Now, what?

The past few weeks saw the closure of elections in America. It was a polarizing election, with controversial candidates on both sides.

One thing is certain - democracy is alive and kicking. This is evident when people have the freedom to express their views, the right to disagree and hold the government accountable in whatever ways they can.

In some ways, it was like "deja-vu" - having grown up in India and being part of the minority community. There is an increased sense of being an outsider, looking in - and feeling that the majority population barely tolerates you, and doesn't really identify with you. It is a feeling of "put up or shut up". I remember an incident in college, and having a school administrator point out to me that I wasn't really an Indian citizen, because I had a Christian name. I remember being called "pav waali", with the assumption that Christians survive on a diet of bread. I remember the Mumbai riots, where homes were burnt, and our Muslim neighbors were targets of increased hostility. I remember being a Christian, who felt that the majority Hindu population, agreed with the divisive politics and separated people based on caste, race, religion and what not. 

Many years later, when I moved to America expecting different, but finding much of the same. America has third world problems. Maybe, we can't identify with a great many things that someone is trying to tell us, unless we have experienced it ourselves. 

I know many good-hearted (non-racist/non-misogynist etc) people who voted for Trump. I truly believed there would be a huge push-back from these people after the election clearing up that people voted for a conservative Supreme Court or different fiscal policies but still absolutely condemn the association of Trump with their valid political causes. (They could not separate their cause from Trump). 

Instead, I have found radio silence, illogical rationalizations, and a lot of just avoiding comment altogether. This is causing people to believe that Christians truly approve of Trumps' language and lifestyle and it is causing the Church to come off as enormously hypocritical and callous toward the hurting. 

In a time, when people are leaving the church in droves, we should be actively fighting this image of hypocrisy. When we know that people are watching and their lives are at stake, we should be the first, strongest, and best responders and defenders.

I have seen Trump supporters silent, for fear of being branded or accused of the things that Trump embodies. I have seen Christians defend the unborn, but stay silent in the face of blatant ugliness to people from different race. I have seen Trump use degrading words to describe women, and I have seen countless jokes at his expense, which just reinforces the degrading by repeating it as jokes, over and over again.

Maybe, we are geared towards "self-preservation", the natural instinct to survive. America should do more to keep its' borders secure, but let that be as a goal for the future. Let it not be at the expense of deporting so many families with children that have already settled here, and called this place home. Many of these illegal immigrants and refugees, have horrifying stories to tell - stories of poverty and escaping for survival to find a better future. Let's stop branding these people as rapists, drug dealers, terrorists and free-riders. Many of them do menial jobs that a typical American wouldn't care to think twice about. 

Let's strive for justice and common ground. Let's pray that God would show us his truth and that HE would lead us. 

“Don’t speak to me about your religion; first show it to me in how you treat other people. Don’t tell me how much you love your God; show me in how much you love all His children. Don’t preach to me your passion for your faith; teach me through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I’m not as interested in what you have to tell or sell, as in how you choose to live and give.”
-- Cory Booker.