Science, Resilience, and Responsibility in an Uncertain America

My take on the recent developments in US politics

I’m not going to lie; I was in shock. The last thing I expected was for someone with such a background to be selected as my CEO… 

As someone working for the federal government, I had to pass a strict background check that clarified that any criminal record would disqualify me from the job. 

You may wonder what I do. Nothing extraordinary. I write Environmental Assessments, and I have the lowest level of clearance. Still, a criminal record would have been disqualifying. Someone with access to nuclear codes and security issues should face higher scrutiny than I would, correct?

Yet, he’ll be my new boss. These are strange times indeed. 

When I woke up to the news yesterday morning, I wanted to run to the highest mountain and yell at the world: “Make it make sense!” 

But it won’t. And that’s our current situation, whether we like it or are terrified. However, some time ago, I learned something that was life-changing when it comes to handling my anxiety: the power of “Is there anything I can do?”

You see, empathetics, worriers, overachievers, and perfectionists tend to stress over everything on the face of the Earth. From health to politics, education, their relationships, diet, international wars, to… you get the picture. Every time something doesn’t look like we’d like it to, we stress. A lot. 

But in one of these “in the middle of a crisis” events, someone told me this: 

Is there anything you can do about it? Great, do it. There’s nothing? Then, don’t stress over what can’t be changed, always look forward. Work on accepting the situation and finding a way to ride the wave to the best of your abilities. Nothing is forever.

This was powerful. Yes, indeed, there’s some need for looking back and understanding where we went wrong, but what’s happened’s happened. We can’t change the past, but we can work on finding a way to safely make it through the next four years. We can choose whether this is a catastrophe or a mere hiccup. We still have resources: us.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know what “riding the wave” looks like in this situation or everything we need to do for this to be a successful ride, but I know that we, united, can figure it out. 

For example, since I’m a scientist and work closely with climate change science and research, I’m mostly concerned about this aspect of the storm ahead. You may have the knowledge and expertise to tackle another aspect of our society that will need protection in the coming years. 

Maybe you work on reproductive health, diversity, inclusion, equity, gender identity, and LGBTQ+ rights, are a librarian or educator, have family and friends who immigrated to this country, etc. We know that many liberties that we took for granted may be threatened in the near future, but we need to keep doing our jobs; we need to keep the ship sailing. 

How does this look for me?

Well, I have “two” jobs at the moment. For my day job, I will keep working on environmental assessments to the best of my abilities. I will give all I have every day, whether it’s 100% or just 25%, but I will keep showing up. I know my job serves an important function in this country, and I must keep moving forward. 

My second job, or let’s call it a duty, is communicating science. I want to help people get more familiar with how science works, why it can be trusted, and how it can help us fight climate change. What can the past, or the fossil record, teach us about how climate change events work or prepare for its future consequences? 

I know my current morale is as low as yours may be. I’ve cried scared tears for over 36 hours, and I’m panicking about what could lay ahead of us. I worry about my children’s education, safety, and future health. 

However, I know that if worse comes to worst, I will be able to teach them about scientific principles, logical thinking, consent, and reproductive care myself. About diversity, inclusion, and equity. About real love, kindness, compassion, and respect. And I know that all of you (still) have the tools to do the same. Let’s keep creating them.

Indeed, there’s something this situation can’t get away from me: my desire to keep writing about the science I know we all need to understand what’s going on in the world better. This is my duty, and I won’t shy away. 

I will keep writing here with the hopes that some of my words may resonate with the right person, and I encourage you to do the same. Share your knowledge, whatever it looks like, with your Medium community and every other community that’s giving you a free space to make your voice heard. 

We’ll need all the resources that we can gather. Information will make us powerful. 

I came to this country almost 10 years ago because it offered me the opportunity and resources to keep exploring my science and what it has to offer. I refuse to accept that this isn’t needed anymore. We know there are millions of people convinced that science still has a place in the United States, that we need this science. Now more than ever. 

Keep writing, for we’re still free. We’ve got this.