Standing Up to the Dark

This week, a lot important things happened that I’ve felt compelled to write about, as evidenced by my article on Tuesday. Today is no different, because I want to talk about what happened this past Wednesday. Something very significant occurred during the Senate impeachment vote where President Trump was acquitted.

That’s right, I’m talking about Mitt Romney.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Like many people, I watched his speech where he announced he would vote to remove the President from office on the article over abuse of power. If you haven’t watched that speech, watch it here or read the transcript here.

Romney laid out his side clearly and powerfully. I’m struck by his conviction, when he says, “My promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and political biases aside. Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented and disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to history’s rebuke and the censure of my own conscience. I’m aware that there are people in my party and in my state who will strenuously disapprove of my decision, and in some quarters I will be vehemently denounced. I’m sure to hear abuse from the president and his supporters. Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?”

Wow.

He knew he would face backlash, and indeed we are already seeing it. People are claiming he was jealous, that he wanted attention. There are movements trying to get him removed from office. People are mocking him for his religion, one which I share- despite the fact that there are Senators such as Mike Lee and Mike Crapo, who are also members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that voted along their Republican party lines to acquit. (Senator Tom Udall, another member of the church, is a Democrat, and voted to remove.)

It would have been so easy for Senator Romney to decide that, since his vote wouldn’t make a difference anyway, he could just vote with the rest of his party and spare himself all of that pain. It would be so easy! But he didn’t do that, and he became the first Senator in the history of the United States to vote to remove an impeached president of his own party. During an interview, he quoted a hymn often sung in church as part of his reasoning, “Do what is right, let the consequence follow.” He knew that the President holding up aid to a foreign country to investigate a political rival was wrong. He knew what the proper response to that wrongdoing was. He voted with his conscience, and I can’t help but be inspired and given hope, no matter that it didn’t make a difference for the vote. Maybe, if he can do it, others can to.

I grew up reading and watching Harry Potter. There’s a quote from Dumbledore that feels particularly applicable to our times. He says, “Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon, we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie). Senator Romney chose what is right, let the consequence follow.

There are moments in our lives where we will be faced between this choice of what is easy, and what is right. It may not be as significant or as heavily publicized as Senator Romney’s choice, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be important. How can we ensure that we will make the right choice? What can we do now, so that when the time comes, we will be able to stand up to the dark?

Photo by Ahmed Hasan on Unsplash

I think there are a few things. There is an article from Sarah Kendzior that I always look back to. In it, she says, “Write down what you value; what standards you hold for yourself and for others. Write about your dreams for the future and your hopes for your children. Write about the struggle of your ancestors and how the hardship they overcame shaped the person you are today. Write your biography, write down your memories. Because if you do not do it now, you may forget. Write a list of things you would never do. Because it is possible that in the next year, you will do them. Write a list of things you would never believe. Because it is possible that in the next year, you will either believe them or be forced to say you believe them.” 

This is good advice. Write down the things that are important to you, the values you hold dear, and reference it often. This will help you to solidify your beliefs, and to be more conscious when things occur that may make you betray your own values.

Another thing you can do is to practice. We all have things, little things, that we’re doing that we know we shouldn’t. Or that we’re not doing and we know we should. It may be exercising or eating healthier. It may be watching our language, or making crude jokes, or being impatient. It may be helping out a friend when it’s not convenient for you. Whatever it is, practice standing up to the dark by standing up to yourself and making those small changes. If you can develop a strong sense of willpower and self-control in these instances, it will be easier for bigger things. I’m nowhere near perfect at this, but I’m trying, and that’s a step.

There will certainly be moments when it feels hopeless, like no matter what you do, no difference can be made. This may be true, but that’s why it’s the right choice, not the easy choice. The dark can be cold and lonely. You may not find many friends, or any, willing to stand with you in these moments. But these moments cannot last forever.

I believe that humanity has a lot of darkness. But I also know that there is a lot of good. If you doubt that, check out the Tiny Kindness Instagram page. Good people will find each other.

Why must we make these hard choices? Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”

We all share this planet together. We are all human beings, no matter how different we may seem. We must stand up for each other, and for what is right, or else, who will?

Mitt Romney’s vote may not have made a difference to the outcome. But it made a difference to me. It gave me hope. It gave me courage. It showed me that there are people out there who can make the hard choice and stand up to the dark. And if they can do it, so can I.