Surviving Ruth

I just read that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has died. Like many others, I went from shock to dismay to despair as I tried to grapple with the news. I felt as if I’d been punched in the gut. I felt as if the world I cared about — the world of justice and compassion and equality and diversity — were coming to an end. I saw my own emotions in the social media posts of friends.

Then I remembered something that has sustained me through dark times. We aren’t all crazy on the same day. We who are not crazy (or despondent or frantic, or so depressed we can barely breathe) on any given day will carry you, and then you can carry us.

I don’t in any way mean to imply that RBG’s death is not a terrible blow. Of course it is. And the consequences may unfold in dreadful ways. But for the moment, I ask you to imagine -- with me, us together -- her saying, “Don’t lose hope. Don’t give up. We are in this together and together we will get through this.”

So many times over the years, her words, her courage, and her clarity have carried us. Now it’s time for us to do that for one another. Let’s take the time to honor her, to respect the depth of our loss.

And then let’s be RGB to one another. Let's follow her example and persist. And resist. And be shining lights of hope.