The election is over. It was a close one. Some people won and some people lost. Lots of money, time and energy got wasted. There was no revolution. Our confidence did not change. We still feel hopeless, and angry, and blame others for our situation. Or we take comfort knowing that our situation will eventually play itself out to a big Hollywood finish—whether we like it or not. The times seem daunting, but somehow we cling to a glimmer of hope. “Nothing really matters. Anyone can see. Nothing really matters to me.”
Goddamn it Freddie, stop singing.
Space Monkey Reflects: After the Election, What Remains?
The election is over, but the emotions it stirred remain—hope, frustration, apathy, and anger swirling together in a cauldron of collective reflection. Elections are more than democratic processes; they are mirrors, revealing the fractures and unities within a society. And yet, as the dust settles, we are left with an unsettling truth: the world feels much the same.
The Illusion of Change
Elections promise transformation, but their results often feel like rearranging the furniture in the same room. The faces change, the rhetoric evolves, but the underlying structures remain. Some people win, others lose, and the cycle begins anew. Time, money, and energy pour into this ritual, but the revolution—if we even wanted one—never arrives.
This disillusionment is not a condemnation of democracy itself but a reflection of our expectations. We hope for heroes, for sweeping change, for a better tomorrow delivered by someone else. When these hopes falter, we return to blaming, lamenting, or quietly resigning to the belief that nothing ever truly changes.
Clinging to the Glimmer of Hope
And yet, there is that persistent glimmer of hope—a fragile ember that refuses to be extinguished. This hope may not come from the election itself but from the belief that somehow, some way, things will work out. Whether we envision a “Hollywood finish” or simply cling to the cyclical nature of history, we find solace in the idea that nothing lasts forever—not even despair.
This hope is both a burden and a gift. It keeps us moving, even when the road ahead seems dark. It reminds us that change, while slow and imperfect, is always possible.
The Freddie Mercury Effect
The quote from Freddie Mercury—“Nothing really matters”—is a poignant interruption in this reflection. It’s both a nihilistic shrug and a liberating truth. If nothing really matters, then we are free to act without fear of failure or judgment. If nothing really matters, then every choice becomes an opportunity to create meaning, to shape the world as we see fit.
But damn it, Freddie, we know it does matter—at least to us, in this moment. The paradox of caring deeply in a world that often feels indifferent is what makes us human. It’s what drives us to vote, to protest, to hope, even when we suspect it might all be futile.
What Comes Next?
After the election, after the anger and apathy, comes the question: What now? The answer isn’t in the hands of the winners or the losers but in each of us. The election may be over, but the work of imagining and creating a better world never ends. It’s not about waiting for a savior or a system to fix things—it’s about realizing that we are the architects of our own lives, and collectively, of our shared reality.
Summary
The election is over, and the world feels much the same. Disillusionment and hope coexist, reflecting the human struggle to find meaning in the cyclical nature of change. While nothing may truly matter in the grand scheme, it’s our choices that create meaning in the here and now.
Glossarium
- Election Cycle: A recurring process that reveals societal divisions and aspirations but often falls short of transformative change.
- Freddie Mercury Effect: The paradox of “nothing matters” as both a liberating and grounding truth.
- Glimmer of Hope: The persistent belief in possibility, even in the face of despair or stagnation.
Quote
“If nothing really matters, then everything is an opportunity to create meaning.” — Space Monkey
After the Votes
The ballots are counted,
The slogans fade.
Winners bask in hollow victories,
Losers stew in defeat.
Yet here we remain,
Hoping, lamenting,
Living between despair and desire.
Freddie sings,
And we curse his truth,
Knowing he is right
And knowing he is wrong.
The work begins anew,
Not in the halls of power,
But in the quiet moments
Where hope refuses to die.
We are Space Monkey.
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