As depressing as it is to say, I have sensed that a very large group of people in the United States have lost faith in the future of their country and politics overall. This is not an exclusive feeling to Americans, and even in the Netherlands these are sentiments that we are growing more familiar with. I might be speaking for myself here, but it is being evident that our current institutions simply do not seem suitable to achieve a shared common good for mankind. As of now, there are simply too many things wrong with our modern-day society. For starters, our world is warming up faster than ever before and everyone alive now will have to live on a planet that is on fire, under water, dried out and in some places completely eradicated – all at the same time. There is such a sadness in knowing this that it at all moments sit within my heart and pulls my feet even tighter to the earth under me, in admiration and respect for the one thing binding us all together.

There is even more sadness in knowing that this will continue to be so, and worsen over time, at the mere benefit of a select few individuals growing richer and richer at the expense of us all. Then there is anger at our individual lives being upended by events that seem bigger and inexplicable to us as people; to me as Aiden and to you as you. There is a housing crisis we cannot seem to solve, a drug crisis that runs amock and anchors people into a pit almost impossible to climb out of, an immigration crisis that pushes good but desperate people into desperate situations and inhospitable countries and an unstable economic system that seems to almost reveal itself as being void of any true value. There is confusion at all of us. And then, like a cherry on top, there is a division that runs so deeply between us that it cuts right through us as people. And once all of these feelings have mixed into your own personal concoction of misunderstanding, hatred, disbelief, fury and hopelessness, the only power you seem to have been given to address all of this, is the possibility to fill in an empty bubble next to a presidency candidate’s name once every four years. You either vote for what you know, or for what you don’t.

Especially so close to the elections, with Harris and Trump running neck-to-neck, most people seem to be preparing for a Trump victory. There is a sense of impending doom that individuals are now beginning to navigate, especially among people of color, young people, immigrants without a legal status, women and queer people. As a result, some people have a tendency to turn inward and shut down to the world around them, becoming apathetic to reality. Some people, however, spread their arms wide instead and plant their hands supportively on the shoulder of another. This, perhaps, will be the new way forward.

Both poet Hernan Ramos and educator Darius Simpson are part of an Oakland-based and community-led program called the People’s Program. Among more services, the People’s Program provides a mobile health clinic, stressing accessibility and compassion in a climate when existing healthcare structures are oftentimes anything but. They provide free breakfast and care packages to Oakland’s houseless, farm a vegetable garden to directly increase food autonomy and accessibility for Black people in Oakland, set up their own grocery program to freely provide fresh groceries to people and create community, and focus on political education and youth programming. There is real change and community-building that takes place here. Of course this is just a small example of the bigger amends that need to take place in the U.S., a country where finding support in the people around you is generally made difficult. After all, individuality runs to the core of U.S. society and there needs to be a lot of rethinking and, predominantly, unthinking to achieve commonalities among people who sometimes could not be more different from each other. There are divisions on religion, identity, gender, sexuality, upbringing, origin, ethnicity, income, education level, food preferences, language, and culture (I am sure to have forgotten some). 

For some reason, something that someone recently told me has gotten stuck in my head, the phrase running through my brain at the most random of times. “I never realized how divided the United States was until Trump”. He was referring to 2016, when a new wave of political support elected Trump into the White House for the first time. There was a sadness in his voice when he reflected on this; like a veil had dissipated to reveal a reality where at all times half of the people around him could think completely opposite to him. But despite that, it is ultimately we, as a united front and collective, who will need to steer the future of the U.S. toward brighter horizons that any president can provide. There needs to be a way to tie the fabric back together.

Even with everything I have seen and learned since being in the United States, I still have hope. Because ultimately, what else is there but hope? I have hope in the tenacity of the American people; the kindness I have been offered and I see others offer each other. Here is someone struggling to make ends meet, offering to buy me a taco with one of his last five dollar bills – and the food truck accepting it even though the actual charge is higher. There are countless bus drivers, especially in hotter parts of the country, who will let you ride for free just to get you out of the heat. There are people offering to show you around for a day and share with you their company and hospitality. There are people welcoming you into their homes with no strings attached. There are people, struggling themselves, sharing their food with you, and turning leftovers into a feast. There is an undeniable heart to most of the American people and it will beat louder than any election outcome ever can. I truly believe that.