Last weekend was my son’s birthday!! We celebrated by visiting him at his college in the mountains of Virginia.

Our son had been sending us beautiful photos of the stunning vistas, lakes, and brooks from his hikes on the mountains surrounding the University. We wanted to see the sights in person, so we planned to drive to one of his favorite spots, during our visit.

After lunch, we drove twelve or so miles from our son’s very insulated, bustling college town. We went from beautiful buildings, made of a special stone on a pristine campus, to drive on a road with no fast food restaurants and very few gas stations. By the time we made it to the mountain, it felt like we had traveled a thousand miles, instead of twelve.

I was excited. We were all together, happily viewing the beauty we had exclaimed over in the pictures, so many times. The trees were just beginning to change color and the views were stunning.

After a few miles of enjoying the sense of freedom I felt, riding up the mountain, a switch went off in my brain. The beauty faded to the background and intrusive thoughts started to roll in.

I was hyper tuned to the reality of our situation. We were 5 people in a car, with spotty cell service, traveling up the side of a mountain, in narrow lanes that left no room for error.

There were houses scattered about; many with Trump signs and banners. I tried to stop it, but the mom in me started to think about all the things that could go wrong for my son, because the next time he traveled the road it would be without us.

I worried he might be harmed or harassed, for being someone who would be perceived as not fitting in with the other people we saw driving on the mountain. How would things play out if he were to break down or have an accident on this remote and quiet road?

I tried not to, but I began to voice my worries out loud in the car. My husband somewhat agreed with me, but only to a point. I wanted our son to promise not to drive on that particular mountain again. My husband thought that too extreme, because … something about not living life in fear or some nonsense.

If there is something to fear, it’s not helpful to pretend otherwise. I am afraid. I’m afraid, because we live in a country where people don’t cheer for the good guys, now they just pretend to think that the bad guys are good. My blood runs cold when I hear the hatred directed at “illegal aliens”. I understand that when people become comfortable with the idea of blatant hatred and scapegoating of a group, then my group is probably next on the list.

You too, may think I am being paranoid, but consider this. A random woman said on Facebook that she thought her Haitian neighbors ate her dog. There were no pictures, video or notes to suggest such a thing. Unbelievably, that lie caught fire without a shred of proof. Prominent leaders began to repeat the lie. They repeated the outrageous lie and got away with it. Mostly because they were lying about people who are considered “other”; people who look like my family.

Under normal circumstances, such an outrageous lie could not gain traction without some corroborating evidence. Yes, I feel afraid that someone might decide to repeat a damaging lie about me or mine, because this is the world we live in.

No, I don’t think it’s fair to assume that just because a person is a Trump supporter, they would harm me or mine. However, I do think it wise to consider that a Trump supporter is willingly supporting someone who was President when babies were literally separated from their parents at the border, and some have not been reunited. It should also be taken into consideration that the former President’s attorney argued that he (former Presidents) should be immune from criminal prosecution for official acts committed while in office. It’s worrying to me that a person would suggest that they should be considered above the law, and have the Supreme Court agree. I wonder about the people who support the candidate who continually lies and exhibits something akin to hatred for the “other”, and disdain for almost everyone else.

I graduated from the university my son now attends, more than 35 years ago. Back then, I was not afraid and would not have believed that I would be feeling the way I do now. Things have changed, and no matter where you live in this country, I think you should worry that violence and manipulation of our foundational processes was a thing on January 6, 2021.  It seems possible that things may get worse. Maybe all of us should be worried and a little afraid.

Use your vote wisely. It matters.

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