The Power of Collective Grief

Reflecting on the loss of the Great Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The trails she blazed have helped to shape the country as we know it. Her work in gender equality paved the way for women in ways that many still don’t fully appreciate or understand. As a lawyer, she challenged many antiquated laws and ideas, creating a more equal world for all of us. Her strong, dissenting voice speaking up when the Supreme Court rulings were unjust inspire us to fight back.

But we still have further to go. There are still inequities in many of our communities that need to be addressed. With the loss of a Supreme Court Judge that did so much, whose voice was so powerful even when the decisions did not go her way, it’s difficult to not be afraid. I’m afraid of what damage can be done to our democracy in the coming weeks and months, to imagine the oppressive decisions that may come out of this.

This loss leaves many with the feeling of dread. This year seems to be one long, never ending game of Jumanji. This is the part of the movie where everything seems to be going wrong, where nothing goes our way and it almost feels hopeless. Every loss we experience, every tragedy we endure, we feel more deeply than the last. And we’re tired.

But if movies have taught us anything, it’s that these moments are short-lived, and that hope still exists in the recesses of the world. Eventually, things work out. They have to. But they won't on their own. So we should rest, recharge, mourn, but only for a moment. Because with the loss of another great champion for equal rights, we must all take up the mantle and continue the fight.