it should be celebrated and embraced, not feared.

4. The group that voted for Trump in the highest percentages is non-college-educated white men. This election should remind us of the importance of our mission, and the importance of a well-educated populace for the health of a democracy. We must continue to cultivate critical thinking, information and media literacy, and a commitment to social justice. Those of you who have received such an education can have the kinds of conversations that can change and open the minds of others.

5. The founders created a system that is designed to be strong enough to survive a bad president. Now more than ever, we will depend on checks and balances. While it is true that Republicans control both chambers of Congress, which is deeply unfortunate, the Democrats, along with quite a few Republicans equally worried about Trump, can act as a constraint (with impeachment as an important option). The Senate, while keeping an open mind, must block any nominees who would roll back the important gains of recent decades.

6. We have more than just the national government. We can strive to make our own state, city and community into bastions of sanity and enlightened policy. We can also use these various levels of government, as well as direct citizen action, to resist harmful policies and oppression. There are many ways to get involved, and we no longer have the luxury of sitting on the sidelines. There are times when we need to put our bodies on the line. Nothing less will do.

7. In the end, if Trump is sworn in and becomes president, as is likely, we all must pray that the magnitude of both the responsibility and the stakes, along with the dawning awareness that a president is a steward who holds the office in a sacred trust, can, against all odds, humble his colossal ego and serve to awaken whatever better angels of his nature there may be. But since he has shown no indication that this is likely from any of his past words and actions, we must remain actively engaged to make sure that lasting damage is not done to the country we love.

So do not lose heart. We can be powerful if we work together as a community. We have so much to hope for and so much to fight for.

Sincerely,

Mark Berkson