I did not vote for lower gas and egg prices; I voted for empathy, human kindness, and human rights. For those who overlooked the dearth of the latter in favor of the pursuit of the former, I can only shrug. You believe you have done the right thing. I don’t understand it. I have tried very hard to understand it ever since 2016, and I have failed. So I shrug.

Am I concerned that Trump, unburdened by even the minimal number of advisors who served as something of a brake last time, will run the country into an economic, political, world stage pit of horrors? Yes, of course. I knew people in D.C. last time and heard how getting anything done was nearly impossible due to direct choices made by Trump and his administration. And I look at the state of the world and have nearly zero faith that Trump can do anything but make things worse.

But those are not my largest concerns. There ARE still checks and balances, teetering as they may be. I DO have hope that we’ll come out the other side of all this still stumbling along as a country.

What I AM concerned about are my friends–the ones I currently have and the ones I do not yet have and the ones that I will never know. I am concerned, of course, about Federal policies that will make their lives more difficult, or impossible, or make them out to be the ‘enemy’ (from within or without, does it matter?). But, hey, I saw some hope at the state level as far as passage of various bits of legislature goes (Missouri? Who knew?). Still troubling? Yes. Worth fighting for at the local and state level? Yes.

That said, here’s what I AM most concerned about: there is a certain faction of the far right–they are not a small faction, unfortunately, and they aren’t even a ‘faction’, mostly; they are individuals and small groups–who look at Trump and say, “Yeeeesssss…he’s speaking my language!” and they look at a large section of the voting populace voting for Trump and say, “Yeeeeessss…they agree with me,” even if that large section of voting populace really only wanted (thought they wanted? I don’t know; still trying to understand, I suppose) better prices at the grocery store and at the pump. This faction looks at who we voted in for President, the rhetoric and the animosity and the hate espoused by certain very vocal proponents of him, and they will feel emboldened. They will feel empowered. They will feel that they are warriors for justice on the side of righteousness, and they will feel it is their duty and their place to bully, harass, and even kill those who have been ostracized by our political (and by extension ethical and moral) choices.

That’s what I’m concerned about: that the bullies will feel empowered by seeing that we have elected one of their own (is he? Or is he just posturing? Does it matter? In this case, only perception matters) and feel that they and their beliefs have a mandate.

So, yeah, I’ll be fine. Heck, I may even wind up better off if all the ‘I’m voting for economic reasons’ people turn out to be right. I don’t think they will, for a variety of reasons, but hey, maybe.

Yet here’s the thing: even if guaranteed to be true, I’d give that over in a heartbeat to keep my friends safe. Of course I would.

What does this all boil down to, other than my expression of an exasperated and wounded sigh sent whirling out into the void? It is this: I hope you, whoever you are and whomever you voted for, will, if you see someone getting harassed, threatened, or otherwise exposed to harm, physical or psychological, will (please, please, please) step in. Maybe you don’t ‘believe’ in their lifestyle, or fully trust their ethnicity, their perceived nationality or, heck, their political views. But still, I hope that you will, if you see something happening, use YOUR place of privilege and acceptance by society, if you have such, to say, “Hey, no. Back off.” Stand up for empathy, kindness, and human rights. Please.

And then maybe, maybe, maybe just maybe I’ll actually believe that America can be great again.