The future is always unknown. But a strong case can be made that our future took a sharp turn into greater uncertainty after the election. Approximately 74.2 million Americans voted on ‘the economy’ and ‘immigration.’ The stock market has climbed since Wednesday. But is it sustainable? And at what cost?

Another 70.3 million other Americans voted with a generational future in mind. Hopes were high that rights would be affirmed—not taken away. That is a possibility now, and the reason so many harbor so much fear for what’s next.

If past behavior is the most reliable indicator of future behavior, next steps are ominous. The Human Rights Campaign collects data on all the ways forty-five limited or revoked rights: https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-denounces-trumps-2024-bid-for-president-vows-to-work-to-ensure-trump-forever-remains-a-one-term-president. A more exhaustive list of how rights diminished during his first term was drafted by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: https://civilrights.org/trump-rollbacks/.

Humans are social creatures. We live alongside one another, know ourselves in relation to one another. Maybe your life will be different, easier. But is it sustainable? And at what cost to others?

This election confirmed American democracy is alive and well. Unfortunately, the emphasis remains on individual prosperity versus collective good. The wave, ruled by ego, continues. To protect themselves, many have taken great steps back to create distance, uncertain about the absence created by votes that may, ultimately, hurt their own future.