It's real, folks. The villain has won. A man who has been named a narcissist, a sexual predator, a sleazy business man with zero experience in politics, as well as a racist hate-monger, now also holds a new name: President of the United States.

In the aftermath of this troubling reality, you may feel more alone, more upset, and more anxious about how you should be, as a person, a citizen, and a human being. You may feel lost as to what actually "works" to accomplish anything good, and that maybe no one actually knows.

Our general sense of security and common sense have been threatened, confronting us with our lack of agency and control over our lives. What kind of motivation can we have in making progress and change in a world that is allowing Trump to be our leader? Do we just go back to work the next day?

For some, Trump's victory fulfills a fantasy of defeat. For others, a fantasy of the rise of white, rural, blue collar worker power. And still for many, it's simply an iteration of systemic injustice, revealing the race and class struggles that sorely divides our nation.

Realizing our own part in the perception of reality can come to a tremendous relief, if we take responsibility for the world we want to see. If we really want to, we can make this into a hero story, a story about resilience and love conquering hate. I implore you to take up your power, speak out what you believe in, and choose intelligence over ignorance at each opportunity. The freedom we have as free agents was never about our choices. It's about the actions we take after the choice has been made for us.