the result of the US elections.
I live in faraway Calcutta....America has always been a part of my life. I grew up in a Theological Seminary, where my father was a professor of Theology. The Seminary had many American missionaries, and their way of life made a deep impression on me. I studied in Isabella Thoburn College where I imbibed the life and philosophy of Isabella Thoburn. I was awarded a scholarship to study for one year at The Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Florida. And that's all my physical connection with the country, but over the years my decisions of how I want to live have been unconsciously shaped by America. I know it is not a perfect country - which country is - but childhood impressions shape the way one thinks...Another deep link I have is my admiration for and deep acceptance of Native American wisdom. The game 'Cowboys and Indians' formed a major part of our life too, and as kids we idealized both cowboys and American Indians.
And so, the American values of home and hearth, their fierce independence of spirit, their innate honesty of being able to look at themselves, their fearless acceptance of every opportunity that came their way, their ability to work hard and against all odds, their love of adventure, their fighting up for the underdog, their incredible creativity, their breadth, height and depth of intellectual thought, their ability to reach out even if it is something as simple and basic as taking a batch of freshly-baked cookies to welcome someone who has just moved into their neighbourhood....and many other big and small characteristics. I have always loved the wit, wisdom and music of the African Americans...from Maya Angelou to Michelle and Barack Obama...from the Jazz greats to the a capella spirituals.... I do believe with my whole heart that the best of America is still the best in the world. Can you imagine then, my total horror and dismay that the person who was voted in to lead this great country was a man who exhibited and revelled in the exhibition of the basest and crudest of attitudes and standards of behavior. It is all very well to say he was gracious in his acceptance speech but the worth and character of a man can be judged only in the way he reacts and responds when he loses/fails....would a man who kept claiming that the 'system was rigged' and who baldly said he would not accept a result in which Hillary Clinton won, been gracious in his defeat? What vituperation he spewed throughout his campaign.... what was his demeanor during the debates? Of course when one sees the actual numbers, one realizes it was not a great victory at all, but then one does not see numbers, one only sees the man....and I feel as if I have lost something very precious.
It is not that people make mistakes, it is not that all countries go through cycles of good governance and bad ones, it is not about riding this through... It is something more....You know what happens when something you hold dear gets an irreparable crack in it....? It is the unbelievable and not-ready-to-accept feeling you get when you see that the country you idealize has a clay base...
That's the way I'm feeling right now.
Why America? Why did you do this to yourselves? Why did you hurt the world so?