Here are 3 avenues for reflection to better understand disappointment… and democracy!
Disappointment is linked to hope. In a democracy, when we vote to elect our leaders, we are guided by hope for the future. The people we elect are the people to whom we will entrust major responsibilities that concern our lives. Our life today but also that of tomorrow. The person to whom we give our vote is the one who will most inspire our enthusiasm. When she loses, we can only be disappointed.
Disappointment is linked to incomprehension. In a democracy, when we vote for people, it is also because we give them our confidence to make important decisions in a world that is not easy to understand. The reasons that push us towards this or that candidate are notably linked to the fact that we recognize ourselves in their way of explaining the world. If “our” candidate loses, we are disappointed, because we have the impression that our ability to understand the world is diminishing. We feel like we no longer understand anything. And to be powerless too.
Disappointment is linked to living together. In a democracy, voting is a right given to all adults. The people we elect will be responsible for defining the rules and priorities of life in society. But democracy is living with people who are different from us and who do not necessarily have the same priorities, the same goals as us. When elected people have values other than ours, we are inevitably disappointed. We wonder how we can live with people who are so different from us. In the case of Donald Trump, many of you are wondering how we can elect a person who has committed criminal actions, who is rude, who intimidates others. We don’t have the answers to these questions at this time. But it will be interesting, in the coming days, to discover what Trump means to the people who voted for him and who put their hope in him.
What are we doing here?!
You know, dear Ace, being disappointed is not inevitable! All around us (and inside us), there are plenty of resources that can nourish our hope, our capacity to understand, our curiosity, our welcome and our desire to live with different people. It won’t be easy every day, but it’s worth it! You have to try to channel your disappointment into your energy machine, to transform it all into power. If you believe that the world must be even better, if you want your values to be at the heart of democracy, you must work for it. And you won’t be alone. We have to find a way to include as many people as possible in this project. Even those who think differently. In a few years, you will be able to vote! And right now, you have the opportunity to change the world. Your world!
What could you do today to turn your disappointment into something good?
Canada
