Are We Past Hope?

On By Lesleykluchin

It is the morning after the election and I woke up feeling numb. I probably only slept about four hours as nightmares of angry Trump mobs kept jolting me up all night. I’m in disbelief that half of my country is clearly racist, ageist, uncultured, unable to research fact from fiction, and that hate apparently is winning over love. That is what 45’s strong numbers seem to exhibit. I’m devastated and broken hearted. And my kooky imagination keeps hearing lines from Shakespeare.

You know, the interesting thing about being a former actress and a teacher for 36 years, is that lines from countless plays and novels swim around my head and contuously rise to the forefront of my brain on just the right occasion. I have recited so many lines over the years from plays I performed, or novels I either read or taught, that at the drop of a hat a quote will pop into my consciousness.

Some say actors are odd creatures who are too sensitive and slightly peculiar. Well, think about it. What kind of uniqueness does it take to absorb words and portray them with such passion that you have the incite and ability to jump into a character’s soul and bring her or him to life? Not everyone can do that.

And what kind of sensitivity does it take for a teacher to turn words into a life lesson? To make students think? In my opinion it’s the same gift that brings an audience to tears, to laughter, or to understanding. It’s imparting knowledge and enlightenment.

So, this particular morning when every news station in America has Biden and Trump running neck and neck, and my hopes of a President who actually follows the science that can end this pandemic and bring back our good standing on the world stage, seem to be flying out the window…I’m being bombarded with Shakespearean phrases that I can’t get out of my head!

What keeps rolling around my brain in a never ending loop are Shakespeare’s words that I recited long ago when I played the role of Juliet. I just can’t shake the words! Over and over I hear myself saying the lines. I feel my tears from 40 years ago. I hear the rustle of my gown as I knelt upon the floor, and the pain and desperation my character felt when she said…

“Shut the door! And when thou hast done so,
Come weep with me, past hope, past cure, past help.”

20 thoughts on “Are We Past Hope?”

  1. It’s good to see you blogging again, Lesley. I have the feeling that I will need some emotional therapy from others like you who can converse intelligently with me in my blog if I have to absorb the reality of another four years of Trump.

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    1. Hi Jim, we will ALL need emotional therapy should Trump stay in the WH for another term. Then we’ll have to lean on one another in order to get through it. I shudder to even think about that scenario!!😳 Thank you for stopping by.

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  3. Watching the news……..feeling hopeful but like everyone else find it disheartening to see the number of people supporting all that the present government represents. Looking good right now…..sending support from north of the border

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    1. Thanks for the support. Yes it is beyond comprehension how much support the President Received. I will never understand how reasonable people could vote for someone who bullies, lies, divides and attacks rather than unites . It is unfathomable.

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  5. Heartbroken and numb too when I checked the returns this morning. I just don’t get why it’s still so close. Other than all the reasons you mentioned. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll have a song back in my heart.

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    1. I hope we both are singing tomorrow! I don’t get why it’s so close either. It’s hard to understand! Thank you so much for responding to my post! And let’s hope our nation can heal from the last four years. 👍

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  10. Kate

    Going along with the sadness I was hoping Senator Joni Ernst would lose her seat In Iowa where I live, but that was not to be. I’m sure others in the country might have been cheering some of Trump’s accomplices would not keep their seats in other states–but looks like the main offenders will stay where they are.

    Crossing my fingers for the Presidential race.

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  12. You articulate well the numbness and pain so many are feeling right now, Lesley. Pain for a country that has had so much to offer both its citizens and the world until its baser instincts started taking hold. Let’s hope that somehow America can find its way out of this abyss. 😥

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