We Are Still Here

Letting who we are be heard and seen, while there is still time.

These are troubling times on this earth. I have had difficulty writing for a while, or painting, or doing much of anything except trying to exist from one day to the next. The country that I grew up in is in deep danger. The world is changing. The earth is hurting. I hurt.

I don’t understand how all of this happened. We lost our way somehow, and I fear it will take a long time to find our way back, if we can. I don’t know if I will live to see that, now that I am in the land of the elders. 

I have felt lost, defeated, and powerless. And that is what works, I know, to keep my voice silent and my spirit dampened. So, let me begin to at least create space again for my voice with these written words. Let me begin to use this voice to speak to aging and what we are told about that. Let me begin to use this voice to resist those that would create chaos to take over our country and all that it has stood for. 

I am not dead yet, I can say to the ever-present reality of mortality, one of the gifts (bittersweet) of aging. I still have time left to be alive and to cherish each moment. None of us know how much time that we are graced to have, but as we grow older, we know that the time allotted grows short. And we are still here.

Our country is not dead yet, not taken over completely yet. We still have parts of our democracy here that can reawaken and remember who they have been and what they stand for. There are many of us who are dismayed at what is happening. We have been shocked into being frozen, but we are thawing out from the fire within, this fire that is such a part of being an American.

There are protests, petitions, voices once again rebelling against tyranny and dictatorship. Voices that begin to loudly state NO. Enough. This is not who we are. This is not what we have fought for all these years as our guiding intention and purpose. We are better than this and we can do better. 

No, we have not done things perfectly, by any means. Did our government need some restructuring and cleaning up? Most definitely. Did it need to be destroyed. Most definitely not. 

We have stood for human rights, imperfectly, which is why we need to keep records of our history alive and present. That way we can learn from the past and not repeat it. 

We have been a beacon of hope for so many, and have been a source of light and hope, not one of danger. We have been a source of welcome and refuge, not a country where its citizens now need to worry about finding safe spaces. We have been proud of our free speech, where now we are being censored and punished for daring to disagree or criticize those in power, although it seems that the standard does not apply to them. They name-call, criticize, and belittle others frequently, as well as blame everyone else for anything that goes wrong, to distract from being seen for what they in fact are doing, destroying, trying to take over and claim. 

This is how power gets taken away from us…by overwhelming us, by creating cults, by distracting us with never ending assaults to our democracy and its structures, by yelling so loudly at us that we cannot hear our own voices. 

Our voices are still here. We still have power, or they would not need to move as quickly or as loudly as they are doing in order to try and overtake us. We are still here. 

I can say that I am still here as an elder, too, to the voices in my head, as well as those in society who would discount me as no longer being relevant or serving any purpose. I will take up the space that is mine and I will use my voice and speak my heart. I will not go quietly or disappear in order to make someone more comfortable. I will help remind others that they will be here, in the land of elderhood, much sooner than they think, and that there are things to learn and to value from me and from their own path to aging. I can say to them You do not need to be afraid of me. I can help and offer some wisdom, comfort, and guidance, if you wish. Have I done things perfectly? Far from it. Do I still have things to offer? Absolutely.

 I can also say I am still here as a woman, that I am equal and have the same rights as men, and am more than my ability to have babies. I love and honor mothers, and I also know that women are more than that. We are human beings that can not only mother, but can teach the world about how to care, how to love, how to work together, how to cherish each other, how to protect the next generation and those yet to come, how to mother the earth and all of her creatures. And we are more than capable of making decisions about our own bodies. Period. 

 I can say I am still here as an American. I am the American who loves the inscription on the Statue of Liberty and all that she stands for, the American who tries to be compassionate while being fair, and tries to navigate the world with light, versus darkness and threats. I am the American who loves her neighbors and realizes the importance of connection, allies, kindness, and trust, the American who wants to believe that this is who we still are and that this is what we can get back to and keep improving and working on. I won’t give up on this vision and this hope. We fought too long and too hard to get here. 

Let us not die before our time. Let us live and use our voices, our hearts, and our strength. Together we are strong. Together we can do this. All races, genders, creeds, ethnicities, ages, beliefs…we are all human and we can come together to be more powerful than any hatred or conflict. 

We must, while there is still time.