Q04

Describe an event in the world that has impacted you this year. How? Why?

Wow. There are so, so many events this year - I feel flooded as I try to recall all of them. The build-up to and results of the election, the daily borage of terrible news about Trump and his heinous administration, the feeling of being forced to take part in Trump's narcissism, the floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and all the other signs of climate change while some white men in power who are so twisted and greedy that they deny it all and deregulate instead of moving forward in the only way we should by admitting where we are and addressing it. I feel despair. I feel torn up and confused and outraged and sometimes hopeful that when we are through all of this, there will emerge some other sociopolitical system that is built on true connection, collectivism, equity and empathy.

The fucking election, oh my God. Between dumb and dumber, the American population picked Nightmare. How did this happen?

TRUMP! FUCKING TRUMP! *shakes head in disbelief* If there is one thing that reiterated or made me further believe in nihilism it was this. BAH! HUMBUG!

The election of a millionaire dictator and how He is undoing the good that's been done. I hope he quits. I hope He doesn't kill too many people-did I just write that?! praying, again

I could put in the answer that everyone else is going to write but why be so predictable?

Hurricane Irma. My husband and I were so alone! Also, I had to seek outside help for driving and pay out $$ lords moolah for it. I am good at surviving, not so good as Living day-to-day WELL.

Trump getting elected has hurt the world.

The Black Lives matter movement (and specifically the deaths of several men this year) has really made me stop and think about race, about freedom, and about systems of oppression this year.

Oh goodness. Look at the president of the United States. Charlottesville hurricanes and holy wars. What would you do?

This president has been a disaster. Every day is another flabbergasting tweet or petty schoolyard bully insult flung at world leaders or the media. The man is a naracissitic moron and I just hope he doesn’t get us all killed.

Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico by causing massive flooding and destruction, knocking out power and killing people. I have so many film friends there and it is probably affecting them greatly.

Brexit. It is shown up the divides in my country, and encouraged intolerance and hate on both sides of the divide.

Given the fact that things seem to be spiraling out of control all over the world, it's hard to pick just one. But, it's impossible for me to ignore the cataclysmic effects of climate change. Mother Nature is starting to fight us back. We've been waging war against Nature for centuries, trying to "tame" it in our hubris and our hunger for dominance, and I think the planet has about had it with us. I worry if we'll wake up in time to reverse the damage we're doing and begin to treat this astonishing paradise with the respect and reverence it deserves.

Oy election of president Trump. I don't like saying his name. Not even writing it. I've become more galvanized to follow the news & to be active for causes I beloved in. And causes I see Trump being on the inhuman side of. He strikes fear in so many. He is mean and has a huge terrible ego. It has been a painful and powerful year.

Once again this year has disappeared by too fast. There seemed to be so many significant things happening all around the world... and many not 'pretty'. It makes one realize that it is the moments that count.. every single precious moment.. with all the natural disasters around the world.. one's life can change in a blink.. fires, hurricanes, earthquakes.. leaving you with nothing.. but the memories in your head. Death.. a reminder too.. mmm, .. cherish the moments. Be IN the moments. Let's see how I take this forward.

The repeal of DACA. It has impacted my community heavily and put many at risk.

Hilary’s loss. It has made me much more aware of and angry about gender discrimination and inequities in every corner of my life and the world. It’s made me noticeably more impatient when I hear and see it. And now I see it everywhere. It’s often in subtle passing comments or word choice more than larger gestures, but I’m less able to shrug them off. This has brought more tension into interpersonal moments. How to be part of the solution without walking through the world without a sharp chip on my shoulder?

Like many others the outcome of the presidential election disturbed me. As a result, I've attended several political meetings. I probably would not have gotten involved otherwise.

I guess the elections everywhere. It's awful to see how everywhere around you politics is becoming more and more right wing and people are even questioning democracy more than they used to.

I like to think that Trump becoming a president has impacted me in significant ways, but not really, I feel like it's simply a self-fulfilling prophecy of how a lot of our lives now are increasingly governed by the media that reality TV becomes, well, the reality. On the other hand, there are a lot of great things that are being done by great people which are not getting as much attention but should be highlighted. For example, I love the great work that GE is doing when it comes to promoting science and innovation. It's so aligned to my belief that human potential has no boundaries and in turn drive me to succeed and challenge myself, at work and personal life.

Last year Donald Trump won the elections in Amerika. And although it doesn't really impact me as a person. A lot around me has changed, with the immigrants and people talking about it. People are a lot more discussing there political preference and what the future brings. I don't know really if he is a good or bad president, we just have to wait and see. We can't predict the future, but we sure can make it a nice place!

I am still appalled by our "president." And the events in Charlottesville make me want to scream. It's like I woke up in Nazi Germany. Have we learned NOTHING?? I've always known that there is a percentage of people in America filled with simmering hatred and resentment, but I didn't realize how large that percentage is, and how ridiculously easy it is for one man to embolden the haters, despite all we *should* have learned over the past 80+ years.

I can't decide which is worst. Trump as president. Brexit. Or this utterly revolting postal vote on gay marriage in Australia. The world feels like it's going backwards. It feels like we are losing hard won victories of the past. Trump continues to chew away at abortion rights in America. The UK talks about reducing net migration to the 10's of thousands. And we think there is something to discuss about giving gay couples equal rights. The fuck? I remember Gale Bess saying she hated her parents because she wasn't a citizen of America. I think America is the dumbest community of people on earth. Such an ugly culture of consumption and religion. It's true that vulgar. The young women at work have never seen recession, experienced any struggle with equality. And that means they see no need to fight. They will take us back before they progress us further.

I imagine I won't be alone in this answer, but the first that comes to mind is the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, which even as I type it now, 10 months later, feels unbelievable and ludicrous. It's frightening, on so many levels, but has also unveiled in a very stark way the hostile and racist undercurrents that have been floating beneath our society for a long time - flaring up to the surface, sure, but in some cases visible only to those who are its victims. I hate it, hate that I was ignorant to it for so long, and have new fear in my belly as I imagine my future brown-skinned children facing a world where that darkness is even more prevalent and ugly and bold. But it's also pushed me, and a lot of other people I know, to stretch myself to learn and listen and be an ally to men and women of color, LGBTQQIA individuals, and those who are differently abled. So I don't know if this is the beginning of the end for USA global imperialism, but I have a lot of hope in my peers and friends and fellow lovers of light to continue to push for what's Good.

Donald Trump's Inauguration Speech was unforgettable. After a day at work, I went home, sat on my bed, and watched it on my laptop. I watched the full speech and by the end felt sick to my stomach. He spoke about putting America first, that infrastructure needs attention, and jobs in older industries need to be reintroduced. They were priorities that seemed narrow-minded and selfish. It was heartbreaking to see a world leader close out any considerations for anything outside of the American border in a time when globalisation has never been more apparent. Our worldview is growing and Donald Trump is putting blinders on. He also used the term 'them' in ways that worried me. I forgot the exact context, but it might have been when speaking about the race issues in the country and grouping all African Americans into one category - people broken by poor neighborhoods and gangs. He spoke about them from his pedestal, from a place far from ever understanding them. He spoke about them as if they were the 'other'. And I think this is really dangerous for a president to do. Months later, my worries have only grown...

Where to begin? The election, the eclipse, NK, earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes...all have entered directly into my heart space. How can I expand my heart wide enough to support the healing of the world?

The inauguration of President Trump has taken my country to the lowest point in my memory. I wake up every day wondering when he will be impeached, breath anxiety waiting to see what damage he has wrought, and go to sleep hoping the damage he has and will do to the economy, the environment, people's lives here and in the world can somehow be contained and reversed. At a time when we desperately need sane, progressive leadership, we get a narcesissitic buffoon leading our country to the brink of disaster every day.

The reality of this president has been sobering, horrible, frightening. I became an activist for a nanosecond, but I have failed with the follow through. I'm back to signing on-line petitions and calling my senators and representatives. It's so not enough. I'm so privileged. I must do more. I can't get overwhelmed or complacent. That is my goal for this year.

There have been a lot of horrific world events from terrorism to flooding, hurricanes and other natural disasters. The one that really wounded me was the white supremacists rally in Charlottesville -- so frightening that people can be filled with such hatred.

Oh my. There are so many events. There is North Korea, and crazy weather. But i think what has impacted ME is the election of Trump. Not because of what Trump does, but because more than ever, i feel this huge divide between Trump lovers (or even accepters) and Trump haters who think he'll destroy the country. I feel I can't even bring up politics without citing anger, or having it be a reflection on myself. Unlike most people, I have a mixed bag of friends, and facebook friends. Some very liberal, and some on the other side. So i listen more than talk. Even in my own family, I can' t bring up any opposing view from my brother without being attacked. And yet the silent voices are those who are in the middle, can see points on both sides, maybe leaning to one side or the other but certainly not accepting of the whole picture either way. And whats really missing is an eagerness to discuss rationally. So i guess i've never felt more silenced mostly because i avoid conflict, and I felt any time I opened my mouth, it has escalated in conflict. Why are people so angry to have their views challenged? Confirmation bias has never been stronger..and yes, its staring with the youth in college. Even in this post, i keep my mouth shut over my views..lol...

Inauguration of Trump. Reminds me of the importance of participation in and fragility of our democracy. It is the negative energy and divisiveness that is most troubling.

I can't think of anything that has impacted me personaly this year

So many events in the world that have felt impactful. So many of them seem to source from the political discourse and election of Donald Trump. It's made the wild feel more frightening for many people, brought groups together, and tainted friendships. I spend time feeling guilty for not doing enough, and struggling to find the balance between trying to hear and listen to those who don't agree with me and standing up for what I believe are moral imperatives! This year has also brought more storms and flooding in the US, islands, etc. It brought terrifying Charlottesville and more police shootings that feel so very wrong. There was also the solar elcipse, which felt like it brought people together in a wonderful way. Thank you science.

There have been significant events this year and this sounds trivial compared - but - my son turning another year and is almost grown up and is aware of everything and becoming not a child but a boy. It’s affected me because it has brought up thoughts of my role as a person leader mentor and to understand what he needs in life. Ultimately to change or adapt and provide and be there for his life.

A recent art opening where I felt inspired and moved by the ideas that I could walk in this world. I’m a professional photographer - portraits but never really saw myself as an artist per se. I am and want to be with all that goes into making that happen including being scene which has always been a bit of an issue for me. Being behind the camera was the perfect metaphor for my life. I’m ready too explore being on the others side.

I really hope there isn't a war in Korea. It's not the first thing on my mind, but my God, I have family there in Seoul, and I honestly wonder what the next 365 days will bring before I’m asked this question again. The big world event this year has obviously been Trump. It's impacting, or threatens to impact, everyone. The world takes work. Progress takes work, and care, and diligence every day. That progress can disappear real fast. Seeing hatred with a legitimized voice brought back a lot of memories from middle school and high school for me. When I was 14 or 15, somebody at my high school spit on in my face and called me a fucking chink. Probably a half-dozen to a dozen passersby witnessed this. No one said a word; some of them laughed. So that was cool. Actually, it wasn’t. It was a humiliating, degrading, and hate-inducing experience. It filled me up with a lot of bitterness. It sucked. This year has made me think about that experience more than I have in the last ten years. I love Indiana. I love my home state. I bleed cream & crimson. There is no better feeling for me than walking through wooded forest trails in southern Indiana, putting my hands through the damp soil and breathing in the air from the trees. I love sycamores, and basketball, and I love the log cabins and tenderloins and rolling hills and everything I call home. My grandmother is buried in Indiana. I told my wife recently that my wish is to have half my ashes scattered in that same place, wherever I am in the world when I pass. But the racist stings - this was also a part of my experience, a part of what I grew up with. It sucked looking different, for being afraid that some stars & bars, Carhartt-wearing dickface would be waiting at my locker after school because I'm Asian. There were a lot of these events for me and my family. Once, the bus driver wouldn't let my sister on the bus. She let every white kid get on the bus one day - and looking straight at her - closed the bus door and drove off without her. When we called the school board to complain, it got shrugs. Crickets. We felt totally alone in this experience. On a high school trip to Martinsville, a neighboring town, I had an entire bus of these Martinsville rednecks spitting racial slurs at me. Some asshole threw a half-full drink at me from the window of the bus. Literally no one came to my defense. A lot of people laughed. I remember a buddy of mine, Joey, in eighth grade, telling me that he couldn't accept my dad because he was an immigrant, but that he guessed that I'm "cool" because I was born here. I could see him really struggling with having a non-white friend, a son of an immigrant, and having to reconcile the fact that he and I got along - that he actually liked me. It challenged everything he grew up with and everything he was taught up to that point. He didn't know my dad. But he knew he wasn’t someone that he could be “cool” with. I remember "Ron", who grew up 3 blocks away from my house. We went to the same elementary school. He hated me with a passion, called me a Chinese Rice Paddy every day, occasionally we'd get into fights. Later on, I heard he joined the KKK. That really weirded me out. Someone told me he dropped out of the Klan later, while we were still in high school. I just looked "Ron" up on Facebook - it's been maybe 25 years since we last talked. It sounds like he’s gone through a pretty rough patch in his life but is getting back on track. 25 years. That's a quarter century. The things I haven't dealt with in 25 years has come back in a hurry. Growing up with these experiences, you learn to understand “the look” – anyone who has felt racism knows exactly what I mean. I learned, over time, in my better moments, to just confront this look with a smile and with dialogue. Sometimes it would soften both of us up enough to have a beer or a cup of coffee. Like Joey back in eighth grade. Hell, it was a step. And looking back, I think this is partially why I chose to work in rural Indiana with farmers in my last job – it would force me to work with people who were “supposed” to be racist and not accept me for who I was. I worked in a sundown down – actually a few – in my last job. And it was amazing. 80+% of everyone I worked with – honestly, 95-98% - were awesome. Incredible, actually. Hard working, salt of the earth, the whole thing. We broke bread together. It was pretty cool. And I was definitely the only minority I saw in that town for a solid 3-year stretch. Here's what sucks. Today, post-Trump, I’m a little afraid of going back to that town. Not that I’d be worried for my safety or anything, but just that the acceptance wouldn’t be there. Or that it would be there, but just a little bit less than before. And I don’t know if I’d be welcomed with a smile anymore. That really hurts. But you know, at these moments, I need to remind myself that it’s probably an unfounded fear, because I know how I was treated when I was there a few years back. And I miss the steaks at Top Notch, I miss the soup at Klein Brot Haus. To hell with Donald Trump or anyone else to keep me from these incredible, welcoming places filled with good people. But yeah, it’s pretty awful that over the last couple months, my warm memories have been short-circuited by some older, deeper, negative ones from my past. Progress takes work, and care, and diligence every day. That progress can disappear real fast. I think I'll reach out to Brandon as part of this exercise. ---- Update: I reached out to "Ron", and he wrote me back. We apologized to each other - I was a jerk to him too, no question. It felt - it feels - amazing. I'm kind of tearing up a little even as I write this. What's cool is Ron is raising two little girls, and he's teaching them love and respect for everyone. He told me how he has learned from his past and let go of hate, how he takes these lessons to build a better perspective for his daughters. It's pretty awesome. I'm glad I reached out to Ron to learn that, and to move from a place of pain to a place of understanding and healing. I wish Ron and his daughters well, and prayers and love for them. I’m glad we apologized to each other for the hurtful things we said and did. Another random update: while I was writing this response, I get a random Facebook hello from one of the two people I know from Martinsville. So I (and lots of folks) have a preconception of Martinsville as this racist freaking hole. But the two people I actually know from there are the best. That couldn't have been a coincidence either - we hadn't written each other in years - and here I am railing about a bus full of racist grits from Martinsville. It's a slippery slope objectifying anyone and anything. Once you start realizing we're all just human beings, everything starts to come into focus.

The election of President Trump has had a huge impact on me this world. I've never been one to really be overly involved in who was in office. I do my research and make educated voting decisions but in the end I am content with who is in office and try to support them when I can and not jump to the conclusion that everything he says and does is wrong because he wasn't my choice. It hurts my heart that this man is the President of my country. It makes me embarrassed when he addresses the international community. Whenever he tweets criticism of the U.K. after they face a terrorist attack, I want to reach out to the PM personally and tell her "this man doesn't speak for me."

Donald Trump was elected as President. I am far from being politically well-read or very knowledegable for that matter. However, it didn't take much to realize he is the wrong person for the role. When I went to bed on election night, it was close, but I figured I would wake up and Hilary would be in place. I woke up and was in shock. I felt frightened, sad, unsure of my future. I was in such a weird state emotionally. This man has proven over and over that he can't do the job. His election into office has brought so much bad to our country--anti-semetism, unkindness, bigotry, and the appearance that it's okay to bully others. However, I have seen his election also bring out the good in others as a way to counteract all of the negativity. There is a big movement now of acceptance, tolerance, compassion and involvement. I don't know that it's enough to balance out the bad. I know this is an awful thought, but, I hope that someone does not try to assassinate Trump, as that would make matters worse.

The general political division affected me somewhat as I'm very guarded about which opinions I say in social situations. I wonder if I'm a coward to avoid supporting what I truly believe.

President Trump's election because I feel as though he's regressing civil liberties, makingthe country more divisive, & wrecking our country's reputation.

Given his attitude towards financial regulation, Donald Trump being elected President of the country has not been helpful in terms of the development of my career.

My country elected a manipulative, self-centered toddler for president. I've always been a bit more of a pessimist, but now, I'm beyond that. A numbness that has taken over me. Too many unhappy, misinformed, unaware people in this country, and no easy solutions to our problems. With freedom comes responsibility, and I think this has been lost on people. It is difficult to even just write about it now.

Trump Election Mexican border wall DACA reversal Attempt to upend ACA Transgender ban Russia Investigation Uprising in antisemitism I mean, who HASN'T been affected by the Trump presidency? For me, especially the transgender ban and Trump's inability to repudiate white supremacists hit close to home. WHAT THE FUCK. In what universe is our world better with less freedoms? A White Man's World. RESIST!

Is there anyone in the world who isn't going to say the election? I am so fearful about the future of our country and our freedom. Our rabbi said we as Jews were made for this moment. I agree.

Hurricane season has been bad this year. Harvey, Irma, and now Maria. We don't even know how much damage Maria caused when it hit PR directly. I've visited PR and it is very lovely but also a place with a difficult history and a lot of poverty. I wish the best for this beautiful place and its people.

Election of Trump to the US Presidency. Like Darkness won. Insanity and deeply disturbing; both the event and what has happened since.

I want to start this by mentioning that my answer from last year was about the mass murders in Orlando. I went to a local vigil at my town square after that in honor of those we lost in Orlando and little did I know I would be spending a lot more time in my town's square in the 12 months that followed. The presidential election outcome sent me reeling. So much so that I sought professional help because I felt myself sliding into a dark place. What these 'leaders' are doing to our nation and to our world disturbs me on every level. But I hold out hope that our systems work and all that's hidden will come to light and we will come out of this stronger and more together than ever.

I wrote about this in Day 1: the election. I am unable to accept that enough of my fellow voting citizens preferred someone who has a personality disorder and actually intends harm to others. I continue to reevaluate all I once believed about the basic decency and my believe until now that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” (MLK)

Earthquakes and hurricane

The election of trump. It was so devastating that it has forced me to consider how I feel and respond when I feel dispair and powerless. As awful as it is and has been, I've learned a lot about how I want to be in a really uncertain world.

The election of Trump has profoundly affected me, as well as so many others who cannot believe that someone so crass, ignorant, impulsive, and narcissistic could now be the most powerful person in the world. In Yiddish - it's a shonda! While our family will undoubtedly be better off because of his election, the environment will suffer as he is doing all that he can to destroy it. The only good thing is that people have woken up and many are taking action - even marching in the streets!

The election of donald trump as president of the U.S. He has made the world more chaotic, angry and precarious. He encourages racists, sexists, homophobes and other hateful people to spew their ugliness in public. His election has destroyed what we have known as civility and proper public discussion. He will continue to make things worse, even to the point of nuclear war. Very dangerous man.

The election and Trump presidency. I am appalled at Trump denigrating anyone who disagrees with him. Many Republicans I see in the news and know are xenophobic so although distressing, it is not surprising to hear them denigrating others. However people I know that are very tolerant when it comes to nationality, gender, etc. are just as bad at denigrating anyone who has a different view from them.

Trump. Fucking Trump. The natural disasters in the last year have been crazy enough, but Trump? I can't believe we've done this to ourselves. I'm so sad about it all. I, along with everybody else sane, I guess, seem to be pushing as best we can for change, but the divides are so great. I don't know if Trump has just brought to the surface the worst that was in people or if people who weren't aware of such feelings have taken them on anew, but, in any case, this is nightmarish.

Is anyone NOT writing about the 2017 election? Maybe - a lot of shit went down this year in terms of natural disasters as well. The election of 45 affected me most directly, though. It was devastating to be made fully aware of how bigoted the majority of this country is. I was also so ashamed that the people most affected by that bigotry already knew, of course, and I just had my eyes closed tight. After the election I became more politically active, making calls, attending actions, and donating to progressive agencies on a monthly basis. I can only hope that helps to turn the tides in some small way come midterm elections.

That the USA could elect DT as president is beyond my understanding. Made me realize that lots of things are going to happen that we will live through that will change the world, and will keep happening after we're gone. Makes me really curious about all those things that will keep happening after my time here has passed.

Donald Trump. The entire event from the beginning has undermined all civility in the country. He represents the worst of America, the worst of mankind and the worst of the planet. I am depressed daily at what example he sets for children and for adults. He has caused even Christianity to fail to understand what they stand for. Further, his children and Jewish cabinet members make me embarrassed for my own Jews.

Donald Trump was elected. I felt like my entire world was ripped away from me, and I am white. There are so many people who feel as though they cannot breathe in our new normal. I hate the way that the world is right now. I feel like nothing matters anymore and that we have to just push through. The concept of resistance is moving to almost a sacred level in my world view. It is hard to believe that only a year ago I believed that Hillary Clinton would have been able to be elected. But here we are. This is our new world. It is hard to wrap my head around, but I know there's work to be done.

On November 8, I voted for Hillary Clinton, unexpectedly dissolving into tears, thinking of Grammy, and not knowing what it would feel like to vote for a woman. It wasn't at all why I was voting for her, which is why I didn't expect the feeling - but it was intangible. But on November 8, we elected Donald Trump to the presidency. He has rescinded DACA, emboldened white supremacy, and stripped the country of civil liberties. Every day, I question what it means to be a Jew in the midst of all this. This year has stripped me down to my strongest beliefs and convictions, forcing me to decide who I am and how I will express that. I've had to find messages to write on my door when kids enter, to explicitly remind them that they are loved (not protected, because I cannot promise that, but assuming they know they are loved when this country continually says and does terrible and unsafe things to them isn't enough). I am learning about strength: that it is not something that just exists, or that you have, but a choice you make even when you feel you have none. Too, there were just three hurricanes wreaking havoc on Florida, Puerto Rico, and Texas; the earthquake in Mexico; I'm beginning to understand why it feels as though God is angry at us when the Earth reacts like this -- even though we know climate change is manifesting itself on our shores and continues to do so.

Wow- there are so many! From hurricanes to earthquakes, natural disasters have made me acutely aware of both human and environmental fragility. Trumps election of course heightened my need and calling to safeguard the rights of fellow citizens. This along with the refugee crisis is a shofar blast to reach out , help and do more for others

That fucking election.

It has to be that Trump was elected president. I will never understand why after he mocked that disabled reporter that wasn't the end of his chances. I had never really felt such deep sadness and confusion at why anyone thought this man who trumpeted bigotry, xenophobia, and misogyny would ever be chosen as a person with the character needed to run the country. I can't name just one event. I'm going to name more. The multiple bombings all over the world. The ICE agents rounding up immigrants. The march in Charlotteville where I heard men chant "Jews will not replace me". I sat there, watching the video and realizing how sheltered I am from how much hate there is directed at people like me. I forget I am a minority sometimes because my Jewishness isn't something people can see just by looking at me. I have to tell them. I am so privileged that sometimes I forget that there are those who believe I am less of a person because of my faith. I feel safe but the reality is that in some places, I wouldn't be. I don't like thinking about it and I guess that is the greatest privilege of all. How did all of these events impact me? I have lost some of my hope that the world is a good place and that we are heading toward better. It's not gone but it took a serious hit.

Trump becoming President. I am so frightened and ashamed of heels 5 year old antics and tantrums. The entire world is afraid what he might do. I am very sorry that Hilliary Clinton did not come President. She wadcso much more equipped intellectually, emotionally and socially.

Donald Trump got voted for President. No one thought it was possible that he would gain enough supporters but somehow it did. This has had a great effect on women in the US and their rights. He is making it harder for women to get abortions. He is taking away the health care plans that Obama had put in place. AFter all his assault and harassment scandals that were published during the campaign for presidency he still got voted for president. This makes is seem like acceptable behavior and is encouraging poor treatment of women. This is frustrating for me to see. I feel so fortunate to live in Canada where women's rights are more protected. I've never followed along with politics but this election I became much more aware of and followed it much more.

Hurricane Harvey hit Houston... could have had a huge impact on my family, but fortunately didn't! The total solar eclipse wasn't much of anything here in SoCal. World events in the current political climate continue to spiral downward...more and more violence with no end in sight. Best to just turn OFF the news and UNPLUG the computer!

This year I failed a very important exam, I did not prepare enough and now I have to retake it, aside from the embarrassment of failing, I have lost thousands of dollars on this exam. I blew it off and let my procrastination and ego get the best of me. I must pass it this year so no excuses this time.

This year provided us with such crappy leaders, and leadership. Even though I live miles and miles away, witnessing from afar what goes on in the White House and how it impacts the world is horrible and disheartening. And I guess as a Jewish person the one event that really effected me was the white-supremacy march and the attacs revolving it. It’s crazy thinking that these people still exists. It’s crazy to hear people chanting “Jews will not replace us” while they are holding torches in their hands. It’s scary, and it’s sad - but there are such amazing groups and such a great force that is doing such amazing work trying to change things, that I feel hope on some level.

So far no Worley events have directly affected my life. I have been blessed thus far and pray for those who have been negatively impacted this year by fire, flood, hurricane, or any tragic event.

Ugh. Trump. No explanation needed.

The outcome of the election was unbelieveable, for starters. White Supremicists in the White House. Really, heavy sigh. Impact on me: I've become more outspoken. I stood up for the Women's March. I bought Pink Pussy Ears. I went to a rally for Planned Parenthood, and marched to Support Science. Impact of Republicans in charge at work: Medicaid Cut of 650K and GF of 60%. We are struggling to keep afloaat as the Rs are trying to make us fail so as to privatize.

Brexit aftermath. I used to live in the UK, now I'm back in Europe and it's kind of sad I may face restrictions in the future.

There have been so many events this year that it is hard to decide, but since I work on climate change, the event that I will focus on is about climate change and the Trump Administration. I have been working hard since Trump was elected to ensure that the climate rules enacted by President Obama are not rescinded, that climate science is not watered down or discarded, and that the professional career staff that work on climate change across the government are not treated fairly. For my part, I am working hard on protecting the Endangerment Finding for climate change. I am hopeful that things will turn out better than expected, but it isn't certain...

The election of Donald Trump has been traumatic and devastating. Instead of electing our first woman president - a competent, more than qualified candidate - we elected a sexist, white supremacist with the emotional capacity of a five year old. A man who has admitted to sexual assault. All of the progress for our most vulnerable populations and the potential for progress over four years was erased in one disastrous evening. The past year I've found it hard to concentrate. I've cried a lot. I've tried to attend protests - I'm going to one today - and to give more money than I've ever given to charity in my life. But it doesn't seem enough. Everything seems uncertain. We could escape with a dysfunctional administration that wasn't able to achieve much of anything. Or we could find ourselves in a nuclear holocaust - started by our toddler leader who refuses to be the bigger person in any situation. Only time will tell. But regardless of how much damage is done by this administration, I will always know that my country would rather elect a man with zero experience than a competent woman. This has been so hard to stomach, but only mirrors everything I've known about our society. I guess I just thought we were ready to take a brave step forward together as a country, but I was so incredibly wrong. I feel put in my place and everything has been as bad as I feared. Afraid for my rights, subjected to anti-semitic slurs from nazis - I am so very afraid for the future of my country and my place in it.

How could I answer this question and not talk about the election? For this question last year, I wrote about how terrifying a Trump presidency would be. I wrote about how, as a Jew this election was even more surreal and scary. This year, I am lost for words. Now, when I meet someone, I worry that the voted for such bigotry and hatred. The Trump supporters I've met at school are normal, average people. And that false sense of security has impacted the entire country.

As it turns out, my answers are virtually the same from 2016-2017. The day after the election, when I awoke to the horrific news that Trump had won the election, I have felt like I am living in the wrong timeline. Things don't seem right and almost every day there is some new thing he does or says that causes me stress. Now, we're also dealing with the threat of North Korea and several weather related disasters. It seems like there will never be a day where there is no news to dishearten me. I am more discouraged, stressed and anxious than I've been in years, and there is nothing I can do about it because it's all out of my hands.

Last year I wrote that the world would be a different place if NotMyPresident were to win, and guess what? We are suffering. Our country is more divided than ever before, Congress is incapable of doing what's right for the American people and we're headed down a horrible path. The only light at the end of the tunnel is that people are engaging and contacting their congress people and we are slowly taking back our government and country. There is also the slow burn of the Mueller investigations, and I hope they have enough evidence very soon to get this idiot presidency out of office and behind bars. All of them. We already know he looks 'good' in orange.

The recent hurricanes in the Caribbean, Texas, and Florida. There was so much destruction to communities, cities, and people. Knowing people in Texas & Florida I was very worried until I heard from the people that I know. I kept watching the news, while realizing that they highlight the worst of the situation and kept hoping that such damage was not widespread. It was devastating to know that some of the small islands in the Florida Keys were completely destroyed and would seise to exist. I wouldn't have wanted to be there, but it was hard being here and not really knowing. Even my cousins in Georgia left their home and went to South Carolina to be with their son's family. This did not physically impact me, but did emotionally impacted me.

No event during the past year has affected me more than the election of president Trump. His election has taken a toll on me like no other election. I am stymied as to why people thought he could be a decent choice to lead our nation. I am experiencing a sense of trauma from the fallout of this election. Part of that fallout is self-inflicted because I have chosen to pay such close attention and I campaigned ardently against Trump being elected. I try not to feel terrible. I just don't know how to counteract the feeling.

An event that has impacted me this year was the election of President Trump. Although I feel more comfortable with the Republican stance on government size, I certainly don't feel comfortable with having a Tasmanian devil with an obvious mental ego problem run this country. I also disagree with most of the moral points of view of Republicans. So far, Trump has not done a bad job, if you ignore the comments he makes every time his delicate ego is bruised. Or ever. He just need to shut up. I still find him an embarrassment, unpredictable, and hope that he doesn't do anything rash.

The inauguration of Trump, despite loosing the popular vote. I feel disenfranchised, and frankly scared for my freedom and safety. Particularly when the POTUS says "there are good people on both sides" of a Nazi vs anti nazi rally.

The election of Trump rocked my world. The night the results poured in, I felt as though they were pouring over me. I was drowning in them, and it was hard to breathe. For days I walked around shell-shocked, as if someone had died, as if I were sitting shiva. Then my anxious mind flashed ahead: I have children on 2 coasts. How will I get them here so we can escape? Is my daughter's passport up to date? Where could we go? Would my friends in other countries give us sanctuary? Should we take our money out of the banks before the government freezes our accounts? We need a plan A and a plan B. Am I overreacting? I never bought the "But he has Jewish grandchildren" stuff. Court Jews like Abravanel or Suss never were able to protect anyone, and they might have even given the Jewish people in their realms a false sense of security. At any rate, I'm still here (I did make plans, make sure we have cash available, etc). Instead of leaving, I wore a safety pin, I marched against the blooming hatred, I helped those less fortunate, I added my voice to the voice of many minorities, I clothed refugees, I joined the ACLU, I wrote my congressmen many, many times. All of these things I might not have done, if my candidate HRC had been elected. Why? I would have felt safe, status quo fine, smug, but if we want a say in what's served, we have to help cook and show up at the table. I guess this was the year of blessings in disguise.

The alarmingly overt expression of racism which has surfaced since the election is not surprising so much as terrifying in the sense that we seem powerless to harness Trump's coalition of heartless and thoughtless cronies. The impact on the world is profound and one must wonder at the confluence of earthquakes and hurricanes which are afflicting innocent people.

The election of Donald Trump. Changed my understanding of the country I live in, and has made me a lot more determined to get involved in politics and activism.

Donald Trump won the Presidential election in the US. The election itself felt devastating at the time and highlighted a lot of the racism that had been laying under the surface. I questioned whether I am really welcome here, felt scared for my children and our friends. Although I no longer feel scared, I can see how the bullies and racists have been empowered, for example, in the rising number of hate crimes around the country. Although the ugliness is more evident and scary, the resistance is also stronger. Trump has sent DACA recipients into a panic, has revoked civil rights, women's rights and environmental safety directives and is rolling back progressive wins throughout the country. I can only hope that these steps backwards serve to give us the momentum to make more permanent changes for the better in his face and in his wake.

Pulse. I have personally lost so many trans and queer youth to suicide through the years, especially true this past year. As has everyone. This is the story of every queer activist. To add more killing is almost more than we can bear. Pulse was one instance of many but it also came at a time when so many of us, queer or not felt additionally threatened. And this world continues as such. How can we be better examples to our youth? Treating them with all the love, respect, and interest they deserve. Listening. Listening. Listening. Paying attention when there are no words. Walking the talk. Spreading knowledge and compassion. Being truth.

Trump with North Korea. Not knowing how it will end, in tune with knowing we could all die if their leader bombs us. If that happens, so be it. I am glad Trump is standing up to him.

Dotard was elected president of the United States, lowercase "p;" reinforces that our American culture is not ready for female leaders, and a swift and painful attack to all progress has been made in less than a year. God, I miss Bush.

Wow, the election. The election process and peoples reactions really showed the true colors of so many people. I feel like even more so than electing a black president, this years election is the most important political even that I have been alive for. I mean T***p is a fucking moron and the people who don't see that are not people I want in my life. I try to avoid politics but this is one topic I can't avoid. None of us can.

Going to our friends lavish wedding and having our suspicions confirmed that eloping was the best wedding for us

Trump. Living in a world of continuous chaos and disruption. I find myself always exhausted, and questioning base assumptions about my understanding on people. How could 'they' have voted for him? How can we still have an Electoral College? It is 9/22, and the Republicans keep foisting ZombieCare for a vote - it just won't die, and their lack of willingness to graciously accept defeat, and to move on to what McCain calls the 'regular order' (parliamentary and bipartisan) is unsettling. I am binge watching Haindmaid's Tale, and the parallels are unnerving.

There have been so many ... where do I start? Shootings, terrorist attacks, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, constant conflict and unfortunately I could go on. They have all impacted me in one way .. I am so grateful for each day that I wake and go to sleep with blessings in my heart and prayers and concern for those who are suffering in so many ways. I am kinder to all I come into contact with each day and try to make this world a better place through my actions and words at this time in my life.

The election of Donald Trump to the US Presidency has motivated me to social action. As a woman, a lesbian and a Jew I am deeply worried about the direction our country is headed under Trump (and the right's) leadership.

The white supremacist march in Charlottesville, which made it clear that a majority of white Americans don't see the KKK as a threat and are more concerned about the groups that oppose them.

Trump. Oy. Last year when answering this question, I truly thought there was no way Donald Trump could actually win and become president of the United States. Now, since then, he has won, appointed a new republican Supreme Court justice, issued a racist travel ban, repealed progressive acts that Obama had successfully passed, and just overall made a joke out of our country. It has proved to the world that money truly can buy you anything. It scares me for our future and for the new generation that is being raised with this type of figure as their leader. It makes the realistic progression of openness and acceptance of humanity, feel unrealistic. I can only hope that the rest of his presidency will either not be as harsh, or at least taken as a joke, and that our society can learn to choose more appropriate figureheads. Also, that maybe the results of this election will break the mold of a primarily two party system, and allow third party candidates to actually have a chance.

The election of Donald Trump. I have become so disillusioned with politics , both left and right. I cannot watch the news without becoming frightened about what is happening in the world. Where are the leaders who have the moral courage to stand for honor and justice.

The election of Donald Trump put me into a deep depression. For months I didnt read a paper or watch the news. I was shocked. Now, 10 + months later, I am still shocked but now I am more angry than depressed

The election of Donald Trump. I am back in the world of my childhood waiting for the bomb to fall. Either from or on North Korea. Our President is capable of anything and the rules say he can push the button without oversight. I am terrified that our President is indeed a dotard (I had to look up the word, but it fits to a t).

Donald Trump's election - I realized that many people in this Country and fundamentally different from me when it comes to human rights and just basic rules of honesty and integrity.

the war in Syria keeps impacting me because it is ongoing and kills people day in day out and we don't seem to be able to do anything about it. and yet... people are resilient and keep living and hoping and dreaming and loving. But we are creating a generation of broken children and my heart breaks over that. Trump's election. A disgusting piece of human. I try hard to send him metta.... it is nearly impossible though he clearly needs it so much....

The events in Charlottesville, VA this summer impacted me deeply; even more so than the Presidential election (I was diagnosed on Tuesday, November 8, 2016) or Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey. As a United States citizen, I am deeply troubled by the public re-emergence of the kind of hate that had been kept on the fringe and marginalized for so long. I am also troubled by the under-whelming outrage expressed by so many. The idea/truth that this is who we are, and that we have made little progress in aspiring to our nation’s greatest ideas/ideals is challenging and discouraging.

The election of Donald Trump as US President. I was shocked and rather disgusted to realize there is still so much prejudice, fear, and hatred in our country that THIS seemed like a good option for the majority of America.

There were so many events that happened including the election, the crazy acts from the President, the Nazi march in Charlottesville, the standoff with Vietnam, the massive hurricanes. The world is in disrepair. These events have made me question where I stand and where I want to stand up. I want to be someone who stands up for what is right. I want to help community leaders make an impact locally and globally. I don't know if I want my name attached or if just doing right is enough.

The election of Donald Trump and his unwavering support among Republican politicians and half the US populace. Has demonstrated the utter moral and ethical worthlessness of people who at least claimed to have principles. My attitude went from "we disagree about certain things" to "these people are nothing but mindless spouts for ideological bills it in the pursuit of power." To a great degree has further pushed me into a state of hopelessness.

The election. Someone needs to stand up and it looks like it's gonna be me.

Trump's election. Ugh. I am both furious and frozen, motivated and complacent. I don't know how to make a change and I feel so deeply offended by my family members who voted for him. I think about Nazi Germany and how many "good people" assisted in Hitler's rise to power. I don't know when to stop excusing their actions and hold them to task for this monstrosity we have in the White House. This is a joke of an administration. At the same time, my privilege (as a white, middle class woman in a blue state) lets me turn off the news when I want to ignore the world for awhile. What can I do? I am ashamed of myself sometimes. I want to be more active and work harder to make change.

Chester Bennington committed suicide. He was a great singer/songwriter. Chris Cornell also committed suicide, which left a hole in Chester that would never be filled. Chris was amazing in crafting songs for Soundgarden and Audioslave, while Chester held it down for Linkin Park. Their lives mattered to me. End the stigma of mental illness.

Oh man. The Trump presidency more than anything. It’s made me much, much more politically aware. I’ve become obsessed with the news, probably to an unhealthy degree. It was such a shock, such a disappointment.

The election and inauguration of Donald Trump. I, like many others, believed naively that there was no way such a hateful, ridiculous man would be elected president. His inauguration represents intolerance, persistence of stereotypes, and the egotism of America. As a Jew, his election and the events that have followed make me frightened for my safety and the safety of other Jews in the country.

The demise of American democracy when we elected Donald Trump. The ruination of any progress and momentum built over the last 8 years. We've discussed it so much I don't want to get into it in detail here, but suffice to say that I am incredibly disappointed and infuriated with my fellow countrymen and women. I feel compelled to keep fighting and reclaim this country, but so disheartened and sickened at the same time. This country has never been great for all citizens, and it's ever been more clear just how far we still have to go.

The election. . It taught me that the masses are undereducated., desperate for change and willing to follow regardless of character or moral fortitude.

At the risk of this year's answers all being about politics, I'll say the rise of the "resistance" following the election of 45. I feel a deep sense of moral responsibility to DO SOMETHING to combat the hatred and complete absence of empathy that's coming out of the white house and those who support him. And my something's are good when I do them, but there's always something else to do. I will say the one thing I am super proud of is protesting at the airport following the travel ban. That's one I'll be telling my kids.

This year's answer is absolutely the opposite of my answer to this question last year. I was so hopeful, so sure that Hillary's victory meant a woman president in my lifetime and proof for my daughter and granddaughters that in the U.S. they could do anything, be anything. And in one horrible (stolen??) election one of the world's worst human beings is the president of our country. A man who can say that there are "fine people on both sides," when he speaks about white supremacists and bigots vs. mostly peaceful protestors. A man who threatens the ruler of North Korea, calls him names, and in doing so puts us on the brink of a nuclear war. A man who withdraws from the Paris Climate Accords. A man who is a bully, a mysogynist, a racist, at least by association, a man who insults black athletes & a black female broadcaster who speak against him, but is mostly mum to white men who do. There are more examples than I have space or bandwidth to cite. I am heartbroken and experience much dis-ease every single day. I protest, I call, I write, I tweet, I donate. What else can I do in the upcoming year? Continue to #RESIST

The stolen election (third one Republicans have stolen in my lifetime, that I know of) and its aftermath has impacted the entire planet adversely. I am appalled, disgusted, afraid and angry almost constantly because of all that. The worst-ever nominees and accepted Cabinet members and judges; the worst-ever Congress and Senate: cowards, liars, criminals and sociopaths are running our country into the ground and all its resources and the safety of the planet are at stake. We need help. I wish the aliens of my series from the Many Worlds Collective would come NOW and save us all from ourselves. http://www.sallyember.com/Spanners for inspiration, hope and consolation.

There is no question that the election of DT has impacted me and everyone else, too. Hi campaign and presidency were/are based on exploitation of people's fears. The outcome has been to divide our nation in half. It has become difficult if not impossible to have a nuanced position on anything. My fellow lefties have become increasingly intolerant of any view point that is not virulently anti-Trump, anti-Conservative. There is no room for shades of gray. They say we should all listen to each other but no one seems to want to really listen to a view point with which they disagree. On either "side." I feel silenced.

Total solar eclipse came to Greenville SC It was incredible to stand with millions of others - including the dozens in our neighborhood park - and watch the earth turn dark at 2:30pm. Being able to experience such awe at a natural phenomenon right here at home was a much needed emotional reset.

Donald Trump being elected president. I was so upset that I couldn't believe the sun rose the following morning and I was depressed for quite a while about it. Now I pray G-d will protect the world and make it a place of love, peace, respect, safety and prosperity for all inhabitants and wonderful public school education for all. I am concerned about immigrants and would like them to be able to stay in the US, and wish Syria was safe so Syrian people could safely live in the home they love instead of the challenges of living in other cultures in other languages.

Our Democracy crumbled and failed. We are now saddled with a destructive antithesis Government bent on destroying decency, fairness and justice. Fear and anger prevail. It feels tempting to hide from all news, the powerlessness of our lack of representation in government is palpable. Hypocricy and lack of integrity are flaunted. Reason and/or fairness completely abandoned, while We the People ...Despair

Donald Trump was elected President of the United States of America. Prior to the election, it was impossible for me to wrap my head around the fact that anyone could vote for such a horrible person, yet somehow he won. Every day, President Trump either says something or does something that demonstrates utter L'shone Harah, increasing my disbelief that over 30% of Americans can stand behind a man who spews nothing but hatred. I am trying not to be afraid, yet his blatant discrimination, discrediting of the press, and cruel threats to individual people and to use an atomic bomb are terrifying. But I refuse to give him the power. I will continue to speak out for what up I believe in and speak up for those who can't. Hopefully, next year when I am reading this he will no longer be our President.

The election of Donald Trump as president horrified me and made me understand how my country had fallen, how deep the separation among different classes and races and religions and genders. How much people were interested in being on top rather than being part of...

Hillary losing the election

The election of Trump. I have never felt such a sense of dread and deflation as I did that night (and week). I had a lot going on that week and the following day I was having oral surgery. I remember they gave me laughing gas (the first time I've had it) and it made me an emotional wreak. My doctor is Hispanic and his assistant is black and I'm gay and I was just sitting there thinking about how fucked we are and I just started crying, which freaked out the doctor I think. But I didn't want to tell him why I was crying because I was afraid it would make me cry harder. Though I was then, and still am now, afraid that my rights as gay man would be reversed, I was more terrified that this man, who does not possess self control, would fling us into a war. And, at the time, I was living in NY, one of our most recognized and largest cities and couldn't help but think that we would be bombed. Though I've since moved, that fear is still there as Trump eggs on dictators and alienates our allies. I fear he is going to ruin this country and that scares the crap out of me.

The rise in blatant racism and anti-semitism. I have found myself more likely to tell people I'm Jewish to almost dare them to show themselves. The Charlottesville alt-right protest was difficult to see. These people have hidden in the shadows over the past few decades because their ideas and values were so contrary to the culture of civility. I think President Trump and his staff have "normalized" these ideas to the point where racists, bigots, misogynists, etc think it's okay to display their ugly natures.

If I had to choose, I guess I'd be most concerned about Trump and his reactions to all world leaders. I'm constantly afraid we are going to be in a war, and I'm not really sure if it will be with North Korea or if there'll be some serious violent division here at home. He's made it ok to do things like belong to the KKK and run through the street with tiki torches screaming about white power. At the same time he baits North Korea who has a huge arsenal of atomic weapons, so there's just a lot to fear and it makes you think about what life will look like in a couple years.

I found the terrorist act in Manchester impacted me greatly, since the main victims were kids going with their mothers to enjoy a pop concert. They were the same age as my daughter so i could easily relate.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria impacted me this year. I was born and raised on the island of St. Thomas. As such I have family and friends that live there and throughout the Caribbean. It felt like these hurricanes were on a mission to attack everyone I love and know. I have family in St. Thomas, St. Croix, Tortola, St. Kitts, and Florida. They all lie in the direct paths of Irma and Maria. These dangerous monsters devasted the Caribbean in the span of two weeks. Being away from everyone left me in a sense of helplessness, sadness, and speechlessness. Some family in Tortola had to leave the island since their homes got destroyed. My friends' parents house there also got completely destroyed. To this day, haven't heard from family that lives in St. Croix. My family is without power for 3 weeks now and there's no telling when it will restore. Rebuilding and recovery will be a long road for everyone impacted in the Caribbean. I hope to figure out how I can best help. I trust that we as a people will get stronger.

the downfall of the office of the presidency and all of the spiteful reckless undoing of the progress of the previous presidency. my friend asked me how i was doing after the death of my mother. i told her that, even weeks later in spring, i always had two very disturbing thoughts upon waking up every morning: (1) i can't believe my mother is gone, and (2) i can't believe that jackhole is in the white house: a malignant narcissist of bottomless ignorance.

Last year, I mentioned the upcoming presidential election. While I could say it is now in the rear view mirror, the reverberations are in front of me every day. In general, it does not have a direct impact on my life each day, but it is a constant worry as to how far America will decline under this administration and whether it will be possible, and, if possible, how long it will take, to recover. As far as Aleppo, it is now part of the historical record of the horrors of this century.

The election, which threw havoc into the Universe. The hurricanes and earthquakes of late summer, which caused such massive destruction and loss of lives. I am angry, not that this happened - that saddens me - because even after ongoing clear evidence of climate change, the Administration is packed with climate change deniers all the way to the very top. And, the exponential rise in hate against anyone who is neither "white" nor "Christian ." And , of course, the seemingly never ending random or not so random acts of terror in the name of [insert answer]. I abhor ignorance. And ignorance breeds hatred. And hatred breeds violence. I am in despair.

trump became president lol. nothing surprises me anymore, every shitpost could be real. satirical websites and programs have resorted to telling the truth. idk man, I feel like we're in a different reality. like we're all simultaneously having a derealization & depersonalization experience. wtf is life?????

1. The Presidential election and all Trump has said about world affairs. 2. Trump's attitude toward immigration and Daca.

The election of Donald Trump as U.S. president sent me into despair, and I mean that literally. My son, who was a first-year student at the University of Pittsburgh, saw victorious Trump supporters and angry protesters throwing bottles at each other. I was most despairing about the fact that so many women voted for Trump. I'm afraid he'll overhaul the tax system such that more poor and middle-class people will suffer in order to make the rich even more wealthy. I graduated college into the Reagan Recession, and in my opinion this is when "trickle-down economics" got its start and the way was paved for this monstrosity to happen. The only way I can negotiate the despair I feel for our country is to ignore the news—but then I'm ignorant. So I try to achieve a modicum of knowledge.

All of them: Brexit, Russian influence, North Korea's saber rattling, extreme weather, famine, and of course, the US election. These disruptions - political and climate - bode sadly and dangerously for our world. It's a message we need to heed.

#45 being President. I actually still can't come to grips with the fact that some people believe that immigrants, whether legal or illegal, are inherently bad and should be removed from the US. I can't reconcile my own belief that humans are humans, with the seemingly popular opinion that people who come from Mexico, or Africa, or Syria or wherever, shouldn't be allowed rights in this melting pot we've got going on here. I cannot believe that it seems like racist people are coming out of the closet to be more vocal about their beliefs that some humans are literally worthless. Regarding police violence, I can't believe that people with racist views believe all black people ______. But when you discuss the problem of police violence against people of color, they are very careful to distinguish "bad apples" from the vast group of cops. I feel we are on a bad road, and I do not want to go where it leads. It's making me want to leave my home country to go live as an ex-pat elsewhere. I am losing love for my country.

We have a President that is shaking things up in the world. I want to see things change for the better, and keep hope that things will, after all of the shakeups. But, with our American President going up against the North Korean leader, this makes me nervous. It doesn't serve anyone any good. I don't like the way things are going. There are also many natural disasters going on that the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean are reeling from. It makes me wonder if this will be the norm... climate change.

Everything. Trump won the election. I sobbed on election night- I was so scared. And I was right to be. Women's rights, gay rights, religious freedoms are all being eroded. Neo-Nazi's have been emboldened to march and threaten and gloat. Everything feels awful and I wish we could move away. I can only hope that things have improved this time next year...but I'm not optimistic.

Trumps election has impacted everyone I know. It is scary to think that he has zero diplomatic skills, that he is pro Nazi and anti-healthcare. He cares nothing about others and is only concerned about how he appears to the world . His speech to the UN exemplifies that. Calling pro Nazis good people and football players who believe in the Constitution sons of bitches is very typical of his bullying at which is highly skilled I'm nervous about the outcome for the rest of the world as it impacts everyone everywhere. I've never seen so many people so upset and so concerned.

The presidential election of Donald Trump, albeit terrifying and depressing and unnerving, re-invigorated my drive to one day work in politics. This year I plan to be more active in local politics and begin to get my feet wet in the world of education reform.

This awful presidency. What the hell America?!? How did we get to this mess? And when can we get rid of this whole regime? 4 years is entirely too long to wait. I fear that the inmates are running the asylum.

The Presidential election! I am very disturbed about our nation's leadership and at times find the whole ordeal surreal. I am also distraught and worried about the hate that is directed at many of our citizens. I can only hope that this might afford all of us an opportunity to increase our understanding and awareness and make things better so this ire and anger does not once again retreat into the underground, which, in the long run, is more dangerous. I am so concerned that there are so many disenfranchised, unhappy people on our nation. What am I doing? I am trying to do my best to turn my negative, uncomfortable moods into "giving" energy - being intentional about being kind and considerate and doing what I can to make things better.

The resurgence of bigotry and anti-semitism terrifies me. I have always been convinced that the Nazis would return, but I have always hoped I was wrong. Apparently, I wasn't. I see our country following a path of hatred and ignorance. I despair for our country and the world. I feel sorry for G-d, actually, who led us out of Egypt to be our G-d. If the day should come when there are no Jews left, what will become of G-d? If the day should come when humankind destroys not only itself but also the earth, what will become of G-d?

I had predicted that Donald Trump would win the US Presidential Election and he did. Since then, I am seeing such a divide in the nation, which has had fallout across the globe. The amount of unbridled violence/hatred that is now daily evident is very concerning--why can't we move to a less judgemental society instead of a less tolerant one :( I worry for us all!! The ramifications of retaliation are not reversable. I didn't used to worry about nuclear war...now I do :(

Probably one of the worst events for me this year was realizing that Donald Trump has been elected the next president of the United States! I was in Port of IR to Mexico and woke up walked to the roof of the condo I was staying at bawling call my mom and cried even more. Then I stopped and looked around and everybody there was still working and going about their day and I realize that I too could do the same thing but with a much stronger sense of conviction and empowerment to remember to stay connected to the people that I love and honor the people in this world that might be marginalized not seen or heard or made to feel unsafe because of the realize Asian of this horrible man and the power that he has and I change our world forever! So I say station wrong rise up don't be afraid to speak your mind and don't be afraid to speak for someone that might not have a voice yet!

The election results from this year. I was (and still am to an extent) devastated that this country chose the current 45. I am incredibly afraid of what more is to come in legislation that will impact the LGBTQ+, POC, and environmental communities. It breaks my heart that the people overall elected someone like him but at the same time, I understand how many could have fallen for the facade. BUT the positive impact from this is that change can happen outside of the political field - we the people CAN make a difference. And so I am hopeful for what is to come despite the fear. There is strength in numbers - it is not just up to the wealthy, the political, the minority.

Oh god, what hasn't? It's been a wild year for the year as a whole. From the US election, to the massive hurricanes and forest fires, to the floods and fires. The world straight up feels apocalyptic. With so much going on in the world it feels a little weird talking about what has impacted *me* the most because I know I've gotten off fairly lightly in this year of tragedy. I'm still a white woman-- you can't see my Judaism most days. I don't really present as queer. There are people who are in much more disadvantaged positions then I am. But that doesn't mean it hasn't been scary to feel like my rights are slowly but surely being stripped away.

WHAT A YEAR. It's hard to choose from the many natural disasters, terrorist acts, and political shifts that have affected the U.S. and the world at large. One event that has impacted me was the white supremacist demonstration this August in Charlottesville, Virginia. I have generally felt empathy at events in the world (e.g., police shootings) as an ally. But hearing Jews specifically being targeted and singled out was the first time that I can remember feeling actual personal danger in this way. The possibility of white supremacist demonstrations in San Francisco two weeks after Charlottesville brought this home (literally) even more. It also brought out interfaith solitarity and love even more than I could have imagined.

Hurricane Harvey happened here, stateside. But I just got back from helping with the cleanup. The devastation is overwhelming and a few of the families we helped admitted that without us, the would have been gutting their homes from ceiling to floor all alone! The thought was devastating to me. No one should have to do something like that alone. I was grateful to be part of such a hardworking group doing the unthinkable. Dragging the entire contents of someone's life and home to the curb so that they can start anew is a humbling experience.

Hah...to look at my answer from last year. where I was concerned that Donald Trump was RUNNING for president. Well..Donald Trump won the election and the toxic blow out effects me everyday. I fight to remain present and joyful. I fight to take care of my wife when the toxicity overtakes her and she starts swinging at me for reasons that should only warrant annoyance. I fight off worries for my son's future with every molecule of my being. I feel like I am witness to the most horrific administration in this county's history. Inside every cell of my body are screams of horror and anger at him and all of the other complicit evil clowns...the screams tear away at the foundation of my consciousness. My most basic and most difficult act of resistance is staying happy and trying to make the people around me happy. I yearn for the day he and all of them pay for their atrocities.

Donald Trump being elected president. He is an embarrassment to the establishment of the presidency. As a nurse midwife, I am scared for my patients, as a person who is going to be having a baby, I am scared for my children's future. I hope they do not grow up in the current environment of hate we have now. I hope that he is impeached and in 4 years we have a change of party or an independent in the office.

Geez. What event has more impacted me this year than the 2017 Presidential election? Is there anything else? I'm embarrassed and horrified that this person represents me; I'm embarrassed and horrified that my fellow Americans elected him. I'm scared for our children, our parents, our families; I'm frightened for immigrants, women and men of color, and all marginalized populations. But I'm moved to action. There will be an answer from me when my grandchildren ask me what I did during this ugly time. I will tell them I stood up - I never backed down - I made my voice heard - I amplified the voices of others. I stood shoulder to shoulder with my neighbors from all backgrounds and from all areas of this country to voice our concerns about healthcare and DACA and North Korea and tax reform. We are not going down without a fight.

There are a lot of crazy things that have happened, and are continuing to happen. To me, it seems clear that Moshiach will be arriving very soon. I need to be better prepared, but I am not putting in the effort I should.

I was definitely impacted by the White Supremacist march in Charlottesville, VA that happened this summer because there were neo-Nazis marching at the event, and the event as a whole felt threatening to me as a Jewish person in this country. As the Social Justice Specialist at UMass Hillel, I felt especially impacted when engaging students to share their feelings in light of the march and in thinking about how to best help students cope with this event.

The fires in BC and Alberta this year, it has been crazy. Both places we have enjoyed this year have burned down. The forests and the animals, it has been so incredibly sad, not to mention flooding and hurricanes.. I cannot imagine how it has affected those in direct contact with these events..

inauguration - feel like i'm more responsible than ever for understanding and participating in political discussions

The election of Donald Trump was a stunning wake up call for me to become more politically engaged. I now write to my elected officials every two weeks and donate more to the causes that are under attack, such as planned parenthood and environmental groups.

Yeah... this question really doesn't work in the era of Donald Trump.

Holy crap---the election. Wow---what a time to be alive. That day will forever live on in my mind as a day of sadness, frustration, and confusion. I just remember going to school on that Monday morning, taking the T. I had gone to bed fairly early on election night, as I always do, and remember waking up in the middle of the night without my glasses on to see a text from my mom that basically Trump had won. I remember coming out to the living room the next morning and watching the news with my roommate in literal disbelief, crying over the state of the future. Because I hadn't slept very well, I stopped at Dunkin' on the way to the T, where a guy was celebrating Trump's victory. It reminded me of reading the dual narratives piece in Rachel's class---Israeli independence day for some was cause for celebration, and for others, it was al-Naqba. Getting on the T, every woman with a daughter was a cause for tears. When you go to a women's college, there is hope that the future holds positions of leadership for women, and this asshole comes along and crashes that. I almost went to Wellesley that night to be with the students to celebrate, and will always have my mallet from the rock candy shattering station: "Wellesley women breaking glass ceilings." That item has served as a reminder and an inspiration to continue to pave the roads for the women to come so that my children can do whatever they want, no matter their gender identification. In class with Ellen, the tears streaming down my face, I couldn't reckon with it. Going to Wellesley later in the week, it was a nightmare. How crazy is that? In light of current natural disasters, it seems like nothing. In the moment, it seemed liked everything.

I suspect a lot of people answer the same here, that Trump got elected. Though a great amount of people voted for Trump so Im confused. I suppose we are a very divided country right now and also a very divided world. What bothers me most is an uneducated person with views like Trump gives a voice to people who default to labels when judging other people like black, white muslim jew or the other. And if youre not exactly what he is whatever that may be youre fired youre out youre excluded you cant come in. Its a regression to the old boys club and the truth is once pandoras box is open you cant try to close it again because everyone is already out of the closet, the line is too far forward and he's missed the boat, he's ridiculous and absurd and spiraling out of control. As a Jew I think he garnered a lot of Jewish votes because Obama angered a lot of Jews with his behavior regards Israel. I dont think voting for Trump was a good counter measure. And you can see that with what happened in Virginia.

The election of DT. It has exposed the latent fascism in the US. I am apprehensive that civil unrest could erupt if DT is impeached.

Trump election. This was surprising, i haven't thought about it much but does make you wonder about truth and if that exists anymore or honestly if it ever did. Maked me think more about government, my responsibility if any to help out where I could. Haven't done much with this though.

A doctor in Michigan is being investigated and prosecuted for mutilating the genitals of two little girls. The doctor is an Indian Muslim and a lawful US citizen. To me, this is an example of the Islamic's world inability to live within western values.

So many things have happened this year, but what I feel like has impacted me the most is how I learn of those events from media outlets. I used to trust the news, but this year has created a deep resentment of media: print, online, social. I am sick and tired of being bombarded by op ed pieces and tabloid articles. I am weary of Facebook and Instagram. I am annoyed with Twitter, Tumblr and Reddit. I appreciate that the right to express opinions individually without reservation is a byproduct of freedom, but my expression of freedom has been to silence my notifications and turn off the white noise of information.

Donald Trump was elected. Get this - I was both disappointed it was him and relieved it wasn't her.

The incident in Charlottesville. I didn't think a demonstration that included Nazi flags could happen in the US.

Trump's election, the mess that is BREXIT, the continual wars, refugee crisis, it goes on and on and on and on. We're all human beings, we all deserve respect, a safe place to live, food on the table. When will we realize that we're all brothers and sisters.

Hurricane Irma. It was the first major hurricane to hit Florida in a long time. It was hard for me to process how bad the storm would be. My brother and dad were in the path of the storm.

The election of Donald Trump, the orange nightmare, has thrown my entire world into disarray. I had no idea that enough of the American people were racist, nativist, hateful, and deluded enough to vote for him. Even worse, because I live in South Carolina, I can be fairly certain that a number of my colleagues, co-workers, students, and people I encounter daily, voted for him and feel this way. It makes me feel like I am walking around on the set of Invasion of the Body Snatchers come to life. I don't know who is human and who is a pod, so I have to assume they are all pods until I learn otherwise. Similarly, all of my likeminded friends are walking around in a constant state of rage and near hysteria. How can we really go on like this? The fucking gasbag has been menacing North Korea almost daily, leading us to the brink of nuclear disaster. I spend so much of my time fighting off the feelings of hate, yes, hate, that well up in me whenever another fucking Republican introduces another fucking "healthcare" bill, designed to gut the protections that people with less have, in order to fund a tax cut to their wealthy overlords. Or the feelings of hate that arise whenever I hear or read yet another unbelievably offensive thing issued by that Twit in Chief. AGH! I really can't stand it. The people of this country need to do better. This is insane.

The White House restaurant burning down . The owner, Bruno, feeds homeless (motel) kids and the restaurant burning could have destroyed his charity and really hurt the thousands he feeds. But I was amazed at the community support. From temporarily hiring his employees, to giving his Catarina's Club a place to cook, to helping him rebuild the restaurant and charity really showed how much everyday people are willing to help some who really deserved it.

Trump, need I say more?

The electing of Donald Trump. I am sickened that this is what our country has come to to elect someone with zero experience. Someone who speaks without thinking. Who has no idea what it means to be appropriate and have diplomacy. He is truly an embarrassment to our country. I have never been so affected by the election of anyone in our country. I still keep hoping I will wake up and find this was all a dream. I shake my head often when he says things. I still cannot believe it's real. And the hatred which has been freely exposed is mind boggling. People feel they can say whatever. I am frightened as an American. Petrified as a Jewish American. It is so so sad.

Last year in the weeks before the election I worried about the ascendancy of Trump. I take little comfort in having been right to worry. On the negative side, I was shocked. Is this who we are? Is the Trumpian world view what we aspire to? The disregard for truth, the absence of respect for others, the transactional view of relationships, the disdain for 'losers? The America First, the 'our people' that clearly is understood to exclude so many... But on the positive side, those same questions challenge me to work for what we do aspire to. To practice truth and respect, to seek the mutual good, so see the world as one.

The North Korean missle tests and the continued fighting in the Middle East remind me that tribulations as prophesied in the Bible are happening and are going to get worse. I am reminded to pray for my enemies, pray for Jerusalem and that Jesus is coming again! While times are unsettled there is a peaceful time coming. God is faithful and cannot lie. His Truth will prevail.

The election in November 2016. I have been so sad at the escalation of vitriol in public discourse, the hardening of extreme political positions, and the divisiveness of attempts to discuss the courses we need to take. I am disheartened by the sense that so many people want to take away health care and expel DACA young people. I am concerned for the future of our country with a president who shoots from the hip (and lip) and a legislature that cannot work together for the good of the whole. Low level depression or malaise that I cannot shake, and feeling helpless about any ability to make things better.

Trump being elected. It really caused a ridiculous amount of discourse around social issues. Through emboldening white supremacy, many more conflicts have arisen, resulting in even more dialogue. It's impacted my conversations, some relationships, and my social media habits. Even regular media habits. I see now, more than ever, how the media controls every narrative that we consume, and how much power it really has. People have subsequently shown their true colors with their social media habits. Between the ignorant social justice warriors, previously apathetic moderates, closet racists, holier than thou liberals, the outspoken intelligent, and simply those who like to scream into an echo chamber, it's been an adventure to observe.

It feels like there hasn't been a world event this year that hasn't impacted me in some way. I think it is more the cumulative effect of all of these events which has hit me the most. I don't think I am alone in feeling betrayed by the results of our most recent US presidential election, but it serves no purpose to dwell on it. I have to find meaning and encouragement in the fact that this crucial moment in time has inspired people to stand up, to become engaged and informed, and YES to run for office!

The election of Trump, for the same reasons many people are likely to say. It's hard to talk about, because it worsened so many things, and continues to do so, and anything I can say would be inadequate.

Donald Trump WON! Proving once again why this country was founded the way it was, so no one or two populace cities could dictate the course of the nation. So that one or two states that cheated the election or didn't follow the spirit of the rules, could sway the outcome of the election. Cheat all you want, you only get the votes in THAT state. America got its balls back from Obama's purse. When the American people went to the polls and in a resounding voice, said "NO, we do not accept you or your policies, Liberals. We're done being bullied by you and shamed into accepting your version of reality. It's lies, and we won't stand for it." Of course, with Trump winning the election, we see once and for all, just how many of the "Tin Foil Hat" crew was partially right about their suspicions. The media has been lying to the public, and the public is tired of their nonsense and propaganda. Liberalism is a course to socialism, and the American PEOPLE won't stand for it. So instead, liberals everywhere decided to throw a fit because they didn't get their way.

Obviously, Trump being elected was a big shock. I guess I am naive and never thought it would happen. It just makes me sad that there is so much hate in the world and now the bigots are empowered. Though Trey's comment that Trump supporters think that most other white people feel the way they do and everyone is too scared to admit was pretty eye-opening.

I think the events in Charlottesville with the Neo-Nazis changed me dramatically. It shifted how I see the world and my place in it. It showed what the people around me knew and didn't know about growing up as a Jew. It shifted the way I tell my stories and act politically. It made me see that, no matter what the world told me, I would never be an equal unless I took up the fight myself.

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency. It was /is shocking. To have such a divisive character leading our country. It is a reflection of the state of our nation and in many ways the world. Extremes. Between Me and Our. The Individual and Oneness of all. We are on the precipice of that leap to global consciousness. We are already connected by the internet. Miraculous. It's time we complete the process.

The presidential election was pretty devastating, if not surprising. Losing Carrie Fisher affected me pretty deeply even if it had no right to. Learning from her example made me want to be braver and more myself, and bring more stories into the world about women who were courageous and funny and real.

The election of Donald Trump to the US presidency. It's got so that basically, the guy is just continually on your screen 24/7, saying or doing something outrageous just for attention. The world has just become Trump, Trump, Trump and I'm fucking tired of it. He's a shit President, and what's more a shit TV personality, and I wish he'd just go away and stop making a mess of the world.

My husband had surgery and I was frightened but no one from the group who could help was paying attention. Racism and xenophobia isolated me and he was only interesting to them as a task to successfully complete. I am simple and specific about the help I want - my husband says I'm "not exactly obtuse".

Unbelievably, Donald Trump won the election through some unlawful as well as lawful means. We are stuck with him and his dehumanizing world views, for four years. Some groups are calling for impeachment, but that remains to be seen. There is more hate around the world. More right wing racism and sexism. But still I believe that most people are good, and want the simple things in life just as I do: family, meaningful work, free time for hobbies, and the potential for growth. We are lucky to live in this country despite its shortcomings.

The rise of Nazism in the US and the election of a white supremacist has made me look outside of the US for work. And I highly doubt I will be living the rest of my life in the US anymore, as the population at large seems to be okay with electing leaders who deem Nazis and white supremacists as "good men"

Trump got elected president. Still impacting me and our country everyday.

So many meteorlogical tragic events. My heart hurts for all the people killed and injured in the earthquakes, fires, and hurricanes. It is incomprehensible how much destruction our world has suffered this year.

The event in the world beyond my personal world has been the ongoing angst of DJT's presidency. The ongoing chaos of his inexperience and inability to understand political speak, presidential decorum and international diplomacy is frightening and appalling. He is crass, unsophisticated, paranoid and thin skinned. His incessant tweeting and lying are both sad and frightening. I think he is dishonest and a racist. He never expected to be president, comes to the office with no plan for the nation save to undo everything his predecessor initiated. He is a disgrace to the office and as an American citizen, I feel unsafe and embarrassed in the face of the world.

Terrorism in general.

In this increasingly diverse and crazy world we have to find the few threads of similarities and connection there is between us and build on them. The terrorist attacks in Europe and the events in Virginia impacted me greatly - hate just puts us backwards as a people, religion, race and as a planet.

The election of Donald Trump was a shocking moment that had a surprisingly profound effect on me, considering that I'm not American. I couldn't understand how, with all of the things he had said and done, he could be elected by rational, educated citizens. I don't believe that we can dismiss the vote as coming only from the "fringe." Now that he's been in power, we continue to see that the Trump we saw before the election was, in fact, the "real" Trump. Dissolved are any hopes I had that the weight of the office would lead him to think and act more carefully, more thoughtfully. His recent provocations of North Korea are only the latest in a long string of missteps from this president. On a COMPLETELY different note, my conversion has had a powerful and positive impact on my life. I am grateful every day that I am a part of this community. Just today, on Shabbat Shuvah, I had my first aliyah. It was a very special moment.

Election of Donald Trump! It scares me that so many people voted for him and what that says about our American society. It scares me that race relations are still so bad in our country and it scares me that there's so much poverty and unrest in the world affecting so many families and children!

The presidential election impacted me and freightened me. It is scary to me how detrimental Trump's policy decisions will have on us in the short term and on my children in the long term.

The presidential election changed everything for our family, our city, our world. While I've always done work around racial equity the pressing need to do it in this vitriolic climate has renewed my commitment to the work. My daughter has been asking a lot of questions about the holocaust lately. She is seven. I feel keenly aware of what it means to be Black and Jewish in a world that is targeting people of various races, ethnicities and religions. I feel commited to fight for all of us in a raw way I haven't felt before in my lifetime.

I'm still making sense of Trump's election, which has profoundly shaken my understanding of the country and world I live in, and has led to a lot of reflection (but unfortunately no clear answers; I hope I have some by next year) about my role as a citizen at this uncertain time. I think that my work teaching and leading often uncomfortable conversations about inequality (which are SO hard for me) is part of that role as a citizen, but I don't think that is enough, and I don't have a clear way forward. I feel frustrated by what I see as posing behavior by friends and colleagues that don't add up to real action, but I also realize that it is not the critic who counts.

The obvious one would be the recent hurricanes, but since it wasn't nearly as destructive as expected, I am choosing the very sad and destructive President Trump. The guy is an egomaniac, totally unqualified and terrible representative of our great nation. The only people worse than Trump are all the idiots who elected him. It sows how uneducated our nation really is, they don't take this stuff seriously, and our nation will suffer for 4 yrs because of it. The only lesson to be learned by this, is if people pay attention next time , and find a real candidate , and not someone entertaining. Hillary would have been just as bad, only in a different form. How could America pick 2 HORRIBLE candidates for the most important job in our country ????

2016 election, Trump

Donald Trump's presidency. Ugh I remember the pit in my stomach when I saw the election results. I was so very much in shock. I feel as though we're going backwards and the decisiveness is unparalleled to anything I've ever experienced. It's just so difficult to understand how anyone could think that he is competent. I'm concerned for the future and the world around us.

An event this year is the fake presidency. It has completely caused lots of stress in my life, not knowing what the future holds for our planet or if we will have a nuclear war. And particularly that the person in the White House condones the KKK, White Nationalists and the Nazis. Very frightening times.

I don't know why the flooding of Harvey and Irma were so much more real and frightening. But I was worried for the friends I have near those areas. We know these storms were way larger than anything preceding. Then pile on a few earthquakes and more flooding, and it sounds like end times. Dealing with a crazed renter this year, it became clear the failings of economy over last ten years have created a whole subset of people who don't consider themselves renters. They want to own, and they they believe the house is theirs until it is time to go, and then some. I never considered leaving the utility bill for e owners they way several people have left theirs for me in the past few years. It is uncomfortable to be part of the landed gentry when some peers used to be, yet are not, anymore The clear support offered to racist creepy people by the very president himself is exceedingly offensive and depressing. Maybe more people are coming to their senses and shaken out of complacency.

Actually... despite the hurricanes and terrorist attacks, I don't feel personally impacted at all.

The president who shall not be named. So much hate and dehumanization, name-calling and bullying. So many friends and loved ones not feeling safe. I don't always feel safe. We are living in a dystopian novel turned nonfiction.

I'm ashamed to say that the world events haven't impacted me directly except to know and see thanks to the media bringing events real time into your living room. The hurricanes, earthquakes, fires and scorching heat on the west coast. Houston was calling for mental health disaster workers to come and assist, I didn't go, I'm still working, I could have taken 2 weeks vacation, my hospital would have supported me, I didn't go, I didn't leave the safety of my home and work. I was entertaining going to Puerto Rico this winter with a coworker but no longer, they are desimated by Maria. The fact that this impacts me in such the fashion makes me ashamed of myself. Trump and how he's managed to breathe renewed life into the bigotry and hatred of the white supremacist regimen. It has eaten at the core of my safety as a Jewish woman and the mother of a gay son.

I'm quite stuck in my own mire. I suppose the election of a completely unexpected and unprecedented new "leader of the free world has affected me. I'm more conscious of my political power and responsibility. I'm much more likely to show up to the polls and look into issues that may affect me.

Automatically, I know that I will not even have to think about this answer. Donald Trump became President. It broke my heart and, to a degree, it made me cynical. He has been so awfully prejudice, selfish, and childish. He cannot see past money or his own desires. He pulled us out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. He stood up for Nazi protesters is Charlotte. Today, he made derogatory comments about NFL players who protest the National Anthem, however, as I stated he stood up for Nazis quite recently. I hope I can make the world a better place and destroy America's ignorance. The world COULD be such a better place.

The disastrous election of Trump resulted in an upswing in overt antisemitism and white supremacy that has impacted the entire country

The election of Trump, it made the works seem darker, fragmented, and made me feel like i can't trust my fellow man or that good will win out. It truly shocked me, i did not see it coming and made me question my perception of the world, and how my perception may be being managed by forces that i am not aware of and by extension maybe my own biases as a factor of the place I choose to live.

The obvious answer is the election of Donald Trump and its aftermath. I spent the day after the election physically sick in bed - and nearly every day since then has been a spiral of evil, sad, tragic news. Trump's election has emboldened bigots to flaunt their white supremacy publicly (it was always there, but now it's in the open). It came to a head with the clashes in Charlottesville, VA a couple months ago. A young woman was murdered by a white supremacist who plowed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters. Now Trump is trading insults with the leader of North Korea, and some days it feels like we're on the brink of a nuclear war. These are dark times, and I can only pray things start looking up.

There are a lot of events that have impacted the world but none that have impacted me on in a personal level except My army team mate and friend. Jermaine Omar Rogers Sr. He is now a disabled veteran that was working in Kuwait as a contractor and has been falsely accused of having drugs. Even the arresting officers can back and said it wasn't him he had no drugs. The name a place in the Warrant was for someone and some place else. 2 times all the evidence collected just should nothing. Salt pepper oregano etc. Then suddenly in the evidence room an 18th substance came up which had not been collected. Only 17 items were collected. All cooking spices I might add But he is American, at first he was to be hanged and our embassy was visiting regularly and making sure he received his medicine but now the Kuwaiti government down graded to life in prison and he doesn't get his medicine and our embassy couldn't be bothered to visit or check on him. Even senator Kerry nor others won't mention this case. Short of breaking him out of jail myself there seems to be no one willing and able to help. Idk what to do....many hearts are breaking... If I knew how to I would just go get him. Our government sucks.

All of the natural disasters, including fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, while not directly impacted, have made an impression on me. My heart has gone out to those impacted. These events, combined with the political division in our country and around the world has been troubling and has impacted me more than ever. I usually am a very optimistic and positive person yet the combination of all these things made it challenging in this last year, particularly in the last few months.

Easily the biggest event that has impacted me this year is the inauguration of an incompetant buffoon as president. From concerns about healthcare, women's rights, dismantling of public education, rescinding of DACA and threats of mass deportations, and the visible rise of white supremacy this impacts every part of my life, both personal and professional. It remain to be seen how bad this will get, not just for me, but especially for commnities of color, LGBT communities, and other vulnerable populations.

Trump getting elected stunned me. It is still difficult for me to wrap my mind around all the issues that contribute to him winning the election. He continues to be a buffoon and I feel he puts our people and our country at risk on a daily basis through his tweets, speeches, actions, and behavior. He alienates our allies by being stupid and exclusive, and in my opinion is elevating the danger from NK. On a regular basis I am shocked at the word choices he makes, including the profanity. I'm a fan of swearing but not the words and context in which Trump uses them.

The Election! My stress level is sky high. If I voted with my pocketbook, I should be over the moon that Trump was elected since I'm part of the top 5%. But I don't vote with my pocketbook. I vote for what enables the most Americans to achieve the American Dream of a reliable job, a safe place to live, nutritious foods to feed their children, the resources to cover any accidents or illnesses, clean water to drink, safe roads and bridges to drive on, and so forth and so on. Trump put people in positions of authority who hold vastly different ideas to the mission of the department they head or who have little to no knowledge and/or experience of anything the department does. The baboons are running the zoo. It infuriates me. Saddens me. Makes me incredulous. Angers me. Scares me. Stuns me. Depresses me. Makes me nostalgic for Obama. All of which combine to raise my stress level.

Clearly, the election of Donald Trump. I can only pray that there is a reason for this. I believe that we had become complacent, taking the democracy for granted. Well, now we see how fragile it is. This has awakened us all - right and left - to the fact that democracy lives by the power of the people. We have seen that power in action in that most of what this administration wanted to get done has not happened yet. As of this writing, they have 7 days to push through ACA repeal and replace. I am a resister. I haven't ever known so many congresspeople's names, states, positions. We have seen both the love and caring of the country, as well as the underbelly. The problems are clear and we are now facing them as opposed to ignoring them: bigotry, climate change (hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and earthquakes in Mexico all within a few weeks), voter suppression, Russian interference in our elections, North Korea, income inequality and the greed of Republicans, the Kochs, the Mercers, and corporations. As we now say, "I am woke" and am both anxious about the future but also heartened by the many other resisters and people who believe that Love trumps Hate.

Going through the hurricane season. I was separated from my family. I also saw so much devastation in the Caribbean which saddened me but also made me appreciate what I had in my life.

North Korea has me worrying that a madman could destroy the world for my grandchildren.

The hate and vitriolic speech from Trump has unleashed permission to express and act violently - my non Jewish brotherinlaw stated he is "mift" with "the jews" for being focused on the holocaust.

The election of Trump turned everything Sour; there is meanness, bullying, Sexism, racism, intolerance, closemindedness, Nastiness, us vs them, hate , etc etc All out in the open To extents that threaten civilization How I feel: embarrassed, nervous, frightened, Concerned for my kids And grandkids, Discouraged, pessimistic. I used to feel things were fixable. Now--especially when seeming pundits are apparently Also at a loss-- I just don't know.

Trump's win in the election. Not sure how to feel about it, even still. A lot of people have made it about them in a way that feels really self involved and dramatic. Meanwhile, trump is baiting north Korea and attempting to remove the affordable Care act. I don't think he's particularly mean spirited but he's definitely dumb.

The Trump election. I'm just incredulous that this misogynist hateful bozo is in office. This has made me keenly politically aware and nervous / uncomfortable. The other events were the hurricanes - Hurricane Irma inspired me to donate to an animal cause. Started thinking about the animals and adopted a Great Dane from our local shelter. So awesome!!! So much love and joy as we now have two big dogs in our family. I'm very conscious that we not only added more joy to our family, but also saved a life.

The inauguration and subsequent reality show of a presidency has created a news cycle that I no longer have the same desire to peruse that I have had in past decades-resulting in my canceling three of my five daily newspapers and about to drop a fourth. I maintain digital access to most so I can still read pertinent and well-written stories when they occur and on my own clock. And I have more time to devote to my family and career.

In October of 2016 it seemed we were moving forward with love & hope for the future. Unbelievably it is not what I expected. Not only the election, but Brexit, continuing wars & threats of wars, hatred, racism still having to be pushed & pushed over again , when I really didn't believe it could be so strong. Fighting since the 1960's, continuing to protest even as I near 70! Trying to stay strong and positive. I worry for our planet more than ever. To all living things I say: Thank you, I'm sorry, I love you.

The elections results made me very sad and worrisome for the world.

All the terrorist attacks that have happened. It’s really awful and no where seems safe anymore. Can’t even bring children to concerts without being afraid of lunatics. I wish my dad and friends would get jobs out of NYC. I worry everyday.

Charlottesville - reminded me that I am not white, I am Jewish

Donald Trump's inauguration as president has provided plenty of fodder for arguments among friends and family over politics, political correctness, and the meaning of truth. I've felt conflicted - recoiling at Trump's rough edges yet agreeing with his assessment that much of what constitutes today's psuedo-intellectual, left-of-center consensus doesn't hold up to scrutiny. I've struggled to feel a part of the oddly closed-minded culture of those around me in London, SF, etc. Thankfully I know enough independents and libertarians who aren't as bothered by events - and who hold out hope that Trump might yet be able to shift the balance of power away from the relentless expansion of the state (even though he is an evidently flawed, delusional man).

The election of that charlatan Donald Trump to the US Presedency is the worst thing ever in US presidential history, a turn to the fascist right, and may be one of the worst events in world history if he indeed leads us to war with NK, Iran, Syria, Russia, Pakistan, or any where else he simply chooses. His position and actions on everything environmental, most particlarly climate change, is endangering all of mankind and even his own properties and businesses, SAD FOOL. He is the most ignorant, dangerously arrogant, professionally incompetent, and mentally unfit person to have this office, ever. He is an embarrassment to US, leading US down a perilous path to the worst possible outcomes on everything he touches or tweets, and has revealed the worst in America. He is a traitor. I hope and indeed pray he will be the ruin of the Republican Party, and that he and his family will see personal, professional, political, and complete financial ruin. Any respect for the Republican Party, which I used to have, is completely gone. They are traitors to defend and promote this man and his aims, supporters, and ilk.

I tend to live in my local world not in the global world. I live in Canada and Trump doesn't have an immediate effect on my life but I see the things he says and does and the thing other world leaders say and do and it just strengthens my resolve to live a good life and teach my kids to do the same. Practise kindness and help others. Be frugal, and environmentally friendly. Keep your local community healthy and strong.

The election of President Trump and the realization much of this country is still run by bigotry and hate.

Donald Trump being elected has caused me great aggravation and disappointment because he is a bigot not fit for the office he holds.

I can't imagine that anyone isn't going to say how the current president has changed our lives for the worse. If 2016 was a horrible year, this one has truly made our country hit rock bottom. I suppose the positive is that people are showing their true colors -- for better or worse. Issues are being addressed. People are seeing that democracy requires consistent action. But it is still disheartening that we're fighting for basic rights and decency, ignoring science, and simply not caring for those around us.

The election. Going to sleep knowing that such an infathomable outcome had come to be. Waking up to Hillary giving her concession speech. It felt like the odds went against what was right that night. Feeling like women never win, even when they work five times as hard.

Can't think of one. The political situation in the UK &US impacts everyone a bit, not nothing personal

Trump's election. The uncertainty and chaos that has ensued has had a great impact in Europe - including fears surrounding the increased likelihood nuclear war and continuing climate change. It's also been so sad to see progress in America being reversed, and see the some of the most vulnerable people there having their rights and freedoms curtailed. Even here in Europe there's been a real sense of despair, and it's a little harder to be optimistic about the world than it was before. Still though, it's been inspiring watching people stand up to Trump and the values he represents, which encourages me to seek out ways to be an activist myself.

The election of Donald Trump. It sent me into a deep blue mood and I still cannot read a paper or watch the news without anxiety. I worry about the future of our planet, about the human rights of all people, about peace and security, and about the hate and anger he has fed and stirred up. It's a complete disaster that has affected me deeply.

Trump's election is a disaster. Now he is pissing off North Korea and they are threatening to set off a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific. This week there is another bill to repeal and replace the ACA, with no exemption for pre-existing conditions, big Medicaid cuts, etc. His position on immigrants is abysmal, and his support by the alt-right is deplorable. I'm very concerned. The crazies are coming out in force too - there were anti-gay protestors at Convocation! Where has America gone?

Oh god, last year I was so sure Hillary would win. I have been sad, angry, bitter, and ACTIVE, to the extent that my disability allows. I have fought, and fought again, for the access to health care that keeps me in the workforce. I cannot begin to describe my sadness and anger for those who don't have the same privileges I do. It's all been a learning experience, but I would much rather have had a sane, smart woman in office so I wouldn't have to DO this stuff.

The unimaginable, unthinkable, unreal, reality that is the Trump show has descended upon us. We may be at the brink of nuclear war with North Korea. Trump continues to threaten Kim Jong Un with inflammatory speech. Vowing total destruction. We are already deep into the mire of nationalism and hate. I felt miserable for days after the election. I have found it hard to read the newspaper. Hard to watch comedy shows which continually express disbelief at Trump. This year, a woman was run over by a white supremacist at rally in Virginia. Neo Nazi's are leafleting in Wooster, OH. A student just proposed to give a speech to Hitler for his intervention in economic conditions in Germany. The dream of America, as a democracy without nationalism, tribalism..as a democracy which seeks complete enfranchisement is dead.

Election of Donald Trump (and not Hillary who is the most qualified person ever to run for that office considering her experience as First Lady, senator, Secretary of State and a lifetime of public service). Concerned that not only is he dangerous, but so many people thought it would be a great idea to stick this guy in the White House and give him one of the most powerful jobs in the country. He had shown himself to be a liar, misogynistic, he is supported by blatant racists and white supremacists and he openly supports them. Anyone who looked at his track record in his business would know he has no problem putting people out of work, bankrupting others, hiring foreign workers so he could pay less, etc, etc, etc. He is ridiculously ignorant ("who knew healthcare was so complicated?")Why don't people understand the election is about hiring someone to do a job, not a popularity contest or picking a crazy entertainer? I'm very disapppointed in all who voted for him, including all those Republicans who abstained because they just hate HC so much or believed her misuse of email servers should keep her out of power (but all of DT's stuff is acceptable, in comparison???). I'm disgusted with willful ignorance - by people who get their world view from Fox and Breitbart, etc. and can't be bothered to look at other sources and educate themselves enough to make rational decisions. I'm waiting for the "blessing in disguise" some have suggested.

Trump's election. Every single day, I think about Trump's shenanigans. Our newsfeeds and conversations are filled with his bigotry. It also made me realize none of what I took for granted in America can be taken for granted.

Hurricane Irma, Harvey, Maria... I am losing hope for the continued existence of human life on earth.

There are many things. I think the 2016 election and the result with Donald Trump becoming President was dramatic. It has brought out important concerns such as will the Democratic party survive? will Citizens United create a plutocracy in the U.S.? do facts matter? how should we think about this? what actions should I take? I don't think Mr. Trump is in any way qualified and there are many controversies surrounding his election and his performance to date in office. Yet he's there. I believe it is important for posterity, for the world, for freedom and the rule of law, and for civilization (fka Western Civilization) that people of good will think hard and step up. For me, this means people who identify as mainline protestants but this certainly can include all branches of Judaism and many parts of Catholic and Orthodox Christianity as well as progressive and moderate components of other faiths.

Pure Evil taking over our government. It has increased fear, sadness, terror, and helplessness. It has brought about a time to choose sides - I will fight.

Obvious answer, election of Trump to president. Politics in disarray and can't watch the news. We'll survive.

The US presidential election. Reasons are obvious- he is a disgusting, dangerous, narcissistic, racist, unethical liar of person. He is an embarrassment to America and is doing real harm to our country and the world.

UGH. I feel numb by all the events. Which way will we feel like we die this year, or actually die? Earthquake? Nuclear war? Neo-Nazis? I don't want to think about this question.

The increase in natural disasters has impacted me by reminding me how humble we should be in the face of nature. Our technology can reduce the impacts of earthquakes and hurricanes, but it can't touch the natural events themselves. I hope our whole species gets a healthy dose of humility. And particularly for the hurricanes, I hope we can start to appreciate the real impact of climate change and what's in store in the future.

Trumps election. All the negative rhetoric he yses about muslims and mexicans and in general, refugees, makes me think about the 'us' and 'them' divisions I and others use in own language. It also made me think of all the issues in the world that we are basically powerless to control. Whilst people say Trump is a racist, others say that he is a realist because he notices the issues and sees the only way to confront them is at the expense of others.

Hurricane Harvey affected me this year. It hit my hometown and many of my family and friends. I felt helpless and very far away. Being able to collect supplies from all over Long Island and send a truck to Houston made me feel like I was doing just a little bit.

Election 2016. I don't think I need to elaborate.

The election of Donald Trump has impacted me. For longer than I care to say, I felt sad, depressed and hopeless. Not just because a misogynistic, racist and complete idiot was elected but knowing there were so many people who supported (and continue to support) such a hateful agenda. Knowing that there are too many people who are prepared to see our country nearly implode or, at the very least, that we are complete laughing stocks in the world.

Trump getting elected as president. That was life changing. He has totally different beliefs than me and I think he should not have won. He has done a lot wrong and has made some terrible decisions. The next 4 years will be very hard and I’m not looking forward to them.

Oh, tell me anyone isn't answering "the election"! It rocked my understanding of the world, the country I was living in, the people I thought I knew. It's a continual shock to the system, it threatens my health, my sense of what's good and right in the country, and my view of the future. I can't fathom another 3 years of this! The other event(s) that have impacted my sense of self are the many natural and unnatural disasters, the acts of God and man that have no recourse except to grieve. I'm profoundly sad at this time, and when I look back at previous years of 10Q it strikes me that this year I don't feel optimistic or even hopeful. It's unsettling.

The people of our nation were had by the biggest flim-flam man in history. Our country is now being run by a grifter who cannot control his emotions and may get us all blown up by another big blustery idiot who should never run a nation. I never used to watch the news. I figured the President had a handle on things and even though there was much squabbling and in-fighting, and very little progress, there WAS progress and things were getting better. True equality was just around the corner, and we could clear out the corruption and allow common sense to rule the nation. Now I am obsessed with the news, I keep checking to see if or when we are either going to get blown up, or if or when the grifter and his cronies will finally get ousted and I am dismayed that the general public is trying to normalize this completely bizarre and tragic government. The oligarchs are winning. I feel exposed and unsafe and every day I live with the fear that my friends will become victims of the horrific prejudice that is being encouraged by the current government. That they will lose their jobs, that their marriages will be dissolved, and that those who finally found the encouragement and acceptance to be themselves will be shamed back into the closet of despair. The day the giant cheeto walked into the oval office was the day I knew true despair for an entire nation.

The election of Donald Trump--or the failure to elect Hillary Clinton has made me skeptical of the ability for women to lead and gain respect as equals and made me alarmed that there are so many people who hate Jews and liberals and women! And that we Americans are powerless to safeguard our liberal values.

The us dropped a MOAB on Afghanistan, near an area I once traveled. What was the purpose, and how many were hurt? Did that action drive more people away from peace?

The event that most impacted me was the election of D Trump.This has had a lasting effect on how I approach so many things and people. I had to make a conscious effort to avoid the topic as it created such heated feelings of fear and distress that I found myself looking for reasons to fault him and discounting anything he might have done right. It has been an effort to see bright moments of any kind that I have tried to avoid any topic that might take me into that feeling while not hiding from the truth of the situation. That has been a very difficult edge to walk.

The massive rise in antisemitism, especially on the left, has made me more secure than ever in my decision to be louder and prouder about my Judaism.

Trump's election. Obviously. It has made me realize how little we can take for granted, how much is threatened, how fast it could all crumble.

Trump's election. Brought people out of the woodwork that never should feel comfortable in the light of day

Trump was elected. It caused me a great deficit of hope. Where I once believed that democracy would always modulate to the middle, that has not been true this year. I've never felt such a divide in society. I've never lived through proud Nazis in America nor nuclear threat that I took seriously. Trump has been a total fuck up in a way that hurts very deeply.

The election. I am sad for this country. This is not normal.

The election ofvTrump has raised political concern and awareness for me and many, many other people. Never expected to be back on the street demonstrating for basic human rights at this point in my life. SAD!

The election of an idiot as president of the United States.

The election of Trump and the aftermath ever since. I can’t help but follow the news about him daily. It’s an emotional roller coaster, watching his doings affects my wellbeing negatively. I am worried he does something horrible that kills many people.

The US election I feel that hopeless Sad Anxiety Wanting to "fix" the world as our President wrecks it

The election of Donald Trump as president. I (along with 1/2 the world) was shocked that it even happened but beyond that - the horrific responses and division that it caused in the USA (and beyond) has been unimaginable. People have lost friends over it, lives have been threatened, people are completely belligerent online ... physical and verbal abuse on FB and at rallies - and worst of all I think, the total disrespect for the Office of the most powerful President in the free world (regardless of whether we think he deserves it or not) has really shocked and bothered me. When did we become a society that has no regard for others. It's become all about what/how I want to do/say/behave regardless of how it affects my fellow man. I'm deeply saddened by who we have become as a supposedly 'developed' North American society.

Hillary Clinton did not become the first woman president of the United States. It was a huge disappointment for me and many of my friends and family. The man who became president is neither sane nor stable. Our country is in peril.

Strangely and tragically, almost like last year's answer, but his election brought to horrible reality. Climate change, racism, and the threat of nuclear war under the flawed leadership of a narcissist makes me afraid for my country and the world.

The election of Donald Trump and the activation of his white supremacist followers. Nothing in this world has frightened me more. I never thought it was possible to see this kind of raw hatred emerge in the US, especially after the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, the wide spread acceptance of gay marriage and LGBTQ rights, and the progress I thought e had made towards inclusion and diversity. Its because of all the progress we made that we have this horrifying backlash. We have a long way to go before we address poverty, racism, and white privilege once and for all. It seems way too easy to repeat the horrors of the Holocaust if we don't dedicate ourselves to the promise of "Never Again." I realized I have to devote myself as an individual, as a Jew, as an American, and as a human being.

The Presidential election, a total nightmare for me. I didn't even want to get out of bed for days. It told me how much hate sells in America. It is beyond my understanding that this crude, spiteful, sexist, prejudiced moron could have been elected as president of the U.S. I know many hate Hillary, for various reasons, some of which are blatant lies, (many of those are eagerly repeated, even if the opposite has been proven to be true). The election seemed a step back in time; Bring out the Hate! Get your white sheets back out! We no longer even need to pretend to be equals! Days and weeks and months have turned up outright lies, broken promises, petty twitter bullying ANYONE who doesn't buy what he sells 100%. Trump is exactly the piece of trash he has always been, its the American public that has stunned me. I have lost faith

The world is dominated by uncertainty. The US president Trump is very unpredictable and world politics are very dangerous these days. North Korea became a global threat and China is taking an increasingly economic and political role. Maybe most important: Europe stabilized. Elections in Netherlands, France and Germany were a non-event with the established parties winning the elections. There is still populism but the situation is much more stable. The economy is roaring and markets are celebrating new highs almost on a weekly basis. This is impacting our clients, our bank result and of course my own financial success.

The election of Mr. Trump. I want to vomit every day. I feel like Biff (the bully from the movie : Back to the Future, is our president. Pulling out of the Paris climate change agreement is near the top of my list. This is the world that we are going to leave to our children and grandchildren. We need to repair the earth. The bickering between N. Korea and the US. Who is going to throw the first nuke????? Or now pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and antagonizing 5 allies and poking Iran in the process.

Trump becoming president. It has totally changed what I thought was impossible. It felt like a horrible death, a horrible dream. The day after the election, my 10 year daughter came into my bedroom and asked if Hillary had won. Here is what I posted on Facebook that day. I just had one of the hardest conversations with my 10-year-old daughter as she woke up early and asked if we knew the results of the election. I tried to be strong but when she started crying, shaking and barely able to get words out...I held her and we cried together. She asked so many questions. I felt inadequate in my answers. I tried to reassure her that we will be okay, the country will be okay and it is up to all of us to help each other. She said, Maybe he won't come to Wisconsin and he won't touch us. She was so confused why people would make this choice. I tried to explain the fear and the hope that people who voted for him might be feeling. I kept telling her that we are okay, there is a bigger plan not yet revealed and that it is okay to feel sad AND that we must be the Light and keep working towards making the world a better place. I pray for strength for both. Since that day, things have transpired with 45 that I could not of imagined. I know G-d has a bigger plan and that gives me trust over hope. It has made me realize that now is the time for me to play bigger in my world...and I have.

Trump.

the world is full of the only religion. lets get down to one or none.

Hands down, the election was DEVASTATING and continues to be devastating. I can't express the unbridled disgust and embarrassment I feel right now. When I hear his voice and read his TWEETS I want to throw things. It's the pure self-interest that drives me most insane. It's one thing to have ideological difference, but at least those differences are based on some ETHOS. This bloviating dotard is only in it for himself. I bet he would sell his family down the river if it made him look better. There's so much insecurity and general ridiculousness, I won't be surprised if he causes the loss of human life with his idiocy.

Clearly the election. I feel much more distress and anger over politics than I can remember feeling in the past. I feel torn between following every development in detail so that I can be informed and wanting to ignore it because it is so distressing and I don't see what I can do about it. Recent natural disasters -- multiple hurricanes in the US and Caribbean, as well as earthquake in Mexico and flooding in parts of Asia. Then there is the confrontation with North Korea, the refugee crisis in Europe, and the wars in Syria and other places. All the issues around immigration and identity politics are going to show up in the classroom.

The election. I was so outraged the orange one won that I felt I should run for office myself. I participated in the woman's march. I signed up for workshops on how to run for office. It was discouraging because unless you are independently wealthy, no way to hold office at a state level and work. And I have to work. Then I thought I'll run for school board or city council. But I live in a veru conservative place. Even though I am a Jew, I am also an atheist. Part of running for office here is the wearing on your sleeve your deep devotion to god and jesus. Of all the things I thought might sink any candidacy for me-a woman, a Jew, very progressive-it kind of stunned me that religion would really be the biggest hurdle. In the 21st century. Why do so many people care? I don't get it.

The election. It made me realize how fragile my worl is, how deeply antagonistic my world is to me, asa woman, and how personal thst feels. It dug up in me a renewed sense of social commitment, or giving back and fighting for what msttwrs. For me, that is diversity in my community amd in my organizations; the sense of open welcome that created my family's and my story in America and Canada. I feel woken up but not awake- I don't give enough of my time and feel pulled in too many directions. I don't feel like my work gives me the opportunity to really contribute, to effect change, and that is something I want to change in 2018.

oh - man. Donald Trump. Donald Trump. Donald Trump Hate and violence. Nuclear war. My 4-year old granddaughter says "Mr Trump is a bad president because he watches too many videos and cannot poop." Right on-kiddo!

President Trump's inauguration. This dotard has made me realize I can actually loathe and despise our President and those that voted to elect this bafoon.

Anti-Semitism is on the rise around the world, and most recently in the Bay Area/Oakland. It makes me scared for my kids and their families. I don't think they (or I) am equipped to handle this kind of terror. They were raised in a peaceful time and while they are more evolved socially than I am, none of us is prepared or trained for this level of crime and hate. It will take a very high level of push-back to stamp this down and that can take years to combat what our government is provoking.

Trump. Trump. Trump. The good news is that people are rising up, making their voices heard, and opposing Trump and his Republican allies at every opportunity. Perhaps each generation must work hard to ensure that democracy continues. I'm glad I live in California.

The election. Flippin Trump. It is pulled back the curtain on part of this country I'd refused to accept or even see. It has jump-started the kindness movement at my school and in my teaching practice and my leadership around kindness. If he doesn't destroy us he will be very good for us.

The election. It has given me anxiety issues. It has estranged me from my family. It has made me distrust my fellow Americans that they could support someone who said and did the things that Trump did during the run-up to the election. How anyone could see all that he did and stood for and still vote for him is beside me.

Generally everything seems to be going to pot. Trump, North Korea, global warming, terrorist bonbings, brexit, Justin Bieber.... with so much negativity in the world at the moment it's hard not to let it get to you. I'm trying to be more positive now in general to be a good example for my little girl but it's hard. I'm always very affected by bad news and am very sensitive to it. It definitely clouds my world view. I hope that I can find lots of positives to outweigh the bad for my baby

So much has happened this year - hard to pick just one event. We've had hurricanes impact south Texas, highs of 100 degrees in Seattle area, huge earthquakes in Mexico, Trump as POTUS, North Korean bomb testing... it scares me. Seems like everything is topsy turvy and that we, as human beings, just need to practice love and kindness as much as possible. Another impact in my life came to a conclusion today. Little 10yo Emmie is being remembered - and the 110 pairs of socks that a friend took to the memorial for me - will give children and those touched by the Holy Spirit happiness. My dear Mother up in heaven, if possible please give Emmie a big hug from me and the Beauchamp's. Love and kindness have to win over this tumultuous world. That I pray.

Without a doubt, the Presidential elections...Trump's election over the highly qualified Hilary Clinton happened at the same time as a highly unqualified male was hired over two highly qualified females in my office. My small life was being mirrored on the national stage. It was frustrating and sickening. Every day I wake up wondering what the next outrage will be, what will be the next thing that I have to protest and speak out against... it is exhausting.

The attack on Westminster/Tower bridge in London. It felt so close to home, and I think I was able to connect more to how this is for so many people all over the world. Terrifying, humbling and raw. It has inspired me to try to be kinder, savour all the is good, and recognise how lucky I am to be alive.

The 2016 election got me very involved in politics. I've now been to multiple rally's and am much more active politically. My first rally and protest were both very emotional for me. Being surrounded by so many people all fighting for a better world was so powerful.

The 2016 USA Presidential Election. It has caused me to rethink friendships as I don't understand the Trump Voter's endorsement of an egotistical tyrant as a leader of our great nation. I continue to be disappointed almost daily as he is an embarrassment. I fear for the future of our country and our relationships with longtime allies. I am concerned about the long term impact of his presidency on the stability of the USA. Why? Goes without saying.

2 events significantly impacted me this year. The first was Standing Rock. It largely affected my circle of friends around Thanksgiving time and it taught me a lot about activism, the media, and what it means to be a Jewish ally. The second is Trump becoming president. Ewwww. It's even worse that my family supports him. My dad voted for him and feels bad about it, but my mom actually believes in him. It's awful. I can't even talk to her about it.

I'm very grateful to have the luxury of being away from the first-hand experiences of the following: • Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, etc • Racism, “alt-right”, and KKK activity in the US • Anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist acts in Europe and elsewhere. I haven't exposed myself to the countless videos and articles of any of these, because… I'm not sure. Not wanting to invest that time, I guess. It's also overwhelming because I'm not sure which cause to donate to—or do I distribute the total amount that I would have donated among all causes? I should make a decision and just donate. I know I'd appreciate donations to help my cause, which, thank G-d, I don't need right now and will hopefully never need. I'm very, very lucky and shouldn't take that for granted—and I should use my fortunate position to help those in need.

The election of Trump as president. It has impacted my teenage son and caused him to be fearful because of the color of his skin (he is multiracial) and our religion. He wants to hide the fact that we are Jewish, take down mezuzahs, remove anything from our lives that would point to our faith. It is wrong for a US president to support and embolden people who would cause harm or hatred to another group and especially to cause worry and fear in our children. It is so disturbing to know that this is the situation in MY country now and that there are many people who support the way that Donald Trump blatantly expresses every time he speaks or tweets. Disturbing. Worrisome. I had hoped that Obama's election would have brought an awakening and understanding to our country and the world but instead, the backlash has been much worse than I could have ever imagined. I fear for our future and for my children's future.

Trump's terrifying ascent to presidency. I still refuse to put those two terms in sequence. The triumph of bigotry, racism, misogyny, and lies. It made me even more depressed about the direction of the world. To have this sociopath have access to nuclear weapon and direct the fate of the free world makes me all the more determined that I cannot responsibility bring a child into this world. The contrast between this and the first Obama inauguration, for which I was present, is mind blowing.

Politics in the USA, and the election of Pres. Trump. I do not like him, but this was the American people saying that it is definitely time for a chance from the 'good old boy' politics that we've been living with. Hopefully we will live through this, and things will begin to change.

Donald Trump. Worst thing to happen in the history of time? I don't know. I'm white and upper class so my life hasn't been directly impacted too much yet, but my heart goes out to DACA recipients and I believe the country is about to be isolated by his terrible policies. If I think about it for too long, I feel sick to my stomach.

The election and its aftermath have really impacted my psyche. The world around me feels so uncertain but we move forward and work for better.

My family not speaking to me.

The Charlottesville incident. I watched the VICE video and it impacted me greatly--I had night terrors for a couple of days and was afraid of cars for a few weeks. I'm not afraid of Nazis, but I feel a lot of guilt for being a white person in America. It makes me feel like there's no way forward.

Incompetent president. I come from place where I do my best to help, support and care about people and equality. I care about respect and being humble. I care about authenticity and integrity. He does not. It's painful to hear his words and see his impact. He is a disgrace to humanity and posterity.

The US presidential election. A terrible insecure egotistical person was elected, though not by popular vote. This has caused me great trepidation on how he will lead this country & how he will treat people, the environment & partners throughout the world. It's taught me to be even more tolerant, giving & forgiving than I was previously. I want to & will strive to be the good to his evil. The right to his wrong. And the comfort to his hatred. Be more thoughtful than ever before about people, animals & the environment. This terrible event inspires me , it will not defeat me.

Fuck! Dotard as prez

The election. Enough said.

It has to be the 2016 US Presidential election and its disastrous consequences. I struggle to understand this administration and the Republican law makers. I'm reading Washington by Ron Chernow and have just ordered On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder, in an effort to get a handle on what we are doing to ourselves and the world and how and whether there is anything I could be doing about it. How could our country have slipped so far from its remarkably visionary government design? I hate to simply read the news and carry on about it, so there has to be a better way to be a citizen under the current circumstances. I joined Indivisible early this year but haven't done much with it, however, I signed up for a phone bank this coming week. Seems a fitting way to start the Jewish new year.

the election. I lost faith in the american way.

The event that most impacted me this year was attending a talk by Christian Piccolo, a former neo nazi gang leader who spoke about Life After Hate. Instead of wanting to hate white supremacist, it unleashed my empathy. Haters band together as they feel unloved and blame others for their troubles. Fighting causes more fighting. Love and connecting one on one can make a difference. I hope...

This year the world has impacted me more than ever before. Trump was elected. I protested. Ivy and Emma and I held hands over the bridge and blocked cars and chanted and cried. He threatened to build the wall and he blocked immigration from Middle Eastern countries and I sat in my hotel room in Peru with Paula my Argentinian friend and felt sick in the deepest pit of my self. Health care is gone from Willamette. Planned Parenthood is at risk. He's repealing part of Title IX. He's ruining the planet he's ruining the planet he's ruining the planet. No aid for fires, for hurricanes, for floods, here, Washington, Texas, Florida, everywhere. My friends are at risk for DACA deportation. My dad marched in the Women's March with a pink pussy hat on his head. I sat in the classroom after the election with this feeling of nightmarish dread that didn't leave for weeks. Waking up the next day was a feeling of literal grief. It's too hot in Salem this summer and too dry for too long. I feel the climate changing in the way the birds call and the way the wind rushes and I feel despair despair despair

Trump's election and the subsequent violence in Charlottesville. I can't think of a more clear expression of white supremacy, or an easier way for anyone to understand the concept.

You'd think it'd be easy to name anything Trump has done or any of the natural disasters of the year so far (Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria; Earthquakes in Mexico; etc) and man-made ones looming (North Korea and nuclear testing)--- I've been lucky though and so far have only been tangentially affected. Superficially, a vacation in Cuba is no longer a good idea, gas prices are now ~$2.80 when they were not too long ago $2.13... and I feel blessed that this is as far as I've been impacted. I'm bracing myself though for a closer hit, an Obamacare repeal, nuclear war... no one seems safe these days.

Hurricane Irma. Obvious. Donald Trump's behavior as president, and the horror his minions are wreaking on the world. Richard Spencer and the other alt right goons. I now live with ambient fear that is challenging my mind and messing with my body.

The election broke my heart. Last year I said Donald Trump scared me and in the end, it was worse than I imaged. Suddenly it was as if my country turned its back on me and so did a few people I thought I knew. It's been a hard year, I have had to dig deep to choose love in the face of hate. I almost left this country and I still may as now it is a scary place for me and my family. Now I live each day as it comes, counting the blessings and kindness where ever I find it. In the end what will be will be.

The election was devastating, and helped me sit with and acknowledge my own privilege and deeply ingrained racism that I didn't understand before. Obviously I'm still on a journey, but I feel like I've become a better listener, a more aware ally, and I've made some efforts to collect my own people so that marginalized populations don't have to do ALL the eduction. I think I was so blissfully unaware of the deep racism that exists in our society (and people of color have always been dealing with it -- it's nothing new) but we (white people) are finally seeing it more clearly and I'm glad I can now take steps to be less of an asshole in our world.

The most obvious answer to this, for probably everyone right now :p, is the election of Trump and how his presidency is affecting our country. It is frightening at times to see some of the changes that have happened and to realize how many people in the country have such diverse values from your own and the violence they would unleashed upon others because of it. So many things are just truly mind boggling and there are definite times when I begin to wonder if I am living in the Matrix, like so much of this cannot be real.

Trump's election is the biggest event that has impacted me this year. I never thought he would win, but he did. I have been disilllusioned with much of what he has done, but I have even been more disillusioned with this lack of self control and impulse control. His tempestuous nature has left me feeling nervous, wondering if he will do something with long range negative implications. The incident in Charlotte has left me feeling a deep sense of unease. We are now discussing fundamental issues of human rights I thought had been resolved long ago. Trump's willingness to attack even his most loyal supporters leaves me wondering how long competent people will stay in his administration, and who would ever replace them. I have spent too much time focused on his antics because what Trump says or does is clearly outside of my sphere of control.

The unthinkable (for me) happened. Trump got elected and is surpassing the dire predictions. I went into a funk for a few months and now am alternately angered and saddened by the current political scene.

Donald Trump was elected president. This breaks my heart. He is an idiot with no moral character and no impulse control. This election made me aware of a level of misogyny and racism that I was blissfully unaware of and it has made me question Americans.

The wrong president took office, destroying any chance to make our country equally fair to all citizens, continuing to widen the gap between the "haves" & " have-nots". Twitler & the GOP are working to remove measures meant to protect us from greedy Wall Street bankers. They have gutted protections for the environment & all species (including humans), are working to gut public education, are trying to walk back humane, inclusive medical insurance, have stopped scientific progress by defunding & muzzling our scientists, have stacked the deck against ordinary citizens for decades with the Supreme Court appointment. They are destroying the livelihoods of small farmers (who are struggling to provide us with pesticide-free food that is not genetically modified), in favor of giant agribusinesses. Only Wall Street, big oil, big pharma & big agribusinesses are benefitting. If Twitler doesn't get us all blown up. The election results haven't just made us a world laughingstock, they have taken away hope from those of us who could see beyond the lies of a reality TV star as president, who knew that he never meant to keep promises only made to get votes, and that his election by greedy or naive voters may have doomed us all.

The inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States. It has changed my outlook about life. I am not as hopeful or optimistic since he is now the leader of the free world. Personally, it is consequential to my life since my job is threatened because I work at Planned Parenthood.

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency absolutely devastated me. I did not think he could win and it is not only his horrific personality and questionable business practices that made me think he was a poor choice for president. It was also his lack of experience and apparent lack of understanding of government, politics and the history of our country. I believe that he appeals to the lowest and most debased portion of our country's population. What surprised me the most is how many people voted for him. After the election, I have been dismayed and depressed to see how many people in our country have shown their "true colors" with respect to race, religion and women's rights, not to mention gender and immigrant rights. I keep thinking that it cannot get worse, but it does. I am frightened for our future even though I still try to remain hopeful, vigilant and active.

The election of Donald Trump had impacted me this year. It has exposed me to the ignorance and hatred of the people of this country. It also made me feel obligated to educate myself on the injustices in America and around the world. The election was for better or for worse I guess...

The incident that happened in Charlottesville reminded me how important it is to speak out in the face of hate and that silence = complacency. I have been reflecting on the times in my life I have stayed silent when I should have spoken up and the times that I have spoken up and had an impact. As we move into a new year I feel a renewed commitment to be a part of the efforts in my community to reduce hate speak and hate crimes and to remember that even as an individual I have the power to make a difference.

Trump being elected. It made me want to not hear any news at all.

President Trump...what more do I need to say?

An event that has impacted me this year my grandpa being admitted to the hospital for kidney failure. It has shown some true colors, and also some tender and open hearts. It’s interestig to see the family dynamic change because of it.

The election of President Trump and the coming together of hate as a global dialogue. I am not political. More human interest that interested in the news. Having said that the language of our country has turned too cruel. I feel it around me. And I do not like it. It hurts.

The inauguration of Donald Trump and the ongoing turmoil that has resulted from it. As a person of color who is also Jewish, I am heartbroken at the ugliness that has been unleashed in my country. My ability to trust the world at large has been shaken to the core. I am having difficulty relating to my friends who are not Black because I am constantly reminded of the gulf between us, of their relative safety in an increasingly unsafe world. This is not a good situation. The forces that would destroy us want to do that by separating us along race and class lines. And so we try to push back by remembering that we must approach each other with love, and by treating each other with kindness.

Ugh. The election of president Covfefe has impacted everyone in the world. He's bringing us closer to war and we're roller skating toward chaos with no elbow pads.

The election of Trump and all this Korean nuclear scare. I kind of wonder if the end of everything is near. Now that's a nice thought, isn't?

Holy cow, the election. My level of worry and fear and anxiety has gone way up; which has forced me to make choices about what and how much information I consume - because otherwise I wouldn't be able to function as a parent and to my other commitments. It's certainly helped put things into perspective about what matters, and forced me to be uncomfortable by putting myself out there and protesting more. And, it's left me feeling helpless at times too, that there's really nothing I can do to influence what's going on, or what's to come.

The election of Donald Trump as president has made me feel alternately hopeless and, due to activism and acts of community that I have witnessed, also hopeful.

I mentioned this in the first question - the election of President Trump. I never thought as much as now about the president. I've always trusted that the president's intentions were pure. I may have rarely agreed with George W. Bush, but I think that he loved the country and his heart was in the right place. I don't feel that way with Trump. He loves himself; his family and money. With Trump, I've become somewhat apathetic and the country has become more hateful, petty and selfish with the way that we are treating immigrants and "others", and I blame Trump for causing this. I've never thought so much about how the president affects the country as I do with Trump. And that is what he wants - which makes me angrier - since to him, there is no thing as bad publicity - just that we are thinking and talking about him.

When scientists announced the discovery of gravitational waves. It captured my attention for a several days and it launched me into a lot of interesting thoughts. I never thought of gravity as limited by the speed of light before, so if the sun just disappears we would still be orbiting for abut 8 minutes while the waves moved towards us. Once again this is connected space and time into space-time. So weird that for a graviton going the speed of light there is not time. It does not move, but for us it does, we can see it moving and detect it. It just get you thinking about what is life is, you know?

Donald fucking Trump. Popularized sexism, racism, islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, the KKK and right wing extremism/terrorism.

Trump got elected. Many people I know supported him and still support him, which has become a spiritual barrier for me, because I find him repulsive, and I'm having so much trouble finding respect for those who support him. My great spiritual challenge is to come to grips with this.

The election of Donald trump to the office of president. I feel the emotions of other people deeply and tensions have been high--- so much anger, so much fear, so much anxiety. I dislike politics to begin with and this year sealed the deal. I have no faith in group think and in the government.

Obviously Trump and the rise of fascism. It is a strange thing to witness. People said it could happen here, but we all seemed to think that was not really true. But now we have a president who implicitly defends Nazis marching in the streets. And so many people seem willing to just let it play itself out, as if Chamberlain didn't make that mistake already. This makes it difficult to get things done. It is immensely distracting to have the government causing chaos and harassing people, to have a series of incompetents put in charge of government. They don't believe in government, so obviously cannot believe in democracy. They are taking the government apart and people see confused about the incompetence. If you are dismantling something you put someone incompetent in charge so that person cannot defend it. Witness the HUD. Anyway, distracting, hard to get things done. Always wondering how much worse can it get, do I have to move to Canada someday, will my child grow up in what's becoming a third world country and not a prosperous one like I did?

the daily dismantling of democracy. impacts everything. everywhere. and threatens my child's and her peers future in ways we can barely imagine. shame on us all but especially the republicans and koch brothers.

The presidental inauguration of Donald Trump has embarrassed and angered me greatly as a decent human being. He is a vile and disgusting man and has absolutely no place leading this country.

For sure the election of an unstable human being as president of the united states. Right now he's on the verge of starting a nuclear war with the most unstable dictator on earth. I'm worried none of us will be here to answer these questions next year.

I actually wish I could write a different answer to this question. I tried to justify a few other answers but the world event that affects my life the most from the past year has been the election of Donald Trump to the United States Presidency. All politics aside, I truly wish this were not the case—meaning that the American presidency would revert to having the negligible impact every other presidency has had on my daily life…at least from my myopic perspective. Perhaps previous presidents did impact my daily life in ways that I was too ignorant or self-absorbed to recognize. Nevertheless, the fact remains that every day since the election, Donald Trump's presidency has, in some way, found its way into my consciousness, my conversation, or my relationships. Media coverage notwithstanding, this presidency is ubiquitous. I can hardly get away from it. I long for the days when what the president did or said didn’t necessarily percolate into my life every single day. Perhaps that is a reality lost to the past and this is our new experience regardless of who is in office but I certainly pray that is not the case.

The election of Trump and the rise of neo nazi ideology has floored me this past year. It has also made me much more vocal and involved in politics. I frequently write and call my representatives. I'm more vocal in my disapproval of racism and sexism. This is not the kind of world I want my daughter to grow up in, so I have to do what I can to make it a better place.

What event hasn't impacted everyone? Trump is a miserable leader, hurricane Harvey took out Houston....it's been awful.

This was a very full year in terms of world events, but one event that really impacted me was the bombing of the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. It was really chilling to see something so fun and lighthearted end so tragically. There were mostly children at that concert, and it's shocking to see children targeted in that way on such a large scale.

Donald Trump's disastrous presidency and all the ugliness that it has unleashed. I had always seen the US as a possible safe haven but the violence in Chatlotteville and elsewhere, and the general tolerance for racism, antisemitism and xenophobia has really shocked me and made me feel like nowhere at all is safe.

I would have to say DACA. I work in the school system There are many different nationalities in our county. I worry for these families. Also, I was born in Canada and grew up with dual citizenship. I have had some difficulties because of this.

The victory of the Cubs in the World Series and the election and and misrule of Donald Trump. The first filled me with joy, excitment, vindication, pride and hope. I felt like the world had been created for my sake. The other reminded me that we are but dust and ashes.

If we get to reread these questions and answers a year from now without having died in a nuclear apocalypse, it will be a fucking miracle.

Oh man, this world. Where do I even start? The election, the hurricanes, the fires, the threat of war with North Korea...the list literally goes on and on. But in this moment, freshly (finally) home from Mexico City, of course the earth quake is on my mind. I personally have never been so close to dying, nor have I witnessed so much devastation around me. I'm still processing it. What does it mean to be safe now, and have so much privilege, returning home, while my friends from Mexico are left there, trying to rebuild their lives or cope with the loss of loved ones? I'm alternately anxious, depressed, and numb. But I guess this describes the entire year in some ways.

I've had this question here a couple hours. Even though a lot has happened in the world, I honestly don't think any thing has actually impacted me personally in any way.

The sharp increase in antisemitism has really impacted me as I recently converted and became a Jew myself. While I have never directly felt direct impacts of antisemitic behavior of comments, my conversion has forced me to ask myself what is my role is preventing and confronting antisemitism now more than ever before? How can I use my conversion to help educate people? Is there anything that I can personally do to change behavior of others who are filled with such hate and prejudice?

The election of a narcissistic, misogynist, ignorant man as the President. I am devastated that this is what has become of our country. So much hate. So much bigotry. In the 60s I though we were making progress. I guess no.

Really the answer is the same as last year, only moreso - the racism, Islamaphobia, anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant actions have only increased as Trump has normalized their ideas and behaviors. I feel like I can never do enough - no matter how many times we rally to save healthcare, "repeal and replace" keeps growing new heads. No matter how many organizations I join, how many letters and FB posts I write, how many calls I make to senators - it feels like swimming against the tide. But better to be active - even if I'm treading water, at least I'm not moving backwards.

Everything going on between Israel and the rest of the world. While I was there I was restricted from the motel because of riots.

Charlottesville. I feel less safe in the U.S. than I ever have before.

So much has happened in the works this year! Unfortunately, many of it has had a negative impact. We have read and seen time and again blatant discrimination, prejudice, and hate. By far the most stop-me-in-my-tracks event was Charlottesville. It is difficult to understand what makes a person or a group so set on hate. It's difficult to understand the expert evades of victims. These hate acts have made me be more caiutous of showing things about myself that reveal me as a minority and made me think carefully about how to raise children who are justice driven.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria -- devastated the islands I love so much, left so many friends homeless and jobless, our home and livelihood in jeopardy, and taught me how little control we really have in this world. Yet reaffirmed my faith in people and community.

I was highly effetive and demoralized by the race riot with white surpremist and neo nazi's in Charlotteville, VA this summer. As an African American, it appears that we aren't even clost to putting some closure to rase relations in this Country. I blame President Trump and his making these groups comfortable in expressing their anger. I feel that the USA's positon as a leader in the world has dropped significantly and we are viewed as a laughing joke around the world. He insulted our allies in his speech at the United Nations and continued to act as a four year old as he continued to call one of our most dangerous foes as "Rocket Man". I just hope and pray that Atty Robert Mueller will give all of the amunition to impeach this president before he gets us in a nuclear war before we know it. God save our souls.

The election of Trump. I am horrified that such a stupid, hostile, ineffective, boorish, crass, uneducated person is now the head of our wonderful country. I fear for all of us.

trump, pitiful, very sad

I suspect that every person that answers this question will say the election of Donald Trump. What a disaster. It sure made me realize how racist and misogynistic this country is. I'm afraid for our future. He's made the US a laughing stock of the world. He's normalized hate. His election will have lasting effects into my yet to be born grandchildren's lives. It is a very bad thing.

The election of the president. He is so vile and offensive and anxiety-inducing. He is a destructive force on the country and the entire world; he is truly evil. I am very worried about the long term impact his disgraceful behavior and actions will have. It is a very helpless feeling. There is no fucking reason for all this chaos and drama. And no end in sight. We are fucked.

The election and inauguration of Donald Trump. It's chilling to read what I wrote about him at this time last year, with the knowledge that my efforts were futile and he became president anyway. It's heartbreaking, actually. And frustrating, and angering, and whatever the word is for something that makes you increasingly jaded and cynical. And then that makes you want to fight back even harder to keep your heart open and compassionate. And then that hurts, so you get a little more frustrated and angry and heartbroken. Our worst fears are becoming true. I'm trying not to put energy into the fear. I'm trying to put energy into the love. But we need a critical mass, and I'm not always as disciplined or as loving as I'd like to be. I need others to be there to hold me up when I feel the world is falling down.

The terrorist attack in Jerusalem when my son was there for L'dor v'dor. He called afterwards to let me know he was ok and a little unnerved. However, he made even more of a commitment to go back when he is 18 and fight in the IDF. On one hand, I am completely in awe at his resolve and proud of him. On the other, my mom heart has to remember that he is a child of G-d and only the Most High can determine life and death.

Donald Trump being sworn in as president. The US is in turmoil and possibly facing another war. I am embarrassed to say that I am an American. Never before have I ever felt like this about America.

Trump winning the presidency impacts all of our lives. It’s incredibly sad that so many people voted for a completely unqualified person to be president. As a Federal employee this executive branch makes it harder for my agency to fulfill our mission. I still cannot imagine him holding office for four years though I don’t know that Pence would be any better. I suspect when I read this in a year something will have changed. I hope it’s for the better.

Are you kidding? What ISN't impacting not just me but every sentient being on this planet. Not one event, but the collective consequences of global warming on every continent. Locally AND globally, we are finally, definitely, experiencing it beyond a doubt!!

No question, the catastrophic election of Donald Trump. Far from making America great again, we have been lowered in world opinion by electing a reality show host. The man has pandered to the lowest elements in our society. The harm he has done in less than 9 months will take years, if not decades to repair. Health care keeps us up at night. Without affordable care, we will literally die. The level of corruption and self-interest already shown is unimaginable. Let's not talk about Christian or family values with these people. Their only interest is in expanding their wealth and power at the expense of the people. He has no concept of how government is structured and operates. He was not elected king or emperor. He is a potential tyrant. I have said from the beginning that he will find an excuse to declare martial law. This is the first time in all my life that I pray for our country.

Donald Trump getting elected for president had a much bigger impact on my life than I thought it would, in a couple of ways. It was the first presidential election that my boyfriend voted in, and I feel like this was an important event in his life. It was so empowering and connecting to go to the polls and vote together. I also think it taught me that I really should take a bigger interest into politics - it's just such a double-edged sword because, at the end of the day, I'm always left with the question of how do I, as one individual, actually make a difference in the outcome or aftermath of these kinds of things? I think there is a threshold of knowledge - at some point it becomes unhealthy to continue to consume media and articles because it leaves us feeling hopeless and depressed. I definitely felt this during and just after the election. I also watched how it has impacted both my boyfriend's and my extended families. We know that we cannot discuss politics with my aunts and uncles, and Alex actually didn't talk to his grandparents for six months after the election because he was so disappointed in them. And, we face the daily challenge of dealing with Trump's incompetence and we question what will even become of this world in the next three years.

US elections - it is still hard to believe that Trump won. But what is really interesting is that people are using that as an excuse to hate! Hate unfortunately has always been part of our world, which is very sad :( It really has shown the darker side of humans. If we were just kinder to our self and to ours can you imagine what type of world we would be living in.

The killing of Charleena Lyles by Seattle Police. It made me rageful and sad but I'm going to make sure that it makes me more uncompromising towards these pigs.

The events in Charlottesville. Seeing hatred mobilized on a large scale was terrifying. Seeing President Trump take office in November in the first place. I never thought that could happen. It was devastating

Donald Trump! Anti Semite & hateful rhetoric is dividing this country & even friends

The plain old wrong election of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton changed my view of our country. I realized that the inclusionary way my friends and I think is not the norm of our country. The US is full of hatemongers who prefer nasty rhetoric than a knowledgeable woman. This realization has been heartbreaking and frightening.

Do we have to be political?

Charlottesville has had a profound impact on my year. I believe this event only happened because of the impact this administration (Trump) has had on our country. We are a deeply divided country, with very real and tangible fears of hatred and violence.

The death of Chester Bennington. The music idol of my youth passed away through suspected suicicde. This was the first celebrity death that has happened regarding an influencial figure in my life, and though not shaking, was rather shocking and upsetting to know his unique voice has been lost for good.

Trump was elected president. Since then, I have become more vocal about the importance of: science and education HEALTHCARE women's rights minority rights tolerance and acceptance I am trying to learn more about marginalized populations and understand their strife so that I may act as an ally. This has been very, very challenging for me. But, if you don't stand for something, you fall for everything. And I will not fall for hate. For ignorance. For fear. I stand for love, acceptance, and learning.

One word: Trump. The horror. The shock. The regression. The catastrophic impact on our environment, women's rights, race relations. The resurgence of the KKK, Nazis, Anti-Semitism, Neanderthal-ism. I have tried to quiet my apprehension, fear and disgust enough to live every day without poisoning my children with terror and anxiety. Probably unsuccessfully. For the first time in my life, I'm afraid for the future, and uncertain that our Constitution will protect us from the corruption, incompetence, fear-mongering and nepotism that plagues the rest of the world.

Donald Trump as president—suddenly everything seems haywire. I think that's probably enough explanation.

All these natural disasters lately. And terrorism. It seems like the world is coming to an end and we are the destructive cause. I’m scared. Scared for everyone on the earth, bad and good.

Hmmm same as last year actually. The POTUS getting sworn in continues to impact me daily with anxiety, fear for my children's future, disgust at the eroding of our institutions, thievery of our money, dumbing down of discourse in the nation, the support of Nazis and ws's from our nation's leader; all of it causes so much stress. It has prompted me to make more calls, send more letters, and tweet more to elected officials in these past 9 months than I ever have in my entire life.

isis continues unabated, trump became president, there are natural disasters all over the place and our politicians in south africa continue to be exposed for who they really are on a global level there is not much to get excited about so what is the impact on me ... together with turning 70 years old, all this has made the concept of living the moment as best as possible important, and, while it is incumbent on us all to be aware of what is happening on both a micro and a macro scale, i can only deal with stuff within the limited context of my life ... how to do this ??? ... maybe I will have a better answer next year

Hurricane Harvey was an Epic 1000 year flood that destroyed a lot of homes. Many in my neighborhood and city. It's one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the U.S. We were lucky to have made it out basically unscathed. A lot of our neighbors didn't. We really had to dig deep and help out.

Charlottesville seemed to immediately pivot my nascent rabbinate. Instead of continuing down easy street, 45 has created a world where voicing hatred and bigotry is tolerated. Our president refused to unequivocally denounce Nazis. Suffice it to say, Charlottesville was my Dreyfus Affair.

lol the election of Donald J. Trump. Honestly I think I'll always remember the 48 hour period of voting for the first female presidential candidate (and first time voting in person) through that terrible terrible next day (including MJ taking me and Ally to ice cream in an attempt to make us feel better). The election was a truly historic moment in our nation's journey, and it's lead to complete neglect of democracy and the constitution in the months since then. On a more individual level, it really shook how I felt as an American. I'm Jewish, and seeing the victory of anti-semitism and the marginalization of other groups of people take human form and become president was disgusting. Now Nazis are treated like people that like pineapple on their pizza and I'm terrified to be myself in this country. It was also rattling in that I'm trying to get into politics and make this country better for people that don't appreciate it or even care to understand why policies are actually helping them. Since then, I've become more dedicated to progressive politics, as we've never needed advocacy and passionate people to get involved liked this before.

The dissapointing results of the presidential election and the ensuing disastrous direction the country has been going in since then. Reading the news, checking social media, talking with friends, sermons at temple... there's no escape from the relentless rush to disastet.

Election of Donald Trump. I no longer believe in the innate goodness of people. I also distrust members of public office and do not believe many of them have any interest in doing what is right for their constituent or for those who are beyond their circle. This cynical outlook makes me sad.

The election of Donald Trump really rocked my world. It just proved that the U.S. is the caricature of dysfunction, disrespect and oppression that I have only just begun realizing it has always been. I'm grateful that my community has proven so resilient and that folks are still coming together to support one another and defend our communities. I'm heartbroken, afraid and angry that some of my family still support this monstrous administration and excusing the violent factions that support it. I'm hopeful that this administration will serve as a mirror and a wake up call to those who convinced themselves that we're better than this. I'm determined to be more strategic with my activism and to focus my efforts on sustainable education and local involvement. I commit to showing love and service to those who are most marginalized and to continue speaking up when I witness injustice.

OMG........Donald Trump, of ALL people is the new POTUS......I am going to attempt to describe my feelings about this which have been fluid and remain so. Firstly,I have NEVER been as confronted about my citizenship as I am about this. This fact has taken on a life of it's own, as I deal with transforming the initial shock,fear and disappointment that I have gone thru since Nov 8---and yet I have HAD to come to some sort of inner peace about it for my OWN sense of wellbeing.I don't want to share every single space I've gone thru but I am proud of the fact that I have come to sort of acceptance of this, and it actually has deepened my connection to HaShem,if that were possible. With all of the BS of the Bush administration and then the complete attempt to undermine Barack at every step, I certainly was ready for Hillary----Bottom line is that this has forced me to maintain my connection and my faith that we are safe,as a country, and will remain so. Tremendous personal life lessons I am learning.

Trump being elected as president. This has caused me to have great worry and anxiety over the future of our country, and for me and my family, including extended, immediate, and in-laws. I keep worrying that his craziness, his rudeness, his racist and white supremacist ideas, his loose-cannon way of handling things will get our country into a goddamned war. He seems to be getting N. Korea really really mad. How can anything good come from this presidency?

Trump being elected president in the US. Because it reminded me that those who want peace and those who spread love have got a job to do and there is no time to wait. I want peace, I want love. For me and everyone. That means loving each and everyone of you and realizing that the true leaders of this world are being called to action. Big love.

Donald Trump was elected President. I know he didn't win the popular vote, but it's dismaying how many people voted for him, and still support him, in spite of the terrible things he's said and done.

Donald Trump elected as President is the most scary thing imginable! I am horrified at the cowards we have in the Congress. Where are the statesmen? Thank god for people like McCain. I am afraid of our future. I don't want to die yet.

Oh dear god. Trump is the president of the United States. It is literally the worst possible thing that could have happened. I thought his campaign was a joke, or a business ploy, or at the very least, performance art. But he really ran and he really won and this country and the world and the environment and all of our futures are so much worse off because of it. I know that sounds dramatic but really it's true. He's awful for: education, women's rights, the environment, healthcare, and so much more. He promotes inequality, racism, sexism, anti-LBGTQ, anti-Muslim, anti-semitism and more. As a female Jew who strives to further my education, help sick patients (who often don't have insurance or rely on Medicaid/Medicare), and someday raise a family - I no longer feel like my rights are protected (nor the rights of my future children - in terms of having a high quality education, a clean environment to grow up in, a safe environment to grow up in, etc.)

The election of Trump for president has impacted me in such a negative way. I never have watched so much political news in my life. He has undone so much that is good in this country and replaced it with hate, bigotry, selfishness, and everything that he believes in.

The historic 2016 election really affected me in a way that no other political event in my lifetime has. I remember on Election Day, I was so sure that Hillary Clinton was going to win, that I went to bed. I remember waking up the next day, a Wednesday, and seeing that Trump had won. I was in disbelief. I am still in disbelief. I didn't go to school that Wednesday.

On November 8th, 2016, Donald Trump won and Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election. Then and now, it felt/feels as if something has died. I'm still cycling through the stages of grief—still crying at inopportune moments, still can barely stand to read the news, etc. And still waiting for a female president.

What else? What worse? DJT!!!

The presidency of Donald Trump has brought little but new fear in the hearts of my kin, my friends, and my peers. He threatens not only all the social justice I have always supported, but seemingly, he threatens the peace of the entire world. Trump is like the last, radical experiment in the history of our. of late, dysfunctional society and goverment. But there is an outside chance that his presidency may just unintentionally fix much of what has gone wrong in the U.S. I hope so.

Wow, it has been such a profoundly disturbing year of Trump! But I would say that the natural disasters related to climate change are particularly compelling to me. The loss of life, homes, livelihoods around the world due to hurricanes and flooding is daunting. To hear climate change deniers cling to their views is maddening. This is a time I feel the urgency to step up efforts to protect mother earth.

so many, mostly tragic and unnerving. although the hurricanes in texas, florida, and the caribbean have been overwhelming, I would have to say the continued strife, the toll of humanity and all it pretends to be, in Syria and in the Southeast Asia have taken the wind out of my sails. So terrible, and yet I cannot figure how to respond in a meaningful way.

US shamed by the whole world when Donald Trump became president.

It's not a surprise that people are still racist, but Charlottesville was eye opening in the realization of how many people who are within the mainstream of society harbour extremely racist ideologies. It was also a wake up call, that you can take great care to form articulate and logical arguments that include appeals to humanity and empathy but some people will continue to harbour extremely racist beliefs despite all your best efforts. Definitely a wake up call about how much needs to happen before any bit of progress can occur.

The worst person I could imagine became the President of the United States. It has concinced me to be more mellow resigned to the fact that these are the end of days of humanity. Hopefully, I will be surprised and I am wrong.

The election of Trump and the rise of neonazis everywhere. The fact that the Jewish community is living in fear now in the United States even more so than it has in a hundred years. I'm scared to leave my house as an observant Jew because I will get beaten up. No ifs ands or buts about it.

Brexit and it's aftermath. The delusion shown, and alchemy wished for, by my countrymen, has thrown me into gloom.

Aside from being led into the fire by the activities of #45 on a regular basis, I've had family members in each of the states with natural disasters happening this past month. Brother and Sister in law and good friends in MT for fires, Mother and Nephew in laws in Florida for hurricanes, and sister in LA for fires. So while none of these natural disasters impacted me, fortunately my family either, directly, there has been a greater vigilance in case they did. As for #45 greater vigilance arises and competes with the necessity to protect my sanity and hopefulness. I wonder whether any of his policies will impact me personally in the short or long term, and what can be done to prevent negative impacts for me and others. It remains to be seen. World events impact me on an existential level; either cheering for light and progress, or fearing darkness and impending doom. The difference between the two can be as thin as a hair depending on my perspective at any given moment. If I am fortunate I remain on the middle path, neither here nor there.

The election of Donald Trump as President. Its renewed my commitment to social justice in the the more blatant face of white supremacy. I will not rest until I see this man leave office early.

The election of Trump. Not only did it make obvious to me the anger of a large segment of the US population, it made clear to me how very far we have to go as a society to treat other people with respect and dignity. It also revealed how deficient some of my family members are in that regard. I realized the depth of my father's prejudices, how driven he is by fear, arrogance and haughtiness. Those are words I'd never thought to ascribe to him before--my eyes were closed.

Trump, Equifax, Russian meddling in the election, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, the earthquakes in Mexico, all lead me to a general malaise in the world. Things are out of control and much disruption is occurring throughout the world. North Korea and Trump trading insults adds to the threats which are outside of anyone's control. Therefore, it feels like much is at risk. This also seems to be impacting individuals as they try to deal with their own challenges. In my life, friends and family such as Tim, Francois, Mitch, and Tracey continue to struggle with everyday challenges under this malaise.

Oh man... that whole Trump thing. I wake up every morning in some kind of fear. I try not to let it affect me, but it does. Trump is abusive and it kicks in all the abuse from my past. When he calls people names, I take it to heart. It's really hard. I haven't felt the issue of being labeled for so many years. DeVos and her horrible myopic stance on education is going to stupefy the upcoming generations. I want my daughter to study overseas just incase the US becomes dangerous. Trump is awful every day.

The 45th president. So negatively and sorrowfully that many of us are scared, ashamed that he is the POtUS and that this country is so divided that he was able to come to this misuse of power.

No one event, but I have the general sense that the world is falling to bits, the people are viler and the environment is failing. At every turn, things seem to be going to hell.

Donald Trump was elected President*. His lack of experience, empathy and ham-fisted approach to diplomacy has the US on the brink of war with North Korea.

Trump being elected. When he first got elected me and Asaf got in a huge fight about it. He hasn't affected my personal world much after that.

DACA

Hurricane Harvey. It made me grateful that God watches over me. I watched the news of people being rescued by helicopter and boats. Some of those people did not live too far from where I live. Roads that were turned into waterways. I sat, watched and thought what would or could I do if this were happening to me. I got my sledge hammer put it by the attic door in case I needed to cut through my roof. Grateful that my kitty kennels were clean and ready to go at a moment's notice. I put plastic containers under furniture legs in the living room and dining room. Basically I came to the conclusion there are only 4 importants things in this house, me and the my 3 cats.

Trump's election has totally sent me into anxiety plus. I feel that he is everything bad anyone has ever said about him. I don't believe he has the country's best interests at the center of anything he does or says. He is unable to lead this country. I have become more cynical about the government and our elected officials because of him. I hope that he will be forced out of office and shamed into a dark hiding place. I am amazed by how difficult it is to dissuade his followers....I have learned something from that, too. I am lucky to live in a liberal state....and most of the rest of the country is not like Massachusetts. Darn.

D. Tr*mp being elected president. I've had to get more involved in political activism than I previously was, just to be sure the government wasn't actively screwing marginalized groups, myself included (attacks on the LGBT+ community would affect me, a bi person, negatively).

Sooo Trump is president. Nazis are marching and he's like, whatevs. Worst of all, JEWS--RUSSIAN JEWS are totally ok with this, blaming antifa (literally anti-fascism). At one point, I had so much anxiety about this that I couldn't sleep at night. Now, I just accept that when this ends with concentration camps, they'll be like, 'this is still better than Obama.'

I think it's impossible for anyone to talk about this year without talking about the election. Even though it's one single event and at the time it did not change my world; it have reverberated aver since. It's an interesting time not only to be an American citizen, but to be a parent. I've always found politics fascinating, but it's something that I find I need to take breaks from now. I was to stay abreast the events, but it's entirely unsettling. As a parent, I'm left explaining things to my kids that I wish wasn't on their radar. I think it brings us closer as a family, but not as a nation.

As a result of the war and devastation in Syria, a family of six who fled the violence came to Sacramento and settled in the house next door. Their children, ages three to fourteen, have adopted us and are in and out of our house. It has been a delight getting to know them, sharing meals, and helping with things new and strange.

The election of the 45th US President impacted me greatly, because it hurt so many people. In my diverse city where 1 on 6 Houstonians are foreign born and 1 in 10 undocumented, fear and hatred are tearing families apart. My Muslim colleagues have suffered threats.My Jewish boss lives in a neighborhood besmirched by swastika graffiti. Black Lives Matter members are stalked online, threatened, and treated like criminals just for seeking equality. I have become involved in immigration activism in protest of the tearing apart of families through deportation. And while I'm glad this crucial work on social justice is being done, I am so sorry for the catalyst of it all - the white supremacist in the oval office. It is a terrible time to be a woman or a person of color in America.

Hurricane Harvey. For the first time ever, my parents' home was flooded, and it hurt my heart to see my family and friends so affected by the storm. I felt guilt for not being down there with them, and helpless as it felt like there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. To see the aftermath has been emotional, but I'm full of pride to see how folks have been helping each other throughout their post-hurricane lives.

Fucking Trump getting elected.

Donald Trump has been messing around with visa procedures which didn't really affected me at this point. It did get me thinking, am i at risk here? Is the current status for America as a world power at risk?

The severe weather events that has occured this year and the devastation this year for many areas of the world. The hurricanes did damage to some of the family's homes. We were lucky enough to not have anyome loose their livesor loved ones..

Trump winning the election. I ‘m still half in denial it even happened.

The election of Trump. I wonder if this will be the most popular answer for this question #4. Everything I thought I knew about politics, demographics was turned upside down. The shock of November 8 has turned into sadness and loathing. And I feel a weight of guilt that I could have done more and should now be doing more to resist and persist.

It's hard to even know where to start with this one, but I think the most obvious event is Donald Trump becoming our US president. When he won the election in 2016, I realized that I have been living in a liberal dreamland for the last 8 years. It really woke me up to a whole other side our country. I realized that some of my favorite people in the world supported him and his political stances. I lost a lot of faith in humanity and had to learn how to peacefully exist with people who have very, very different views from me and try to understand their reasoning without becoming bitter and hateful.

The election of Donald Trump has changed what I thought I knew about America and Americans. But most of all, it has changed me: it has brought my rage and anger to the fore. It's very, very easy for me to access those emotions now...whether on behalf of someone Trump is oppressing, or just even myself.

The election of Trump. I didn't think a guy who used to have a tv show about firing people or a guy with who sends out messages through online links would ever win.

The motherfucking election of motherfucking Donald Trump. If I wasn't sure of the work I want to do with my life before, I sure as shit know now. That bitch-ass-motherfucker has inspired me to help teens become the best they can be, so that by the time I'm his age there are no more scumbags like him and his followers.

There have been so many territory bombings in Europe andhe Middle East this year. It saddens me. Also there has been so many confrontations and protests that have turned violent in the U.S all of this makes me afraid to raise my children in this wold. There is so much fighting. No one gets along. There is tension and it seems like everyone feels "entitled". Trump was elected. Colleen kids had to be consoled and given Tim riff of school to "adjust". Really?? What the heck is this world coming to? I was raised to believe everyone needs to take care of themselves and love one another. What happened to all of that??

Trump's election to president really opened my eyes to the bubble we live in, not just by way of social media, but physically as well. For weeks we'd been seeing support for Hillary and the democratic party, so we assumed Hillary's election was in the bag. Not only that, but the people I surrounded myself with reinforced this, as they are left wing thinkers - they also had the same social media experience. So when Trump got elected, it made me reflect on just how misleading the social and social media bubbles are, in leading us to believe that what we think is what the majority thinks. Until then, I never considered the masses of middle-America who I obviously have no contact or association with, and that there's masses of people out there who aren't on the same page as my peers.

Anti-Semitic actions making me very angry and willing to fight physically against anti-Semitic scum

The election of Trump. I was so sad the night of the election and Jan.20. Maybe Obama wasn't perfect, but he was a man of integrity, full of compassion. It seems T is putting the world in such chaos and I'm fearful about what might happen in the Middle East and with North Korea. I just can't stand to look and/or listen to him. What has the US done putting such a buffoon into office?

The election of THAT MAN, as we refer to him in our house, has changed EVERYTHING! It's terrifying to have so little trust in the government. I thought GWB was dumb, but this guy is terrifying -- egotistical and stupid and impatient -- a dangerous combination. So this year, I'm feeling afraid for my Jewish children, and for my Muslim and immigrant students, and for everyone of color in the US, and for poor people trying to get an education, and for women's rights. Part of the result has been a renewed focus on activism -- I went to a lot of weekly protests and even met Senator Toomey, and I spoke at a local women's rally, and the other day I stopped to be available to protect a Muslim woman, maybe a student, who had been stopped by the police (but it seemed like she was just getting a ticket, in the end).

I can imagine that many people will answer the same -- our Presidential Election has saddened me and made me so ashamed of the direction or misdirection of this country. I am now afraid that #45 will get us into a war and has made our world unsafe. I feel sad about the message to our children and just wish that things would have been different. Also, the recent natural effects from the fire in the Gorge to the earthquake in Mexico and the hurricanes. All of this translates to a need to deal with climate change, resist and do what we can to make our world a better place.

It would be hard to say anything besides the election of Trump. He's impacted everything for the worse - immigration, civil rights, and - most notably - racism. The march of neoNazis in Charlottesville really affected me. I had spent so much time learning I was white and then I just felt so noticeably Jewish.

The election of Donald Trump because it has thrown everything into turmoil. My particular concern is climate change. Trump makes everything and everyone feel unsafe. He is like a worldwide earthquake and we are all left scrambling to get our footing. The future holds no sense, no security. All we can do is put one foot in front of the other and keep on walking. It is a psychic ripping asunder of everything. Even as he ascends, the earth is ramping up its reaction to the warming of the climate. Feels like Judgment Day! Though I'm not even remotely a biblical scholar.

The election of Donald Trump and the rise of hate has left me wanting to be more active and more attentive to every aspect of how I am in the world.

Um...TRUMP.

I've always considered myself to be a fairly conservative person, I love Jesus but don't align myself to a political party, I vote for who I think is the best candidate, but that candidate is more often a Republican (if they belong to a major party, most of the candidates I have supported in the past did not) than a Democrat. However, the nomination and subsequent election of Donald Trump has shaken me to the core and made me question my own "conservative" stance...if that man is who conservative people support, I want nothing to do with them. I watched in horror as Christian people who I like and respect went from posting articles about "Why Christians can't support Trump" to articles about "Why Christians should support Trump" which states sure he's morally bankrupt but Hillary wants to abort all the babies and let brown people take over the country. It was embarrassing and sad and heartbreaking to see people support him who would destroy him for his vile behavior if he were a Democratic candidate. I don't identify myself as conservative anymore because I don't want anyone to think that I had anything to do with allowing that idiot to take over our nation and make such a mockery of the White House.

The Presidential election. I know that was last year, but 45 did not take office till this year. I find the US to be in a place of unrest. I see the hatred running rampant in the US. 45 is a joke & I am very upset with the people that voted this moron into office. I'm even more upset with the people that did not vote. Everything is being impacted from how we deal w climate change, to the Supreme Court. God only knows what will happen to healthcare. I fear for the United States of America.

Trump's election has caused so much division that did not seem to exist before.

The results of the presidential election demonstrates that the United States government and its system is corrupted and manipulated by greedy politicians.

The election of President Trump. I feel that he does not represent my ethics and that his constant instant tweeting without thinking is doing more harm than good in the world. I feel that the USA is less respected and that people are protesting more and that they are expressing more hatred against people who are not WASP's or extreme right wing groups. Basically I feel unsafer being a Jew in a small community.

Donald trump being elected the president of the United States and the various unimaginable displays of hate that have occurred since. I have realized that there are many people and parts of this country that are not as liberal as I thought and truly living in a different reality than I am. It is easy to get stuck in a bubble of my own worldview and this has really challenged it.

Trump. Dear God, Trump. When he was elected, I cried my fucking eyes out. The world is so full of hate and backchannel bullshit, and I cannot believe this is happening. The only thing I can do is to fight back as much as is possible. It hurts my soul to see the world going this way. By this time next year we could be in nuclear war, regular war, civil war, we could have alienated all our allies, Russia could be in control, I can't even think about it. I'm worrried that Justin and I are going to get separated if a bomb goes off in Boston. I'm worried that our marriage will not be accepted, more so in this climate. I just feel like there's a line drawn in the sand. I feel like I am living in all of those previous diaries of girls who notate the fall of their country. My heart is totally broken when I think about it.

This is interesting to think about. Events in the world don't really have much of an impact on me. More and more I trust that all is well in the world, in spite of outward appearances. Though I'm aware of what's happening, I don't let it concern me.

Trump is our president. I am addicted to watching the news even though it is upsetting and I am fearful and angry about the direction of our country. This has impacted me emotionally And I think I should cut back on the news. But I'm addicted. The white supremist marched in Charlottesville and chanted anti Semitic slogans with tiki torches. Closest our country has come so far to Natzi Germany. It's unimaginable the fear Jews must have felt every day back then. I feel traumatized by just the one incident. Here in OKC no one talks about it though. It's still like the invisible elephant in the room.

Trump is a cunt. I left the country. I recognize the privilege that comes with saying/doing that, but I'm hoping that this can develop me more as a capable change agent for when I return to the states.

The presidential election which I'm quite sure will be many people's answer. It was shocking, truly shocking, and has been devastating for so many people. In a non-worldly view, it has been really eye-opening for me and has ended some friendships. And catastrophic for some people - we are so very lucky to be relatively unscathed, at least, with the initial Trumpian activities. Although the longer he remains in the White House, the fewer people can be unscathed by this dangerous man and his equally dangerous (and sadly much smarter) cabinet.

For me, it's still all about Trump and his supporters. Just one example, his attacks on the "Dreamers" is so damn cruel. The man and those who follow him are embodiments of Hannah Arendt's "banality of evil" -- and there are so many of them!

The presidential election. It made me realize how how little the world has changed and how important it is to speak up when one sees injustice. For one of the first times in mylife, I felt compelled to take action. I participated in the Womens' March.

The terror attacks. I never felt them before. They were always so distant, things that happened to other people. But now, with the baby, I’m scared. I worry about crowds. I worry about the future. How can I keep him here, by me, where he’ll stay safe?

I would be surprised if most of us don't choose the same event: the shocking election of a supremely unqualified bigot, racist, antisemitic ignoramus to the White House. It has galvanized me to act on my beliefs--by volunteering for my city council rep (who won the primary & is assured of the election), organizing a large political action team in a group I belong to, making calls & writing postcards, donating money, & in general getting educated.

Donald Trump was elected to be president of the United States. My bubble broke and I learned about how unhappy many Americans are. It made me seek to understand people's suffering and made me want to contribute in some way to helping fix the situation.

before last week i would probably said DonalD trumps election, now i the event would be the earthquake in mexico ,(i dont live in mexico) because some that use to worr whith my dad and move to mexico died in the earthquake, just days before ROsh hasana and yom kippur , this makesme realize how fast things can change and how fragile life is

I went to Greece in Dec 2016-Jan 2017 to run a medical clinic for Syrian refugees. Also, narrowly escaped being inundated by Hurricane Harvey with Jonathan while moving him from Mississippi to San Antonio via Houston in September 2017.

The Trump presidency and the hatred and angst that has resulted. I am ashamed of the way people are acting in the country on both sides of the issues. I fear the media influence and fear for the country's future. It has saddened me to see what has happened since last November.

The election of Donald Trump in November 2016. He has brought lying, cheating, bigotry, misogyny, chaos to the white house and to most citizens in the Bay Area. For the first 6 months of the year most of my patients mentioned the increased anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and feelings of despair that his presidency has introduced into their daily lives. I have had to titrate my exposure to the media as so much of it is terrifying- we have also had Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Irma in Cuba and Florida, fires in the Northern states...it has been a very intense time on the planet.

Police shootings and the lack of prosecution of the police who killed those black men and women. Just insane.

Trump becoming President (I know the election was last year, but he became President this year). It has been horrifying to watch the ugliness in our country and I am scared that I am raising my children in a country that embraces hate. I also worry about international relationships due to the fact that our President is a hot head without any experience. It is terrifying.

Trump was elected president. My faith in people has been shaken. I was, still am, shocked that a person can be openly hateful and be supported by so many. I still hold out hope that love will win. Maybe I'm naive. Only time will tell.

Seeing trump actually be elected over Hillary Clinton truly surprised and scared me. I feel like people are not listening to each other and are further entrenching themselves in "us" (white peoples) vs "them" (anybody marginalized) rhetoric. It shocked me that people chose someone wholeheartedly unqualified and I think it was certainly a reaction to both Obama's blackness and Hillary's womanhood. I got an IUD shortly after trump was elected because I did not want to exist in a country that had any further limitations on abortion, even though I doubt I'd ever be in that situation. I tried to have discussions with family members about the blatant assumptions and hurtful stances they've taken and have been unsuccessful, but at least they know i deeply disagree with their choices. I feel I'm on the right side of history here so I take comfort in that, but trump has been a horrible president so far in my opinion, and I have no idea what is in store for our country, or myself, in the coming year.

LOLz is there any way that 80% of the answers to this weren't about the election of Trump Okay. Hm. I think the easiest way to go about this is to list a few reactions I've had. --fear about healthcare changes meant I finally got an IUD (thanks, I guess?) --actual fear about north korean nukes after first UN speech --crazy anger over charlottesville statements --disbelief complete with laughs over this possibly being the leader of the US --no way he runs in 2020. he wanted to win, he didn't want to do the job. he just wants the ratings etc. right? --(same as everyone) wow this country is more divided than i ever knew. Media too. It's crazy how angry people are and unwilling to communicate (on all sides) --twitter. --people's coverage of melania feels kinda whack --idk all kinds of sorrow and anger and determination and frustration and more disbelief. This was a hard one to answer.

The election of Donald Trump and the weather catastrophe .

The election of Donald Trump. I have never been more scared in my life. All of the progress of the last 8 years is being dismantled. His inexperience and narcissism are a disastrous combination.

An event in the world that impacted me was Hurricane Irma. I've never been scared for my physical safety like that. Even in Israel, even alone in foreign countries/unfamiliar places. It reinforced my appreciation for basic things like drinking water and flushing the toilet. Another event that impacted me was Trump getting elected. It showed me how stupid people are and how hateful. Which only reinforces my need to put good into the world and into my life as well as the lives of others.

The loss of our Great Dane, Kaylee. We rescued her at 6 months old and had her for 10.5 years. It's like losing a child. She peace of our hearts with her, as it should be.

Gosh so much has impacted me this year. I am paying more attention than in previous years. I am not convinced that it is a good thing. The election/inauguration added to my cynicism/negative view of the world. I am currently in a place where it feels as though only the white rich male will ever succeed or have a voice. I discovered this past year that this has been the order of affairs in our family for years and clearly that is a reflection of our society. Really, that is what the election season was: a big mirror. The reflection and what we all saw was scary and made me very sad. The things we all were willing to do or willing to overlook... juxtaposed with what we are actually capable of doing... I know the world is broken; I know that we cannot expect perfection. But seeing the reflection of the church in particular was ... devastating. Jesus was not a rich white male and yet that is our default in the evangelical wing where my faith once nested. This year has been a year to recognize and subsequently test: are my eyes on Jesus or are they on His people? Because His people are broken and no matter how hard we try, our reflection of Him is perpetually warped until our restoration. And that reflection can be discouraging to say the least. But if my eyes are on Him... I believe there can be hope. Or at the very least, resting in knowing that no matter what happens I am loved and I live as a child of promise. In the meantime, this world is a difficult place to live and raise children. The number of times I have had to explain our prayers to our girls: the number of people hurting and suffering. It is so hard at times. I hope this year I can spend more time looking at Him and therefore be in a place that is more hopeful.

The election of Donald Trump, a billionaire business man with absolutely no experience at any level of government, has caused me deep concern. The chaos in the White House has been obvious since Day 1. His habit of "tweeting" is absurd and he uses it to spread lies, disrespect and more chaos. He is totally out of touch with the people even his own supporters. I utterly fail to understand the Evangelical "Christian" women who voted for him after the video of his licentious and misogynistic behavior. I believe he is leading this country into chaos and very likely an ill-advised war. (All war is ill-advised as far as I'm concerned.) The current barrage of insults between him and the President of North Korea cannot lead anywhere constructive. Trump is a degenerate and dangerous man. His ignorance is mind-boggling.

Donald Trump's election to the Presidency. Is this real life?

Trump got elected and it made me really take a hard look as myself as a feminist, activist, humanitarian, and citizen. I have always had a passion for activism, but this year made me realize it's also a responsibility. I was so upset by his election that I literally founded a nonprofit to make sure this never happens again.

This year has been full of impactful events, I would have to say the election of Trump election. It was revelatory for me; about the bubble I was living in, the acceptable tenor of discourse issuing out of the White House, the metamorphosis of the 'despicables' from despair to rage and their unashamed claiming of racist ideology and language.

HA HA HA HA. Or rather, which one? Okay. In all seriousness, the Trump administration (and everything terrible that comes with it) has made me significantly more aware of politics, and simultaneously, more aware of what I need to do for my own self-care.

Same as everyone: the campaign and election. It has profoundly discouraged me about whether elective democracy will survive not just the current administration but continued political assaults on basic civil rights and societal norms. It has also made me more politically active.

I continue to be saddened by the persecution of Falun Gong in China. It's too bad that a peaceful group of people would be subject to jail and torture for practicing what they believe.

I’m sure many people will say the election of Trump. Though clearing my Facebook. It does not bother me. There is nothing ; I can do about it. I live in my own little bubble.

Nazi flags and tiki torches in Charlottesville and a young woman protester killed. Our POS POTUS says there are good people on both sides... He is a horrible person, ignorant, demented and without empathy or curiosity or self control. Some days I can take solace in how many of us are "woke" and others the erosion and degradation of democracy is terrifying.

Election of President Trump.

Election and Presidency of Donald Trump. Initially, when he began to run and came down the escalator...I laughed and said how much I thought that was a waste or stupid or dumb. Now, I'm the proudest American, because he is doing a great job, protecting the country, immigration and the wall, jobs are back and more and more. Love this man. God, keep him safe. He is taking on Rocket Man, the North Korean dictator, and standing tall. Trump has balls...other Presidents have been wishy washy and useless. Trump tells it like it is...LOVE IT

Election of Trump and the trolls coming out of the woodwork. Racism, antiemitism, mean spirited, killing, anger.... too much and hard to hold onto a peaceful space amidst such ugliness

I went to DC for the women's march on inauguration weekend. I went because it was something I knew I was supposed to do but I wasn't looking forward to it -- the schlep, the crowds...I didn't expect much inspiration. I had been experiencing profound loss of hope for several years now (even before Trump was elected). My experience of the women's march was as if I laid back in despair and the American people lifted me up and said "oh no, we're not giving up yet." Driving down the NJ turnpike in all the rest stops there were hundreds and thousands of suburban moms and their teenage daughters in hand-knit pussy hats. The crowds in the streets of DC chanted "this pussy grabs back!" Regular Americans. I was blown away by the beauty, courage, and strength of the resistance. I felt more hopeful than I have in years.

Hurricane Harvey flooded my son's home. This little family - mom, dad, brand new baby - lost their home and most of their belongings. They had just closed on the home a few months earlier and had put a lot of sweat equity into fixing it up. They are safe and still have jobs, so they will rebuild their lives. They are being troupers but are on an emotional roller coaster. The whole experience makes the world feel unsafe and exhausting to me.

Hurricane Irma was a big event in the world that affected me. I had friends in harm's way. Not being able to contact them had me worried sick. It was a dangerous time to be in Florida. I've never worried about anyone like that. It's difficult caring for people and not being able to do anything for them.

Trumps election was a shock & cause for worry. So far the nation seems bigger than him. I'm relieved our country has built in protections to stop him from becoming a dictator such as the balance of powers he has tried to subvert. He is entertaining if nothing else, & comedians feel so lucky to have around to bash.

My answer is the same as last year, only the part about being astounded and horrified that Trump is a presidential candidate; change that to being astounded and horrified that Trump won the election and IS the President! I feel I am in a bizarre bad dream where illogical crazy nonsense things are happening. The dream just keeps getting worse. Or maybe we collided with an alternate anti-sanity universe and there was some spillover. Then I return home this evening after trying to attend two meetings that aren't actually happening until next Saturday. I'm sitting in the camper listening to the radio and the rain and my friend comes around the corner with a giant umbrella, looks startled and gets in the passenger seat. He's probably either high or drunk or both. He's a stoner. We talk, he gives me a kiss, then he's gone again. I so miss the companionship. I know, there are lots of people like me that feel this way. Just can't ever seem to get it right.

Migration of peoples to avoid war and violence and the killings based on religion. These things have happened in the past, but the scale recently has been amazing. While we espouse beliefs, we don't really know our belief's until they are tested. The reaction of some in America and other parts of the world have been to turn these people away or to build walls in hopes to keep them out. Some of these countries claim to be Christian. Their logoic is reasonable, but denies their brothers in need. Interesting to think that where we are born is an accident of birth- we don't pick where we will be born. How would these folks think if they were the ones in need of assistance.

The marriage equality debate. It's the first time I've really had a big issue with where my tax dollars are going. I think the debate bothers me because we're still in a place where we're bigoted (reminds me of the early days of the HIV epidemic) and I don't feel I can persuade a no voter to think differently even though I have all the words in the world to debate it. It also makes me conscious of how much I'm surrounded by people that think the same as me and whether I am out of touch with the rest of Australia.

The Presidential election. Everything has changed. I have always felt safe, and I no longer do. Even though I had no respect for Bush, at least he had intelligent and seasoned diplomatic professionals in his advisors. Trump has none. I am so disappointed in my country, and I will never look at Republicans the same: even those who didn't vote for Trump, their party supports him, supported every unqualified nominee for his Cabinet, and it appears wants nothing more than to remove health care from the most vulnerable Americans. these are not my people, they have no ethical or moral saving graces. Yes, I am being judgmental. So be it, that is my flaw.

Trump's election! And the rise in right wing parties all over the world. It seems we have developed an overriding fear of the other, and of letting people have a chance at basic living and basic rights. The rich and powerful are doing all they can to keep others down, and ironically, are often selling their conservative agendas by promising a small incentive to keep the people from gaining any advantage. I wish all successful people recognize when they have enough - money, power, access to resources, etc. We can thoughtfully share and protect our home - planet earth - and all of its inhabitants. Dayenu already!

The acts in Charlottesville were painful to watch. As a recent college graduate of a place very similar to Charlottesville in demographic and student body, it felt as if I was watching student's innocence being taken from them. I've always loved the environment college campuses breed: freedom of expression, youth, vitality, innocence, inclusion. But the horrible acts of hate in a Charlottesville go against everything I held dear in my sweet college town, a place of many fond memories that has greatly shaped who I am not only because of those I met in it, but the experiences I had there. No student or person should feel unsafe in America because of their skin, or beliefs.

The increase in strength of hurricanes & earthquakes has given me hope that we as a global community will possibly address the climate change issues and stop living like there's no tomorrow. Al Gore said to despair is as bad as to deny. We can each do our part. I'm doing mine to the best of my ability.

In August, the far right rallied in Charlottesville, VA. e were already planning a response to a planned alt-right rally here in Berkeley, so we all watched in horror as men marched with torches, surrounding a church where a multiracial group of clergy were having a prayer service in preparation for their counter protest. (Traci Blackmon and Cornel West were inside, and Traci was livestreaming.) The next day, a car accelerated into a crowd of counterprotestors, killing Heather Heyer and injuring many others. I was incredibly moved by Heather's mother's response to Heather's death, that they tried to eliminate her, silence her, but instead they just multiplied her. I vow to follow in her footsteps and put my own body at risk. I am currently facing charges for two actions in Alameda County and one at ICE, so we'll see what comes next. I have a feeling the chickens are coming home to roost.

Charlottesville, because a lot of the future articles I write will have to mention that for context. It also shows that reporters have to always be careful when covering protests.

The election of Donald Trump as POTUS and all the conflict and negative impacts that are occurring as a result. I find it depressing.

President Trump winning the election. It should me that if middle America rises up, things change. I didn't like the United States was turning into.

Trump becoming president. Changed how I view the world and the people around me. It has brought out the worst in so many, but the best in so many others.

The solar eclipse. 1st time we took Hank to the park. Plus it was such a cool think to witness!

I mean everyone is going to say this but it's just the truth: Hillary Clinton lost the presidency. WE lost the presidency. Somehow, Donald Trump is the leader of the free world in 2017. It's so difficult for me to write these words as a Jewish queer woman living in the Deep South. I could go on and on, but what I see as the most frightening aspect of this, is that he has given others an outlet for their hatred and intolerable actions. He is unpredictable and is not a politician in any sense of the word; he is a monster and frankly, it scares me.

The inauguration of Donald Trump as president has pretty much turned the world upside down, in my eyes. As a young African American female who essentially grew up with a vision of hope in the Oval Office, it's been a particularly hard pill to swallow. Things like police brutality and blatant racism were just coming to light before the election, and his inauguration gave power to those things rather than shame. It has certainly brought out everyone's true colors, which has been positive and negative. On the one hand, I've felt an overwhelming surge in the need for community and connectivity for those of us who feel scared and targeted. On the other hand, people who I thought I knew have become total strangers to me. I can only hope that the mockery that's being made of our legal system and country as a whole will make certain that nothing like this ever happens again. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure that it won't.

Sigh. The US election and living with the fall out of having DT as president. A day (or even part day) doesn't seem to go by where we don't learn of some new way he and his administration have embarrassed us as a country in the eyes of the rest of the world. It gives me great anxiety and sadness and longing for a time when we can have a respectable president and at the very least get to a place where it doesn't feel like such a heavy, disheartening burden to bare.

Last year, I answered this question by recounting that it was my very first time voting in a presidential primary. Not too long after that I voted in my very first general election, and not too long after that the unspeakable happened. The Trump administration is a joke, but a scary one. It is impacting my life as a college student, as a woman, as a Jew and as a member of the next generation. From the pride I felt marching next to my mama in the Oakland Women's March, to the fear I felt watching the Neo-Nazis march through the streets of Charlottesville threatening my existence and to the shame that I feel as my campus is constantly coopted by the alt-right in their misguided and dangerous claims of free speech- I am consistently left at a loss. I am not sure what is next for my country, but this has not been a year where I've felt proud to be an American. I am learning everyday about new forms of activism, resistance, resilience, and strength- but I am ashamed and saddened that this is the current state of the world.

This year, an event that has impacted me is the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Well, Trump won. And everything predicted about him is true. Just an asshole. Does the man have a brain? And how without a brain did he get so frickin' rich? There is no justice in this world. No wonder everyone hopes there will be some in the next...

I think Trump being voted in made me realise how important it is to have a voice and stand for what you believe in. It also made me realise that people are crazy.

TRUMP! I am sickened and disgusted that this man is our president. The filth that comes out of his mouth, and the laws that he is trying to enact are horrifying. I have come to the point that I cannot stand to have the TV on at all, just because each news story is more depressing than the last one.... I am saddened by the complete break down of civil discourse and debate. I am actively involved in local politics in my area and I see the same hateful behavior towards people who don't agree with a certain world view on both sides of the political spectrum. I hope when I open my answers next year, that there has been a significant change. But I am not optomistic...

There seems to be so much right now: earthquakes and hurricanes and of course the President. I'm sure this is a result of recency bias, but right now I'd say the Neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville has had the greatest impact: senseless hatred causing loss of life, as well as making me consider whether Jews in America are as safe, and as White, as once imagined. It made me want to forge better alliances with other peoples subject to racism, and also to consider using my professional expertise to talk about how monuments create memory in Rome, in Germany, in the U.S.

Well, Donald Trump becoming the POTUS certainly was significant and I'm not happy about it. I'm also fearful of the consequences that our country may experience because of his ineptitude, inexperience and ignorance. What's even scarier though, is that he has inspired and emboldened many people to act on their racist beliefs.

The Presidential Election - it has made me more aware of my personal beliefs and feelings about many issues. I can say for the first time ever that I am well educated about what is going on in the world. I used to not care. I do now... Maybe it is because I am old enough to know people affected by decisions made daily... Although the election did not go the way I wanted, and the hot topics infuriate me and challenge me, I have enjoyed staying informed.

Donald trump winning the election was a surprise. I ended up going to bed really early that night because I didn't want to watch. The next day everyone at school was talking about it and you jus felt this sense of sorrow throughout our whole campus. November 12th was definitely a sad day

The election of Donald Trump was, in many ways, the most horrifying event of my life. It called into question almost everything I thought to be true. I feel our world is in free-fall where there is no longer truth, morality, or respectable dignity. I fear for our future. I fear for our present.

The US election. I have always been pretty apolitical but because of the election I am transfixed by the horrible news and the awful Things that Trump does nearly every day. I am so my future is not too much a concern but I am so worried for my grandchildren. Trump is creating the most terrible environment. Coupled with some major terrorist attacks every day seems nerve racking. I recently read The Plot Against America, a novel by Phillip Roth. I highly recommend it. Especially for those who are complacent and feel that Trump will soon be gone. Terrible things can happen when those with nearly limitless wealth want to control the US. I fear for the decline of a robust middle class and our slide into An oligarchy.

Just one? Let's start with the US election results. Followed by the great inspiration of the Women's Marches. We're in a time of contradiction. But looming larger than any single event is climate change. Unpredictable and dangerous weather, hurricanes, floods, mudslides, earthquakes, melting ice, ice shelfs separating... I believe the effects cause more effects until, well, it's already out of our control. If North Korea and the US launch nukes at each other, life on earth is fucked. We already know the damage by Fukishima, plastics, industrial waste, etc. Nuclear attack or war will just accelerate the damage and we'll all die faster. How has all this impacted me? It's easier to focus on what matters. It's easier to dismiss shallow and selfish motivations. It's easier to change my life to leverage what value I have to contribute to the whole. I will live cleanly on this earth, consistent with my common-good values. If I do this, it might influence others to do the same.

Well ... you didn't hope hard enough. It physically makes me ill to think that he is in the White House. I understand backing conservative policies but I can not understand anyone respecting this man or feeling that he is a good leader for our country. He is an immature misogynist bully. He represents so much of what I despise. I am now hoping that this time next year we in the US are in a better position. Politics has become more bipartisan, the country less divided and our place as a leader on the national stage has been restored. Unfortunately, I don't think any of this can happen without a major change in our current leadership.

Charlottesville White Supremacist March. I have lost so much faith in people who can't look beyond free speech absolutism to the violence implicit in white supremacist rhettoric. I don't know how to make the danger clear.

Charlottesville. The ugliness of the south, and the beauty of the people who joined hands in many ways to support. I also judge myself for not doing enough to help those of different levels of privilege. Very thought-provoking, painful, but also helpful for bringing things to the surface that can get lost living in lily-white Marin. There is still a lot of shame from being a southerner originally, and still a lot of anger at those who have not woken up to the impact of hatred on others.

This year I have been affected by many world events. We continue to have acts of terrorism, strange shootings on the street, in schools,etc... in late summer we have had 3 major hurricanes that are ripping up states and Caribbean countries. We've elected a crazy man to be our president. I am a bit in shock and awe by what has happened in the world, but I am hoping all these terrible things will make people rise up and become less complacent and more in community. Become more informed and work together to afford more positive change in the world.

Well, Donald Trump get elected as President. That's pretty big. It's horrible and I don't know how long it will last. I think he might be impeached before he can finish 4 years. But really, it's bad. He is an embarrassment to what the United States of America is supposed to stand for.

Trumps ascendency to the presidency has dealt a real blow to my optimism of what it is to be human. Central to my persona is a "think beyond yourself" grace that I firmly believe is being lost on more an more people. On a personal note I plan on doubling down on my degree of compassion and inclusivity - especially to strangers. I refuse to wrap myself up in a self indulgent blanket of narcissism.

The election results of this past November. Nothing in American politics has upset me this much since the very bad year of 1968. I still can't really deal with it and only selectively read the news.

Donald Trump was elected President and has fucked up the entire world. I don't really need to say much else.

I'm sure a lot of people will be echoing my sentiments -- The appointment of Mr Donald J Trump as our President! How? I've realized how hypocritical and hateful people are. I've realized how lazy people are. All they do is COMPLAIN yet they do NOTHING to work towards the problem(s). Why? I'm sick of the bitching. I'm sick of the "public correctness". I'm sick of everyone thinking their opinions are the messiah! It's TOO MUCH. Donald J Trump isn't the issue. HUMANS ARE. Don't use him as a scapegoat for all of the bullshit that was in place before him. Sure, he's a jerk and not the most qualified for the job but there are MANY OTHER PEOPLE involved in the process - stop being lazy and educate yourself!

The election of Donald Trump and the loss of Hillary Clinton. It was made clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Americans would have any man rather than a woman. Including this horrible person who says and does whatever he wants and gets away with all of it.

Hurricane Harvey...Houston

Seeing the ongoing refugee crisis along with the inability of all of us to put out a welcome mat. As well the election of a white supremacist, missogynistic and divisive leader in the United States. It does not bode well for the unity of the world. The caustic comments toward North Korea with its potential for escalating into armed conflict is scary.

The election of Trump and its impact on my life and values.

OH BOY. Which one? There are so many to choose from! I'll say the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States had the most lasting impact... considering his election and subsequent inauguration left my partner in an even deeper depression (deeper than the one his father's serious illness caused). It moved so many of my friends and peers into action, which I reckon is a good thing, yeah? I don't know. It's been a tough year, and it's not even over yet.

My church encourages us to practice civil disobedience for social justice. Watching all the protests it seems that this type of activity is not making a difference. Getting people together to share and listen makes more sense. I am not a political person but I feel that prayer and being a good citizen, paying my bills and doing the right thing works for me. I'm a peace person. Agitation and anger do not seem to encourage understanding. It is difficult to known the right thing to do. This works for me.

Hurricane Harvey's destruction in Houston shows just how transitory our possessions may be. It makes me more wary of being prepared for a crisis event.

One night in August 2017, a rally of White Supremacists, Nazis, and Trump supporters rallied in Charlottesville,VA. It continued into the next day. Threats were made to the local Jewish community; anti-Semitic chants rang out at their torch walk. This is what America is going to look like in 2017. This is what has been hiding in our failing, sick, and greedy economy. This event opened my eyes, even wider, to true horror and disconnect that lies inside some humans. They no longer have the ability to feel empathy, or to other’s pain . Now I am fearful in public that someone standing next to me in the grocery store line may be a Nazi or a Klan member. We must not be beaten down, but stand up. Light out torches in the night as well, let the evil know that we cannot and will not be afraid any longer.

The recent natural disasters--Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria and the earthquakes in Mexico. Although I do not know anyone personally who has been affected, many of my friends' families have been. It's tough to see everyone struggle and feel helpless when their families are so far away, but it is also inspiring to see local communities coming together and helping those in need.

The election of Donald Trump has been full stop horrifying. I am so afraid for our country and the world. He is stupid and evil.

DONALD FUCKING TRUMP GOT ELECTED PRESIDENT. Which means that pretty much all the policy coming out of Washington DC is a nightmare, and that folks who were already super vulnerable are even more at risk. Personally I've been really feeling the uptick in boldness of white supremacists and anti-Semites. And also - along with a lot of other people - trying to commit to a level of civic engagement and activist work that I've never done before. To get through this it's going to take all of us.

Jesus. This past year the asshole was elected President and has driven us into oncoming traffic. I can only pray that when I'm reading these answers next year we haven't found ourselves embroiled in war because of his stupid blustering.

A small earthquake on the west side of Los Angeles impacted me this year. Beside jolting me out of sleep, it also made me think about preparing for the next big earthquake that could strike California within the next 30 years. I realized that I didn’t have an emergency kit prepared and started searching online for earthquake preparedness kits available. Thinking about how to get prepared for the future disaster eased my anxiety about it.

The 2016 election and Trump winning. It felt really sad to think that people are OK with this sexist, misogynist, racist man being our President and helped me appreciate the importance of the fight against him and that women still have a long way to go after Clinton's defeat and all of the smears against her.

A big event that has impacted me has been the election of President Donald Trump. I just didn't expect it to happen and then it did. I didn't realize that there was so much hate in the United States, and that the way that I think is unfortunately not the norm by any means. I'm not sure at what point my blinders were put on to that - maybe Ecuador and Stanford, but also I don't think I was exposed to the worst. And then every administration decision has been pretty horrific. I'm scared about the ways that stuff has emerged from the shadows - so much hatred - and I'm worried that this will get worse. And I haven't done enough to try to work against that darkness. And I'm about to leave. I am worried about my apathy to this as well.

Fuck this question.

Trump getting elected. Bloody hell.

Like many others, the election of Donald Trump made a huge impression in my life. The morning after the election, I woke up and for the first time, I felt like a foreigner in my own country. My parents were immigrants from India, and I was born and raised in New York. I have never felt like I didn't belong or was any different than any other American, but that morning, knowing that there was a huge portion of the country that chose to elect a leader that truly believed in treating people of different backgrounds and situations differently. I was scared about what it would mean for my children, what it would mean for my family and friends, and what it would mean for my country.

The Inauguration of President Donald Trump. I found it unfortunately, disturbing. This man does not hold true to any values that I aspire to especially to be the person that would hold such an office.

The US election didn't directly affect me so much, but its effect on so many people around me has made me think more about why behavior standards matter. I went to college in 1971: for my whole life, standards for how people are treated have slowly gotten better. When I was in high school, "nigger" and "faggot" and "retard" were rude, but lots of people were perfectly happy to use those words. Slowly they have been recognized as completely unacceptable: of course they were still widely _thought_, but there were fewer and fewer places where you could say them out loud without being stomped on. Those were wonderful changes! It felt like each generation was learning a bit less of the prejudices of their parents. I'm sure that for the communities in question the progress has felt glacially slow; but from the cheap seats it looked like more progress than I'd ever have thought possible. I can only hope that kids aren't looking to the White House for models of decent behavior. I fear that decades of slow progress can be turned back much faster.

Trumps election and the many shock waves it has caused in so many arenas. Civilization is reeling.... and it makes me feel very much like it can all come crashing down, life as we know it.... thinking a lot about civility, what it means to have a civil society, for people to be kind to one another and rise above our lowest impulses. And how can I as a person, both in private and in terms of my work, contribute to the balance of good in the world. To try to be conscious with friends, colleagues, family of being kind, civil, and joyful. And what can I do to create meaning and live up to my own ideals, work for good in the world.

All the hurricanes, earthquakes and forest fires it made me very appreciative the weather here in Minnesota. We may not have perfect weather. It may be Cold sometimes gray. But we really don’t have to worry about lack power, city water supply. We are very very fortunate. We have a clean water supply. We can turn on the light switch. It definitely has made me very appreciative and thankful and grateful.

The election and inauguration of Donald Trump, ongoing climate change, and the lack of a solution for so many suffering refugees from war and horrendous weather. As an American citizen who is concerned about the world these all matter to me. I wrote about as number of issues because I believe they are connected. While President Trump did not create any of the issues I mentioned, his poor leadership, lack of character, bombast and the self serving people he has placed in governmental positions have all served to worsen these circumstances: E.g., Climate denial and reversal of rules to respond to climate issues. Bans on refugees, pulling out of joint efforts to solve world problems.

Ummm...maybe the mind-numbing election of 2016. The world seems upside down, surreal and scary at times. It is too much to write in a one paragraph.. I now try to read and watch many aspects of the news (much more so than I had before) without getting too depressed. I want to stay informed and engaged. Recently late-night satire tv is my new vice...it is comforting to have laughter in these times.

Hurricane Harvey hit Houston almost a month ago. It devastated the area and Mike and Kathy lost everything. The following hurricanes and earthquakes have reminded me that what I value on his earth is not stuff. It has reminded me that people are good and caring and when something catastrophic happens we unite to rebuild. Through it all I see hope.

The Inauguration of #NotMyPresident. I am so ashamed of my country and its position in the world, the evil attacks on the poor, on the minorities in my city. I am greatly disheartened at the peril in which people find themselves because climate change is being denied at the highest levels. and this is having environmental repercussions. I hope that we are not going to wake up to thermonuclear war because #45 can't control his tongue or this tweets. I have never in my life seen anything remotely approaching this and I am 71.

Trump becoming president sent me into a real depression for a couple of months. I can't believe an idiot like him got elected.

Clinton's loss and Trump's presidency has changed almost everything--how I see myself, my purpose, my priorities, my passions, my commitments. It reawakened my Judaism, my passion for social justice and Constitutional Law, especially the 1st and 14th amendments. I've been challenged to move past outrage into action and to support others in doing likewise.

The marriage equality plebiscite. Just the fact that something like that could happen in 2017 is ridiculous. Blatantly bigoted people still exist. That's just depressing and shatters any hope I have for a collective better future. It's shameful, but we must fight on.

The overall theme of violence, intolerance and hatred has really made its way to the top. It only makes sense that Donald Trump would be the perfect reflection of whatever is really going on that requires our attention. So what is it? What is it in our lives that we are yearning to make peace with?

How much damage Mother Nature has caused this year in the whole world!

First weekend staying in to house sit for Angela. Today was a beautiful day and I grilled outside. I'm not bitter, but I don't like staying in on the weekends, however it is for the best because I need to save money (specifically $12/day until December in order to get that plain ticket to Denmark). Liz's Pixy Luau party is tonight, right now actually, and Im not there. I really wish I was because I just want to meet new people, make new friends. It is awfully hard. But I must stay focused and keep my eye on the prize! Make myself the best I can be in terms of health, learn Danish, and learn how to tie some knots ;) The Huaicos of 2017 were the worldly event that impacted me this year. Due to heavy rains in the mountains, 7 floods and landslides swept through Trujillo. What little infrastructure there was disintegrated. We were shut down, nothing going in nor going out. Power outages, water shortage, chaos. No work for a month and no pay either. It was so hot too. I remember just staying inside, because we had to, and trying to maintain a schedule in order to protect my sanity. I took lots of naps too because there was nothing else to do. I did through a couple parties at my apartment with the SKIP volunteers. I also helped Sayariy a great deal by going out and giving out food and helping with an online fundraising campaign. I even fled the last flood in the back of a truck with Lou and the crew! I also involved students and took them out with me too, they had a hell of an experience! The city, unfortunately, did damn near nothing for the future. We know this will happen again, but no preventative investments were made, people just forgot..

The presidential election has had the most impact on me, and it fills me with dread on a daily basis. I still can't believe that this maniac is running our country, and I am feeling very pessimistic about our future. It has also brought about a high level of incivility and nastiness that just makes this country a very unpleasant place to live. I am filled with despair and helplessness at what I see and hear. I don't have a lot of hope that things will improve, certainly not in the near term.

Satan got "elected" to our once great nation's highest office and the consequences have been worse than anyone could ever have anticipated. As a result, I feel humiliated to be an American, anxious, upset, livid and otherwise mired in a plethora of negative feelings whenever thoughts of him or anyone or anything related to him come into my consciousness.

The person who drove into people at times square! That impacted me in the sense of that it is so random and crazy and it happened within our community

Trump: Disappointed. Scared for our future. Embarrassed. Confused. Scared for our children. Powerless.

where to start. Today there was another earthquake in Mexico. There were hurricanes in Texas and Florida. The fires in Eagle Creek, about 39 minutes from where I am in Portland are still burning. When the hurricane was heading towards Florida, I called my grandparents in Delray, Palm Beach. They are im their 90's and live above my great aunt and uncle. They assured me that they've "done this (survived a hurricane) 100 times." They drove to the store, carried gallons of water up their atairs, and taped their windows shut. When their power went out, my grandpa cool dinner for grandma on a camping stove. For a month, the air in Portland was so polluted with air, you could feel the smoke in your lungs. For 2 weeks, the sky was hazy like the sun didnt exist. Every summer day is sunny in Portland. For one week, I barely went outside because I have asthma and there was a (SOS?) about the air quaility. It was creepy and scary. Afterwards, I felt really grateful for clean air.

The referendum in Colombia to pardon the guerrilla terrorist group Las FARC. I am sad that the President passed the law by decree after the country collectively decided not to give into the demands of terrorists

Holy shit, Donald Trump is president. People feel it's OK to be racist, homophobic, xenophobic, and a slew of other socially abhorrent labels. Most importantly, those issues are distracting so many populations from the biggest issue: he will take what little money we've all been able to make since the recession. I mean, we JUST started getting jobs and somewhat livable wages again -- we can kiss that all goodbye. I feel the worst for my generation ("millennial") and younger. We just can't catch a break and the world blames us for the doings of others. Even Trump's election is somehow our fault -- not the fault of the RNC and the DNC and all the powers that be who gave us 2 horrible candidates. No. It's our fault because we didn't show up in droves to vote for our favorite flavor of evil. Go figure.

Ugh epic trump every day horrible horrible horrible every day yuckfest. I despise everyone who took part, Bernie jerks, trumpsters, all of them. I'm still disgusted about ten minutes of every day. We're all gonna die.

Still the US Presidential election. As someone said to me about a month ago, "We were all just living our lives, and now we're all activists!"

Trump being elected. Horrifying. He's a dick we knew is a dick and now he's just showing what a little dick he has . Charlottesville. Deranged narcissist versus rocket man. Speech in front of the Boy Scouts. Transgender is not being able to serve in the military. Eventually Caligula soldiers killed him. So all I can think is that Trump is for filling a larger agenda otherwise his party would've taken them out. Tired of winning Bigley. Very depressing how terrible how embarrassing this pig that is representing our country he doesn't know anything he doesn't know that Israel's in the Middle East what a dummy his whole family is criminal

The election of Trump and the subsequent shitshow. Propelled me into some action and into politics. Ugh.

Hurricane Irma....we were in Florida during the hurricane because just adopted our son, 4 days prior. They did tell us, if we had no family, that we could leave the state.

Omg America elected a fascist. I am shocked that such an incompetent person who is an embarrassment to our country was elected! This is a world event. Suddenly antisemitism and racism seem like the most important things to combat. It's complicated.

The campaign and election of Donald Trump has exposed the terrible racism and hate in this country. Those bones are old, and have been with us since before the founding of this country. They are out in the open now, exacerbated by the discourse online and the profound lack of communication. There seems to be an embrace of ignorance and hate that has really gotten me down.

There is no question that Donald Trump's election has had an impact on me. It caused me a great deal of anxiety especially in the early part of the year - those first weeks after the inauguration. It felt like the end of the world. It still does.

The US Presidential election has absolutely devastated me. Has turned my world upside down. The values and nmoral ethics that I believe in and grew up are being torn away. Have I been living for 69 years in a false sense of protection and truth? I am frightened for the future of my country and the world. And for the future of my grandchildren. So so sad. Still grieving.

Death of my Aunt, 96, and my neighbor 103. Both had the lives and deaths they wanted. Both were told in their 60s that their lives would end from cancer, and I think this gave them an extra appreciation for whatever life they had left. Both refused to live with regrets, and took big chances to get what was really important for them. My neighbor met and liked my boyfriend, and said I would have some competition if she was a little younger! How's that for loving life! Both had an amazing, often ironic, sense of humour. Makes me take better care of myself so I can be there for my kids, and, hopefully, grandkids. But if I die tomorrow, I, too, will have no regrets.

Last year we were prior to the election and so now this year we are faced with the reality of a Donald Trump presidency.. seems so hard to believe and yet it is and every day new outrageous things continue to happen. In addition to that as a world event- this Fall has been full of natural disasters. First Houston- then Florida and now islands in the Caribbean- especially Puerto Rico has had their entire power grid thrown out and do not expect to get power back until months from now- it is mind boggling. Then on the very big world stage - Trump is provoking NO. Korea and Kim Young Uln is also provoking DT- so we have a tweeter insult battle. It seems preposterous but also in the realm of possibility that we could be on the brink of a nuclear shoot out. frightening and upsetting.

Trump's election to thr presidency... I am less proyd of our country, and simultaneously want to male pur a country a place to be proud of again

GEVALT. Donald Trump being elected president. Charlotesville. Agh. Terrorism. Agh. Horrible, racist, anti-Semitic misogynist nonsense everywhere. Who can even answer this question calmly in 2017?

Every single event since T's election--from the Women's March to the recent weather catastrophes and acts of hatred and violence--has made me more compassionate, more politically active AND more proactive in my own life and my community. I feel like our country is constantly under siege by this unfit fragile narcissist, but I will NOT give into despair or allow my anger to eat me alive. Instead, I'm channeling my cocktail of emotions into action and taking control of my destiny as much as I possible can. It's also clear that the silver lining to this very dark time in American history is that women aren't keeping quiet anymore. We're speaking loudly with our voices and with our feet. It's also clear to me that the resistance movement continues to galvanize most of the country...And as a nation, we're finally say NO MORE to all forms of hatred.

Trump became president and uproars became a big part of everyone's life. People against each other more than normal.

The recent hurricanes have made me more content to be "stuck" in Arizona.

Not many 'worldly' events have impacted me this year. I try to shut out all the noise and focus on what's right in front of me. In fact, I don't follow news events at all.

Event: Mr Smith caught a cold in June on the other side of the world... How: I was sick during my whole summer vacation early August... Why: by very indirect virus contamination, this is an event that impacted me this year.

Trump elected President. Surprise, shock, anger, disappointment, etc.

My country elected as president a racist misogynist who bragged about grabbing women's pussies. Mostly because of the racist part; he used all the racist dog whistles. Well, we didn't all elect him, he lost the popular vote; but he's brought out so much ugliness in so many people, it feels like he's very popular indeed. And now I'm itching, which is related to how this affected me, which is I BROKE OUT IN STRESS HIVES ALL OVER MY BODY. They eventually got better, but I was left with eczema patches in the places the hives were the worst. I am doing things here and there to counter his influence, but I'm not feeling super hopeful truth be told. But I still keep doing them. Which may be another definition of hope: I keep working towards the hopeful end, even when I'm not feeling it. Because: why did this impact me the way it does? Which maybe answers the question of why this impacted me the way it did: it opened my eyes to how incredibly far we have to go in achieving justice, and I'm not sure we'll be able ever to achieve it before we destroy ourselves. And that is pretty damned upsetting.

When Trump becomes president I cried. It felt like the whole world was let down by my country. The country which supposedly represents me and my values voted for him. He is asinine. I am very embarrassed. I am careful of what I share and how I speak. It is so easy to misconstrue what one says from what one means or intends. I now say or share only that which I intend to say or mean.

How fragile life is. The world appears to be in the End Times.

The election. Donald Trump is a racist, sexist, transphobic, homophobic, ableist sexual assaulter, and people still voted for him knowing this. It continues to disgust me.

The 2016 election. Learning that such a cruel, despicable man who treated anyone who wasn’t a white, wealthy, straight, upperclass American born man like they were garbage was heartbreaking. It’s impacted my health, my sexual orientation, and my religion. It’s impacted how I’ve looked at others and how I’ve become more active in voicing my opinion and not staying silent. It’s impacted me to make a difference and fight for the impeachment of this cruel person from presidency.

Trump got elected and I no longer see this counrty as a welcoming place. The ugly, racist and mysognist underbelly of this country has been exposed. I, and I'm sure many others, are surprised at the amount of ignorance and hatred that exists in this country. We can only do what we can to help and protect ourselves and those around us. And ultimately hope that we all come out of this better people than when we went in.

It is... hard to know where to begin. So many awful things stand in stark juxtaposition to the hope and promise of bringing a new life into the world very soon. I am lucky and privileged and blessed to not be directly impacted by the extent of the horribleness in the news each day - everything from extreme climate events to the deaths caused by white supremacy to people who don't have access to healthcare to whatever despicable thing Trump and his inner circle are doing next. (And sometimes these things overlap!) The impact on me has yet to be fully realized, but I know we will be grappling with it for years to come.

My instinct is to say the Trump presidency but I honestly am not sure if this has deeply impacted me in the same way it's impacted others. I think in general it's made me more cognizant of the need to be open, kind, and loving towards everyone.

This is an easy one- the election of Donald Trump. So much bad has come of it and regular outrage, but I've almost become numb to it. There's just a constant stream of bad that it's hard to keep caring about it, even as things get worse. I don't like feeling that numb and disconnected from things that have such a huge impact on myself and others throughout the world.

I will talk about the white supremacist parade at the University of Virginia. Over the past few months, I have been noticing that my purpose in life is to bring peace to the world in any way I can. This rally impacted me because it showed me how much hatred and falseness exists in our planet and how hard it truly is to make piece with people who mostly preach hate and inequality.

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the U.S. I've never gotten over it and probably never will. I yelled obscenities out-loud as I rode my bike home from work while listening to the election results. My daughter cried for hours in the evening as we watched the news unfold. Our country could suffer for decades due to the warped sensibilities that this president has fostered. If he is impeached, it may divide our nation even further. The only thing that can save us is for some dramatic event to happen that will pull us together (a war, a disaster, a murder? - why not something positive?) where we realize that listening to each other and being truthful is what matters most. I'm nervous about what it will take because we truly have an unfit person running the country yet so many people voted for him and still so many people support him. It's frightening.

I've watched all of these terrible natural disasters around the world & you feel so helpless being so far away. Then watching hurricane Harvey hit Texas, made me realize how devastating & debilitating these events make everyone feel. I wanted to be able to hug everyone & tell them it would get better. It pushed me to spread more of the Love of Christ no matter what life looks like. We need to build that love & hope when it's not needed. That way when disaster strikes we can remember how loved we are & that there is hope.

Anti-semitic acts, hurricanes and earthquakes, and North Korean threats have added a level of fear/concern. I have to remember to keep living my life, because if I didn't hear the news, my life is pretty good.

Rohgnia Muslim massacre in Burma Killing of innocent people for no reason and systematic ethnical cleansing When I see helpless women and childeren with a rug sac or nothing in hand to survive or going hungry for days it pains me lot not able to do anything to stop it

All these terrorist attacks. All this tragedy and death and fear. All this outrage. All this uncertainty about the future. The feeling of powerlessness balanced with the feeling of responsibility and civic duty.

Trump was elected President. It made me feel less safe in the world, less valued as a woman and less represented by the most powerful people in the world.

Our president getting elected. While I am very lucky that he has not directly affected me with his choices he has made for our country, seeing how his comments and opinions have torn our country apart, hurt others, left many in dire situations, and overall just been mean has given me new insight into politics and how it impacts me as a 20 something. Knowing that he has targeted and picked on so many individuals, not to include his bans and his defundings of different programs, it makes me angry and makes me want to get involved and try to fix it.

Hmmmm this past year I kinda isolated myself from world politics and such. Maybe it was the presidential election? With Hilary vs trump? I'm not a political person, and my lack of political interest has only grown throughout this year.

I felt really helpless when my country's House of Representatives voted for (majority, at least) for ₱1000 budget for the Commission for Human Rights.

The election of Donald Trump has upended my faith and vision for our country. His heartbreaking relentless ignorance has cast a long shadow over the country I hoped to leave to my children.

The same sex marriage plebiscite has brought out the ugly homophobic side of Australia. It has made me ashamed of what this country has become.

I don't know if this is a world event as such....however I feel there is a real move in understanding attachment and trauma and how this impacts through life and society. The documentary film Resilience has brought a spotlight on research that has needed to be heard. It is exciting to see a ground swell of support starting. I am also hoping to see the a proactive government response. One fact struck me that this research has been around for 20 years.....yet was relatively unknown and unactioned. It seems public health wheels move slow, it took about 50 years from knowing the risks for bans on smoking to be implemented here. That is not acceptable.

The US presidential election has had a profound on my life the actions and mood of all my friends and aquaintances. The activist I was in the 60s has reappeared. I've never before felt so threatened and fearful regarding the fate of the nation and all people .

The election of Donald Trump opened my eyes to how slow processes and discontentment of enough people with a government could have undesired consequences. It taught me that sitting on my butt and complaining is not enough and that I have to take action to support causes that I believe in. Another event was the way the Turnbull Government managed to outfox the parliament and the High Court and go ahead with a postal survey to decide if gay people could get married. I found it insulting and feel sad for all the gay people who are suffering persecution as a result of the campaign. This issue should have been decided by a vote in parliament.

F*cking Trump. As well as being terrifying for the stability of the world, he has caused me to question my basic faith in human nature, and to be incredibly cynical about the political process (and not just in the US).

The election of Donald Trump as president actually hasn't been as cataclysmic as I (or many others I imagine) suspected. Still pretty awful, of course, but the world has survived the first eight months.

The election of President Trump. I still cannot believe it really happened. It seems to have given permission for everyone to express out loud their deepest darkest thoughts and feelings. Some say it's good to know such things so we may be able to counter them. But look at Charlottesville. A demo about a Civil War statue morphed into white supremacists marching through the streets shouting against Jews. Jews asked the police for support, and were denied it, and fled through a back door of the synagogue carrying their scrolls with them for safety. And the President said both sides were equally at fault. I think of my grandparents in Berlin in the 1930's. What should we be doing now?

So many natural disasters are taking place and it's really making me crazy that I can't personally go and help. I mean, I always dream of being retired, but this time my desire to not go to work is because I wish I had the freedom to go and help people. It's frustrating and hurts my heart.

The election of Trump and the Brexit referendum. I understand how immigrants might be scary to some people, but somehow, I still believed more people would be able to put their fears aside and vote for what they actually felt was right: welcoming people who need help. It saddened me to see that knowing what's the right thing to do, isn't as self-evident as I always thought it was.

It's sad to say but despite appalling things going on in the news on an almost weekly basis, very little affects me. The killings in London and Manchester are terrible and I hope that the IS threat can be tackled before it gets worse but I feel that this is not happening currently.

Probably not uncommonly, the election of Donald Trump to the presidency in the US. Brexit negotiations also still hang heavy, but that was last year! Trump represents a bigger thing though, he's just a character in an awful blockbuster. The intensification in social division, racism, overt sexism and general hatred for difference in the world. For me, this is marked by the inauguration of Trump and he carries the flag for ignorance, arrogance and ugly intolerance. I know he is afraid and that others are afraid too, and it sadness and angers me that these people get so much fucking air time and impact so significantly on the lives of so many people, because of their unfounded insecurities. This doesn't impact me directly, I am white so I'm 'safe'. I am female, so that can be tricky. Society and politics does seem to be getting more conservative, which hI find alarming. I am worried about where this is headed. On a positive note, Jeremy Corbyn! Although he may not be the super hero that we want him to be, he does represent a fight and push from the other direction - we are not completely alone. This was also felt when we went on the women march earlier this year. Fucking loads of people. So, fuck the bigots!

There isn't just one event that impacted me this past year, there were several. Looking around at what happened throughout the world has made me realize that the end is nigh. Or works had seen a misogynistic bully elected as POTUS; hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, WHICH DECIMATED THE Caribbean and Puerto Rico; a large earthquake in Mexico; terrorist bombings and vans/ cars plowing through crowds; rallies from white supremacists, Neo Nazi's, and Antifa; more hate on a larger scale than I have ever seen; and, dictators with nuclear weapons threatening to bomb each other and other countries as well. There are so many problems on such s scale as the world has never seen. I truly believe the end is near. It had prompted me to try to get right with Jehovah God.

The election of President Trump has given me cause for concern. President Obama gave us a health care solution (not perfect but a great start) and marriage equality. He lent dignity and wisdom to the office of the presidency. Now we have a president who rocks the Twitterverse daily with inflammatory and petty messages, who threatens in a U.N. to destroy North Korea, who wants to build walls instead of bridges. The racial divide in this country has widened, women's abortion and even birth control rights are being threatened. I am worried about the country I love.

The election. I took to my bed for 2 weeks. I feel like I don't know anything about my country, to which I've indirectly dedicated my life. I feel unmoored. It's like waking up and discovering that your spouse is an alien from V with the lizard skin underneath the human skin, and realizing you have no spouse, that it was all a lie. It's been a real crisis of identity, and of faith in all I believed about America. The country I loved was imaginary. I don't know if I'll ever be the same. I hope I'll feel better by next year.

I'd imagine that a lot of people are going to say this, but the president's inauguration was a tough one. A lot of days since have been difficult, and have worn on a lot of us more personally than we might like to admit. The world in many ways has seemed like a bleaker place. Still, we can all draw strength from the resilience and compassion that most of us have chosen to show and nurture more than ever.

Elections around the world. Taken together, they seem to paint a picture of human chaos in government and its institutions. Something larger than I can comprehend seems to be looming.

The inauguration... seeing that it still went through gives me an uneasy feeling

The election of Donald Trump. Makes me feel like I am living in some fucked up alternative reality. I thought he would make a bad president - but i had no idea how fucking awful he would actually be. The worst part is the fact that there are droves of people who still adore him and haven't got the wit or will to reject his populist bullshit.

I always get caught up here, because it's so hard to remember what happened, but I guess if there is one thing... it has to be the US election. I cannot grasp how wasteful this has been... to think of all the energy and money and time spent on something so ludicrous. It's sad to think how divisive this has been for the US, for the world, and for vulnerable people in particular. A bigger bully the world has not seen since Hitler or Stalin. It's incomprehensible how the tide hasn't shifted against this man. He's a childlike monster. Impeach him and let's move on already. He's a black hole of epic proportions.

The hurricanes this year - the one that went through Florida. Forced cam and i to do the canadaian show without the Florida team and it was good. It was great seeing trump make president - made us hopeful again in the direction our country was taking.

The election killed me. Killed us. We poured months of our time. Every free moment in. We gave up our house. We gave up our weekends, we gave up ourselves, and we lost by an incredible margin. It teaches terrible lessons tot he kids. I don't know. I used to have a better sense of who I was, and my place in the world, and the world's falling apart and I don't know at this point...

The election. I am not even sure I have words. It was shocking. Life, country and world changing. It put military members' life in jeopardy. It seems to normalize bad and asocial behavior. It seemed like it will have to end soon, but it's not. I have to put parameters and boundries on watching news, but it's hard not to watch. It's just so unbelievable. And I am so grateful to those who are working to make changes in government, policy, legislation and day to day experiences.

Trump's election. I can't believe that a year ago we were looking at the possibility of our first female president and now instead, we we have a dictator in chief. He scares me. I worry about looking at this answer next year. If we could get here from last year's there, who knows where next year's there is.

Donald Trump became our 45 president. Ugh, electoral college! The rose is I am now that more tuned-in to local politics, The Rachel Maddow Show, The New York Times Daily podcast with Michael Barbaro and even more engaged over civil discourse with family, friends and students. Feeling bias, prejudiced, racist, discrimination? Let's talk!

The election of the Donald. While it has not directly impacted me, it does make the world a more unsafe place in my opinion because it means that the stuff he says and the actions he takes are something that people agrees with, and that scares me.

Deer lake protest --- was not physically there , but hearing the unfolding of appauling abuse and disrespect of those fighting to have their voices heard was particularly poignant.

Natural disasters have devastated so many people. It makes me want to help. I wish there were more that I could do besides give donations.

Attacks all over the world should shock you into not wanting to travel. But it spurred me on to book more holidays and more adventures. Life is too short

Donald F-ing Trump. I was scared about him last year, and the reality is exactly as I imagined if not worse. Two devastating hurricanes have made very tangible where we are heading with Climate change, and he has pulled the US out of the Paris accord. He is dismantling many environmental protections we already have. He is fanning the flames of racial division. He supports eliminating health care for many. He may be heading us to war with North Korea. He has greatly diminished Amercia's moral standing in the world. I am upset where we are headed, and it is very frustrating not knowing where to put my energy and attention as it feels that there are so many important issues to work on all at once.

Part of my problem is my guilt over not being sufficiently impacted by world events. Not even national or state events. Maybe watching hurricanes swoop over would be the closest thing to a personal impact. I think sometimes there is something wrong with me but feel helpless to change it. If Korea pulls the trigger somehow(or Trump) then I may feel impacted. But otherwise I take care of my little corner and merely watch the swirling chaos. Sorry.

Geez... all of them. First and foremost the election of Donald Fucking Trump has been the worst thing that has happened in my lifetime. It was like a death and I could not believe that so many millions of Americans would be taken in by such a buffoon. It's embarrassing and dangerous. But it has woken me and millions of others. We are now active in the political system like never before: calling our representatives about every bill that comes up for a vote, demonstrating, marching, writing letters, donating, running for office. We will never let anything like this happen again. And because of this awareness, I'm so much more aware of the things that are happening that are impacted by our politics. The race riots (did I really just say that in 2017) in Charlottesville, VA that resulted in a young woman's death. Climate change and the massive hurricanes: Harvey, Irma and Maria, so far. The GOP trying to take away healthcare from millions so they have the money to give tax cuts to their wealthy donors for the umpteenth time. Gerrymandering. The threat of nuclear war with North Korea and Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un comparing dick sizes. Freedom of speech under assault. Religious oppression all around. Marriage equality threatened. ALL equality threatened. At age 54, I didn't want to have to fight this hard. But I guess this is why I'm here. We have to fight for what's important. I will fight until my death if necessary to keep this nation free.

The Inauguration, after all the crowds were massive. Seriously though, the whole thing was and continues to be a collectively polarizing experience for America. Because of the inauguration I've marched in my first protest and actually started to learn (and re-learn) all the civics 'stuff' I forgot from 9th grade. (How does a bill become law again?) I've also spent a fair amount of time reading open sources syllabi online (most notably, this one: http://www.publicbooks.org/trump-syllabus-2-0/). I started following on facebook, twitter, and instagram people who are not like me, and trying to read more history books about different people groups experiences in the US. However, I've also tried to spend less and less time on facebook and online, outside of the research journals. I don't watch much (if any) TV. So, I suppose I have put myself into a bubble of my own interests, which is a different sort of isolation I guess.

In two words Donald Trump, I am not a political person for one lesson I learned in life is to control what I can control, & let go of the forces out of my hands. My view of politics falls into the latter. Yes as citizens of Our great country we feel our vote & voices control our elected officials, yet in my eyes the reality is lobbyist & big money are the real people in charge. The shocking election, the aftermath of protest, over the top statements, to the world & our countries citizens by "our president" that is sworn to lead our nation in response to both egregious actions & the run of the mill issues pro/ con that we experience has impacted me. I have been ashamed by this mans seemly unfiltered remarks, & as an American who cares little for the political lines I cant escape the feeling that we as a nation are headed down an EXTREMELY BAD path by a deeply troubled president. While I temper my UNEASINESS secure in the knowledge that there are checks & balances in place by our founding fathers even for the president, I for one cant wait for the remaining 3 years , if his presidency is to survive his turmoil, to be in the history books. I pray, Adoni help our country

Trump. Dave Pell said it best: "Donald Trump is a values clarifier. He’s a living, breathing, pontificating, lying, tweeting reminder of which values you cherish and what you’re willing to stand up for. We’ve spent countless hours analyzing the character of Donald Trump. But that’s a settled issue. The real character being tested right now is yours." I have learned much about my beliefs, values, and prejudices since that man was elected. I have learned much I would have rather remained ignorant to of my fellow Americans. And I have learned that I no longer have it in me to sit silently by and leave politics to their own devices. I do, contrary to my previous belief, have a horse in this race. What they do does, deeply, affect my life. And more importantly, what they do affects the lives of others. I can't shrug that off because what they're doing doesn't affect me. There is an us and a them, I've learned. The "them" in my case doesn't care what happens so long as they aren't being persecuted. I am having a very hard time reconciling how otherwise nice people can have such a gots-mine attitude towards their fellow human beings. I am trying to be loving and patient in the face of these attitudes. Because some of my nearest and dearest hold them. But I have had to beat a full-scale retreat at times...and I was already a bit of a hermit. I want to like people. They just make it so hard sometimes.

I think the obvious one is Trump's election and all associated with him, but I think the actualization of climate change has had a profound impact upon me and how I view the world. The scientists talk about the long term impacts, but with Harvey, Irma, and Maria, I am starting to see what they actually mean. I know Pittsburgh won't suffer much and I know wherever I end up in life, I will probably have some consequence, but it scares me greatly with the thought of climate refugees even being a term considered. It makes me dread our collective decisions of the past and makes me wish that just this once, just once, we could actually cross the aisle and make change before it's too late. If only a hurricane could hit DC to give them real life experience.

It is still the election of 2016. Or more accurately its implications for a peaceful world order, the devastating fallout of climate change, the anger and rancor in this country, the willful ineffectiveness of our "leaders" at state and national levels. Everywhere you feel the heavy mantel of these times, carry it yourself. It infects absolutely everything. It is difficult, if not impossible, to cast it off. I want to avoid it, but I feel compelled to raise my voice. To do that with any effectiveness, I have to step into the loop sometimes. I write letters to my congressman. I marched in the Moral Monday effort, designed and wore a voters' rights t-shirt. I advance, then withdraw for a respite because the angst wears me out.

November 9, 2016. The day the world woke up to realize that the American people democratically elected (well, at least by way of the Electoral College) President Donald Trump. There were many tears, and very little sleep. Since that day, almost 11 months ago, the world has been very different. As a resident of D.C., as a woman, as a Jew, as a Democrat. The world feels unrecognizable, as hate has blatantly marked every day that man has been in office. It seems trite to ridicule a sitting President, especially as someone who cares deeply for her country, but it is because of that deep care that I mark November 9 as such a colossal turning point.

The 2016 presidential election had a huge impact on me and those around me. Every day there is something that brings me down. There is a sense of despair with very little hope. The hurricanes that hit the Caribbean and Florida hot me harder than I would have expected. Through my recovery I have met people that were deeply impacted by the storms.

Therapy with Tina. EMDR. Very intense. The aftershocks more so. I want to quit. Tina says no.

The election is a pretty big one that comes to mind. I was going to say it was the worst thing in the world, but then I remembered some of the genocides happening in our current time. But the election was pretty bad. It showed how dumb people are.

Against all predictions (and I want to say reason), Trump was elected. I voted for the libertarian Johnson, so much I believed the polls. The hatred of the Trump permeates everything, encouraged by his constant tweets which defy the 'dignity of the office.' While most all my friends believe the sky is falling and thinks that everything they fought for over the years is being destroyed, I'm not sure much harm has actually occurred. Yet. The world is a scary place though with his rhetoric against North Korea and Iran. I certainly don't want to go to war with either of them, but am glad that he's not capitulating to NK like his predecessors have. Maybe something positive will come of it. But it is hard not to despair. People continue to flee from war and persecution, and the countries they flee to struggle to help them, and then overwhelmed, reject them. The only global consensuses seem to be not to stop the slaughter, deciding the refugees are someone else's problem, and then blaming to someone else. It is hard not to despair. Just as there are no new answers at the national level--the Dems and Reps continuing to repeat push previous policies and idea without understanding the circumstances have changed, neither are there new answers for global problems. The politicians everywhere, in their desire to obtain or retain power, feed red-meat to their bases further dividing their countries and the world. Emblematic is the growing use of the term 'tribe' -- the very essence of "us versus them." It is hard not to despair. And then there are hurricanes and earthquakes and people blaming 'climate change deniers' as though the US reducing our carbon footprint would have stopped any from occurring. Certainly, reducing our carbon use will probably help a little, but until we, globally reduce our population significantly, the negative impact we have on the Earth will continue. Meanwhile, those with few resources will suffer the most, and because it appears so hopeless, their suffering will be ignored. Just like the deprivation and desperation in Darfur is. It is hard not to despair.

My country elected a person portraying a hateful, racist reactionary to the highest office. This has led me to wonder what our country is all about. Who would vote for him or his policies? I worry about war, a more divided country, hostilities here and around the world. At first I thought I should not use Trump's election as a theme. After all, does his being president really impact my day to day? Turn off Twitter, turn off the news, and Trump is not a factor in my daily life. But I feel the world around me dividing, I feel his effect. Xenophobes are empowered. I don't think he is going away like I did initially. He's here for a term, and he's going to try to upend our public institutions and safety nets. And our democracy is in a sad and dangerous state because of him.

The election of Donald Trump as our president has had the most impact on me this past year. It has unleashed a barrage of events directly related to his bad behavior, lack of sanity, evil inclination, lack of civility and maturity and overall deterioration of our political system. Russian influence in our election, North Korea, Charlottesville and the tone of our political process (repeal and replace) as well as the knowledge that many people in this country love Donald for the very reasons I dislike him , all stem from his election and a sense of dread with which I experience daily.

UGH CAN WE NOT. THE WORLD IS A DUMPSTER FIRE AND I'M NOT GOING TO RUMINATE OVER HOW FUCKING GOD AWFUL IT IS.

The USA election, reflecting how much hatred and lack of understanding still exists within the world. We need to have more discussions with all sides willing to listen. I've learned to become more patient and open minded because aggressively attacking people with an opposite opinion doesn't get anyone anywhere.

Trump. (WTF... and more WTF... and even *more* WTF.) Covfefe. WTF? Trump blaming the Internet and robots for Americans losing jobs. WTF?!? Hurricanes. The Dakota pipeline project and the rights of indigenous people to live on clean land and eat and drink from clean rivers and be involved with a transparent process and not being further exploited. Cops lying about shooting people out there, even in the face of footage of people getting shot. Credible witnesses saying they'd either been shot by police and private security or seen people getting shot. Americans' attitude that water is "bottled," and wild animals are "pets." Fuck that. Crazy, misguided, angry, repressed assholes with bombs. Learning about the German elections and how many parties they have in their election. All eye-opening, changing how I think of the world. Brought more awareness to me. Factory farms - wrong, all levels of wrong. I've known that for 25 years, and it's sad that it still exists. I'm all about animal rights, and the rights of the land and the earth and ecology to exist peacefully and naturally. We're travelers pretending to be at the wheel, and it's BS. We do not have the right to destroy things, just because we "own" property. Nope. I'm all about sustainability. The giant island of plastic in the Pacific Ocean: I'm phasing out all plastics, including those used by organic food growers. They / we need to be held to a higher standard. Just don't fucking make it in the first place. There are plenty of things other than plastic in which to "wrap" food. It's not needed to tag every piece of food or wrap it in plastic. Gross.

The discovery of plastic in tap water has made me depressed and sense the imminent collapse of society. All the political shit that has been happening pales in comparison. One day a decent human being will come to power, but it won't matter, because the planet is uninhabitable.

My answer from 2016: I am terrified of this upcoming election. I'm watching the second debate between Clinton and Donald and I am really worried that too many of my countrymen might vote for this demagogue. I am really worried. 2017: *sigh* Trump, aye-yai-yai... We have a dotty old racist as our President, for the present. The very fact of his election is a challenge to the norms, customs, and traditions of American democracy. It is enraging to know that so many of my fellow Americans have become so frustrated with social progression that they have decided to put forth a demagogue who has no filter, no sense of decorum, no respect for women, no respect for tradition, no respect for democracy, and no patience for any kind of critique as the representative of our country. How did we let this happen?! Seriously?! I am sincerely worried that we are on the brink of either another civil war, complete isolation from the rest of the world, an active war with one of our adversaries, or all three.

The Election. Of course. I haven't determined what is worse, if things will ever get better, if America will make it, and if I care. The status quo was nice, but a revolution wouldnt' be terrible.

Trump is gearing up to start a nuclear war with North Korea. It terrifies me.

I don't even want to write about it. But the day that Trump got elected as president. What an absolutely horrific and terrifying day, and everyday since then I continue to be in shock that this is reality. How could so many Americans be so irresponsible as to vote for Trump?! I'm sorry, but it completely shocks me. I thought more of humanity. I'm so happy to be Canadian in these times, but it terrifies and saddens me deeply for the world that the most powerful country in the world has such an uneducated, clown, for a president.

Seeing the US respond to natural disasters - just like hurricane Katrina, once again the American answer to anything seems to be every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost. Seeing seniors sitting in wheelchairs with the water over the their waist hoping someone will help them. The US society is based on the dollar and profit is important and some people (rich) count and some people (poor) don't. They don't love life because they like having the right to carry guns and kill people. They don't see any problems if someone is ill and can't go to a doctor or hospital. Sure my country isn't perfect, and we do have poor and homeless, but we also have compassion - we try to do it right. I heard an American on TV state why should she pay taxes so someone else would have health care - we seem to understand that universal health care is important. I know Americans must have hearts that care for others, but they do it as individuals not as a society.

Lots of them. Hurricanes. Earthquakes (there was actually a small one where my extended family lives, right in the USA. It's an active year, apparently). Trump. (And before you jump down my throat on this...like him or hate him, his term of office will be a significant one.) Many of these events serve as a reminder that I play the game of life on the easiest possible setting. This doesn't make me a good player. It doesn't mean I've not had trouble in my life, or unwarranted good fortune. Every person is different, every life is a unique series of choices and experiences. But I don't for once fool myself into thinking that I've accomplished anything under truly trying circumstances.

The Inaguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States was on that day and every day since a shocking and deeply disturbing reality. I have great difficulty believing that so many of my fellow citizens support him. Some days it causes me such despair that I'm emotionally paralyzed for the entire day drowning in a feeling of hopelessness.

It will be a recurring answer on your feed: Trump's election. It's rattled me to my core how this country - one that I was so proud to be part of for its social progress just a year ago - has an entirely different makeup. It's full of racist, anti-Semitic, deeply prejudiced people who feel more emboldened now than ever to be hateful. It's a daily struggle not to turn cynical. I actually came across this Maya Angelou quote today that really hit home: “There is nothing quite so tragic as a young cynic, because it means the person has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing,” I don't want to be that person and this year my inner cynic has been tested daily. I strive to retain the belief that our nation is made up of more good, open-minded, loving people than the reverse. And that Obama's "hope" for our future and for a better world still prevails among the majority of us.

The unfolding political crisis in the US has me deeply worried. We seem to be moving into warring tribes, the kind of Shia vs Sunni split that we see in the Middle East. And people don't seem to want to think for themselves anymore, so there are so many uninformed opinions raging in the media. It's tiring and worrying. Our country once split into the North and South and fought a deadly civil war, and I can see it happening again. People seem more afraid than ever, rather than aware of an evolving consciousness about our common humanity. Global politics seems to be devolving back into warring tribes, not even countries.

There have been so many things going on this year it is difficult to single out one that has affected me. Every day we hear about some new, terrible thing that has happened. Terror attacks, natural disasters, even what many people would count as ethnical cleansing have all occurred in this rather short time frame. I would say that all of these terrible things happening have made me more determined to do what I can to make the world a bit less terrible. We should not let the risk of an attack get into the way of helping thousands of people live in safety. We should share our resources to help those who have lost everything in disasters out of their control and we should generally just not be dicks to each other.

Without a doubt the election has profoundly impacted my life. I was in stunned despair the day after the election. Since then, the anxiety about my own life has been more than doubled by this administration. Each day I see threats to those I love, threats to me and my family, threats to our world. Each day I wake up wondering did WWIII start while I was sleeping and what stupid/dangerous/unconstitutional/terrible thing did he do now. Each day, we see the absolute corruption at the highest levels of our government makes me fear for our democracy. Personally, I find myself asking questions like "If we had to flee where would we go and how would we get there?" "Do we need to learn how to shoot and purchase a gun?" And it is not just here - look at the UK. Hopeful for France and Canada. Today we will learn what direction Germany will take. I fear for myself, my family, and our whole world.

Just the election in general. Trump's election. The speed of which bigots feel it necessary to come out of their terrible little holes. I wish something would've shook me sooner to speak up, and I wish I hadn't been so anxious and shaken from abuse to speak up.

Aaaauuuugghhhhhhh!!!!!!! The election of Donal Trump. Can;t believe we have this misogynist, racist, fascist, crooked narcissist in charge of our country. Totally unqualified. A man motivated exclusively by his amygdala and his basest instincts. I live in an ocillating state of fear, denial, shock, and incredulity. Can we make it through three more years of this?

Trump. Because he wants to see us dead.

The US Presidential election shook me. I am now more deeply afraid for our country, and my daughter's future than ever before. "Draining the swamp" feels less like cleaning up politics, and more like lining very rich people's pockets at our expense.

The Presidential election. Having sat on the paperwork for nearly 9 months, I finally submitted my citizenship application the day after the election took place last November. I became a citizen in June. Doing so has allowed me to feel like I can use my voice to speak up and show up in response to some of the awful events of the year, such as Charlottesville, the withdrawal of DACA, the threat to people's healthcare, and more. I always intended to become more actively involved once I was a bona fide citizen. I just never realized how urgent the need would be this year.

There have been more atrocities this year than a care to remember. The one that impacted me the most was London Bridge, I am not sure why this one in particular, possibly coming so close on the back of Manchester. London is my home. I wasn't in it that night. I was in my family home and the one place I wanted to be the following Sunday morning was our family church. It was comforting to feel part the community, a christening service took place. I don't know what horrors next year will bring. But I know I have the strength to face them.

The overall political climate of North America has had a huge impact on my year. From the results of the US election throwing me into an even deeper depression, to the political decisions relighting my activist flame, the last year has reminded me to become more politically involved as well as more aware of the need to include the most marginalized voices and have them at the centre of our movements.

The antisemetic prank calls to JCCs where my colleague had to go drive back to Durham from Raleigh, pick up his little kids, and explain to them what a bomb threat was. The false flag nature was one thing that stuck out as well. I wonder why they did it?

the US election. I was devastated that Hilary did not win and was replaced by someone with no political experience and someone who really did not want the job.

I believe that Charlottesville greatly impacted me personally, as I witnessed the ugly head of antisemitism rear its head in America again. The chants about Jews, sent chills throughout my body, and the reaction of our President exacerbated the situation. I continue to fear about the antisemitism of the alt right and the far left.

Should I go with the election of Donald Trump? Do I dare be so bromidic? So disgustingly cliché, unoriginal, and irritating? I hate myself for doing this, and so will most people who read this, but here it goes. For me, the election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States of America was not the end of the world. I refuse to hyperbolize. It was, however, a significant influence on my worldview over the past year. It made me question assumptions that I had made. It made me wonder about the greater underlying themes of modern Western politics. Sure, at first I thought, “Buh-waaahh? Oh no! We are doomed! The people who voted for Trump are out of their minds!” Like many other people. But I got over that, unlike many other people. More importantly, in the long run, it provoked me to not only rethink how I saw things in terms of public sentiment, ideology, and geopolitics, it also provoked me to think further than I had before about the greater workings and motivations of the world at large. Instead of asking “Why would anyone vote for him?” rhetorically, as though I knew there was no answer, I genuinely looked for possible answers, and answers beyond the dismissive, simplistic buzzwords like “dissatisfaction,” “anti-establishment,” “reaction,” or “disgruntled.” Why and how were people dissatisfied, and who are they? What is the “establishment,” what does it mean to be against it, how does Donald Trump appear to represent it, and does he actually? To what are people reacting, and why? If it had not been for the election of Donald Trump, I might not have even asked these questions, and much less find any answers. If I had not been provoked to question my assumptions, I might not have realized what the assumptions I had actually were.

Trump's presidency. Has me very frightened for the future. Has made me look at some family members differently, as I see anger and bigotry towards non-white/non-Jewish people from them. Our family dynamic has absolutely changed from this, even though I don't engage in political conversations with them.

A singular event that impacted me this year (and it's probably the same event nearly everyone here will be writing about) was the election of Donald Trump. I wasn't so depressed as many of my friends, but when compared to my coworkers, who are all very ardent Trump supporters and hard-right nationalists, I might as well be a communist Martian. It affected me because I really don't know where the world it going - the status quo wasn't ideal, of course, and it would've shifted course regardless who was elected, but this is not the course change anyone sane wanted, and is not the change that will ultimately be good for the world. Maybe in the long run we will have realized our mistake and will attempt to right the course, but will that be too late?

The US election. I grieved. Initially not so much because Trump won but because Obama was leaving. I have a low-grade disgust running all the time about the world, and particularly Trump as the leader, Americans who seem to support him blindly no matter how obnoxious or narcissistic his comments, policies that seem deeply racist and divisive.

Trump. Last year I wrote about how I hoped the general discourse of society would take a turn for the better. For the more tolerant and diverse. That didn't happen. It only got worse. It's scary. Tonight is the night of the German elections and it seems the AFD got in parliament. It feels like we're headed for disaster. It feels like every one forgot the last time it all went to hell. And it scares the fuck out of me.

The election of Donald Trump has felt like a kick in the head. His leadership style does not match with our values. It has caused fear and distrust to permeate throughout the world stage and the local community alike. It is broadcast on the news, in everyday conversation and is having a negative impact on everybody.

Well clearly it is the election of the worst president in our national history. It saddens me and frightens me every day since it happened. Disbelief, shame, fear, hopelessness are common emotions I feel. I do believe it has ignited people in standing up for the kind of world we would like to see. For me that is one that is free from oppression and injustice for all. Like the company that sponsors NPR , I am hoping for a more peaceful, just and verdant world. Of course our divide has never been greater in my lifetime. I am saddened that there are those with so much tribalism and hatred in their hearts. This is either our end or a new beginning.

The hurricane season which is on steroids this year. It reached close to home and far away. Houston was always one of my favorite cities and I spend many many working trips there, enjoying the good people I worked with and the superior Tex Mex cuisine. I remember it as really big and really with oodles of roads, and pretty flat. It was painful to see that devastation. Then next, Irma takes off and runs right over my cousin's house in west coast Florida, where for medical reasons she hunkered down rather than leave. Coming down from Greenville SC after a week's work, I 26 the opposite way was a solid sea of Florida people heading for safety. Then we took the brunt of Irma here in greater Charleston. We were 415 miles away from the eye of the storm, but it was the worst storm surge and flooding since the devastation of Hugo in 1989. Waves were topping the sea walls and the historic High Battery homes took maybe 4 feet of water in the salt lake that formed inside the sea wall. Then our own daughter had to work extra time and only had a 3 hour time window to get from her downtown Charleston hospital job home before the next rising storm and full moon tide turned her MUSC hospital into an island again. I appreciate today's calm late summer weather with fuzzy sky and light breeze all the more after all the storming.

Hurricanes in Caribbean x2 Category 5 both of them Not for any personal connection but impact severity on the ground

The election of 45 - for the first time I felt threatened as a Jew. I have an actual escape plan for my kids. I have a friend who is not Jewish who has agreed to shelter my kids if it came to it, even though given that necessity I might not be able to get her money to assist her. It is both terrifying that my mind has gone to here, and also incredibly empowering to know that I have such a good friend.

Donald Trump winning the election over the qualified, prepared Hillary Clinton. I was devastated, both for the country/world and personally. I felt like I had placed a lot of hope in Hillary and the idea that a woman could be president, and when she lost, I felt silenced... again. I felt like the bully won - the bully who used intimidation to tarnish her reputation got to win, and the woman who held her head high lost. It all just felt a little too close to home.

The election of that asshole to be President caused me a very large amount of anger, anxiety, and depression. It negatively affected my mood for months, and the actions of the administration continue to be a source of stress. I mostly have given up on reading news. I just can't take it, and that in itself is stressful, because I feel like I'm abdicating some responsibility to right these wrongs.

Trump Trump Trump. Bad Bad Bad. Silver lining? Can our constitutional democracy survive an narcissistic, dictatorial, simpleton as president? We'll see. A consistent 1/3 of the country supports him no matter what he says or does. White nationalists laud him. Will the fact that they are coming out of the closet be a good thing in the long run? It has been shocking to realize what people will tolerate. Will the rational be mobilized at election time?

the annoying orange becoming president and ignoring literally everything he campaigned about

Trump becoming President. I know there have been serious disasters in a number of places in the world and in the US--earthquakes, hurricanes, out-of-control fires, genocides, bombings, etc, but Trump becoming President seems to encapsulate a world gone mad. I'm still reeling from the fact that he actually got elected, that he's getting away with doing and saying such horrible things. As a disabled woman, I'm scared of what this means for my rights, my healthcare, and my ability to just exist as someone who isn't a white man. I have so many friends who are now on the outside because of Trump's hateful rhetoric. My friends, family, and I live in constant fear of Trump's next dictum (or tweet.) No one has been able to explain to me in a way that makes sense why Trump is such a good President or what he's doing that is going to "make America great again." I really hope by this time next year, he's been impeached.

The election. It's made me more committed to fighting injustice and made me more outspoken in teaching others and my children acceptance, but it has been terrible. It's awful to see many people's true selves, and to feel so powerless to affect the large scale. It just sucks, the world sucks, and as hard as I try to find hope and peace in the resistance, I still get angry and depressed daily. I'm not a patient person.

The rise of fascism in America really has me skeptical of my security. It makes me think twice about traveling home to see my family in less progressive places. It makes me question my straight friends, and their interest in keeping me out of concentration camps. It makes me wonder if i have the courage to stand up for my black and brown friends if the tide of xenophobia keeps rising.

There have been so many world events, of course the presidential election, continued terrorist attacks, weather related disasters, in the midst of all of this I feel pain and sorrow for those directly affected and then have the strong sense that the Creator is having happen exactly what the Creator desires at this moment. Waking the world up perhaps? Waking it to what? Our need to recognize we are Echad? That we are the answer?

Trump is still dragging me down. He's so very despicable and just unbelievable. He's an uncontrollable child with absolutely no censor in his pea brain. It's not one event, it's a daily event that scares the shit out of me.

Watching how the media has caused politics to become a farce and not a force for good. People putting power in abduction and incorrect facts and no facts at all. It's made me value the level of interest I take in current events and while I have beliefs, heritage and culture there is always rooms to listen - something which is low supply.

Oh my that is a deep question! To begin with, the election of our president really threw the energy around me into a spiral. For me personally, I know that the Divine Feminine is rising and so I wasn't surprised that the strong patriarchal energy would be fired up and try to hang on/fight back, even though it was disappointing. It has motivated me to be more convicted in my beliefs and more outgoing with what I truly believe...that our own energy is what we need to control and work on and that will change the collective energy. It has motivated me to continue to gather women of interfaith to find common ground to contribute to the betterment of society. The other phenomenon that has really affected me is the natural disasters that are occurring more frequently and with stronger impacts ... hurricanes, fires, earthquakes ... all causing energetic imbalances within for me. I am consciously trying to be more diligent about natural resource use and more vocal about honoring this beautiful planet we occupy. My heart hurts for all those who have been affected directly from the impact of these disasters.

The biggest event is the election of Donald Trump as US President. I still can't believe he got elected. It shows that the US population is so ignorant about issues they would vote for a maniacal racist misogynist over a woman.

I was working at election headquarters in Santa Clara county and had not looked at my phone in several hours. When I went outside, waiting for J. to pick me up, it was twilight. I looked at my phone and thought I would throw up. Trump was winning the election. It was the worst possible nightmare about to come true.

Oy, I have a feeling that a lot of people were impacted by the same event, the election of Donald Trump as president. On election night, I felt like I was staring into an abyss. However, the good news (so far) has been that he is much less effective than I imagined he would be in getting his awful agenda forward. But he has still done plenty of damage regarding the environment and diplomacy, as well as generally fostering divisiveness, prejudice, and insecurity at home and around the world. Personally, his election has contributed to my anxiety. At the same time I see that it has motivated many people to be more involved and less apathetic about our country, so I try to be hopeful.

Like everyone, it is the Trump administration. There are no words to describe the hatred, the damage and stupidity that he is stiring up in this world. It's a sham, it's pathetic and again, makes me understand how truly helpless we are in this situation. Makes me loose faith in my country, the process and a lot of my fellow Americans.

The election and the natural disasters over the summer. In an election year, I follow politics, then become more distant. This time, I'm as involved in political news as ever. I am heartened by the newfound spirit of protest and resistance, but I also hope that turns into political power in the 2018 midterm election. The early hurricane season's turns against Houston, Puerto Rico & the South along with the Mexican earthquake have been horrible. The hurricanes are further evidence of the consequences of global warming and runaway development/poor local planning & building regulation. Politically, if those passionate about Civil Rights, climate science, gay rights or healthcare would band together around progressive candidates, real change is possible.

November 8, 2016. I don't have the time to pour out my feelings here. Suffice to say, my world changed in so many ways.

Having Trump as president makes me sick and sad. I can't talk about my feelings of disappointment, revulsion, and frustration.

I've gotta think that many people will choose the same event -- the presidential election of 2016. What a disaster. I can cite reasons and offer my well-practiced opinions about why/how it happened, but what struck me at the time was how upset I was for reasons even deeper than my political reaction (which was the predictable feminist, liberal shock and outrage). As a child of the sixties -- too young to be in college and protest, yet with a world view profoundly created by that context (counter-culture, anti-establishment) -- I did not know that I held the office of the President of the United States in such high regard that I would be overcome with the feeling that this individual demeaned the office. I was no fan of George W -- held him in minimal regard, laughed at his malapropisms, etc., -- but he did not demean the office. I was no Reagan fan (in fact, the opposite) but he did not demean the office. Trump demeans the office. Who knew I cared so much about the office? I had no inkling that I felt that way until election night. And then I had to talk my middle son, living in Europe, off the ledge (not literally, but he had woken to the news and called and was so shaken...) and back and forth through most of the night. A was out of town and called, and history professor that he is, he assured me that these were the reasons for the "checks and balances" of our system, but I can't help being dubious. I hope the world survives. I really mean that. Having a blustering bully in at least nominal charge of the greatest military on the planet is not a good thing. I hope we're all here next year to answer these questions.

I should be able to point to the hurricanes and earthquakes and political fallout from Trump's election and more. But I can't. Instead, the upheaval in my life due to our move to a new city far eclipses anything I am reading about in the papers.

Well this question seems kind of small to describe recent events. The world went mad. So did I.

How can anyone from the US write anything else but what has happened in our government? Our progress as a civilized and functional society has been set back decades. Decades. He is undoing the work done the last 8 years. One positive thing that came out was the collective WAKE UP of the left...but are we awake? Have we accepted this as our new normal and become complacent? Are we distracted by the horrible natural and man-caused disasters if the summer and let our guard down?

Trump won the election and he is doing terrible things. It upsets me. I believe in the constitution, civil rights, the United States of America. I get upset with almost everything that hurts others that he does. I personally do not know one DACA but to try to kick them out goes against my grain. Building a wall is useless and can hurt the environment. I see nothing wrong with Muslims. Trump seems to not worship God but other gods like money, fame, notoriety, and popularity instead of being good for the US. God could be Alla, Buddha, or any way our God manifests our Jewish God.

Welp. It's cliche but, that election rocked us all. We saw and heard things in the public arena of politics none of us anticipated. We since then have continues to see people killed, over and over, in the name of white supremacy. I feel activated to do more and also paralyzed in my ability to help. So I'll march and pay some reparations and try to be better.

Trump, unrest, loss of business, general fear, discontent, pessimism about the future...'nuf said.

Despite the election of Trump and the tensions with N. Korea, I think for me Hurricane Harvey has had the biggest impact on me. My oldest son moved to Houston, TX in July and accepted a teaching position there. It was hard having him move so far away, but I didn't realize how hard until he was in potential danger and I couldn't be there to help him. Not knowing if he was okay or how much damage he might have was gut wrenching for me as a mom. In the end he was lucky and didn't have any major flooding (never reached his house), nor did he lose water or electricity. I can't imagine how a parent with a child serving overseas in the military does it. My heart goes out to them.

Very sad to say the election of Donald Trump came as an unwelcome and unexpected surprise. The impact on our country (and the world) has been even worse than I would have guessed. The level of public discourse has fallen significantly, racial relations are deteriorating and I fear for the future of our country. My only source of hope is that the Mueller investigation will end his presidency early.

The presidential election of Donald Trump has left me afraid for the future of this nation. He promotes hate and division, cannot seem to grasp complex issues, and needs to have his Twitter account revoked. He is not presidential, and is not helping our country. It makes me sick to my stomach on a regular basis.

Definitely the presidency of Donald Trump. It just feels like a continual gut punch. It makes me anxious and sad to know that our leader is a complete chump who proves his idiocy on Twitter every day.

Um... Trump being elected. How: wtf. Why: wtf. But really -- it galvanized me, energized me, made me even more engaged. Helped me to be more open and curious about other points of view. It is not ours to finish the task(s) of making the world a better place, but nor is it ours to desist from making the effort.

the election of Trump - I didn't believe it could happen, then I didn't believe it could be as bad as it is. I feel impotent to stop what is happening & will try harder in the coming year to counter his many evil actions.

The city of Dallas spent $450,000 to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee from a Dallas City park. This because it "offends" some people. Robert E. Lee was a patriot and a hero. More racial divide in our country and some of it seems to be manufactured by either the press or a very small group of people. When I think of what that $450,000 could have done for people of color in our city, or the homeless, or our veterans, or the police retirement fund, it just disgusts me. The city will now spend more money re-naming parks and schools whose names are "offensive" to a small group of people. I hear people of color speak of this and they too are disgusted. Most are not offended by these statues or names of streets or parks or schools - but they are concerned that we are destroying the history of our country. We need to remember the war that divided our nation so that it doesn't happen again!

The election of Donald Trump....what a disaster...I have watched more TV news than ever before, I wonder, when I wake up in the morning what horrible thing this dolt has twitted over night and what kind of trouble he has gotten my beloved country into. It is unbelieveable to me that we have so many people who voted for him and who think he is the best thing since sliced bread...Make American Great Again....America has been great until we elected him....I am frightened for my country, for the world and for many of us who live in this land. Suzanne

No world event has impacted me personally. I continue to be dismayed by my country's current leader, and to be fearful of what the consequences of his thoughtless behaviors might be, on both world events and the situation at home. Another dramatic series of events is the several terrible hurricanes that have assaulted the east coast this year, leaving destruction in their wake. This tragedy is compounded, in my opinion, by the fact that our current leadership does not take global warning (which has likely contributed to the problem) seriously.

I am horrified, but not surprised about our current president. I don't really want to go into it. I hope he's impeached, and leaves DC in disgrace.

That disastrous presidential election. I've never been much interested in politics but the outcome of this election awoke something in me. I've made more calls/letters/tweets to my congressional representatives this past year than all the rest of my life combined. I've attended some democratic meetings. I've become seriously fearful of a nuclear catastrophe (based on the two "school yard bullies" in leadership of our country and N. Korea). My hope for the future is a lot dimmer than it used to be; however I am looking toward the 2018 midterm elections AND the 2020 presidential race to turn things around towards less hawkish behavior.

OMG - the election of the biggest asshole ever and the loss of the first woman to run - especially since she was highly qualified. I was so hopeful that things would change for the better for women and her loss was also a loss of hope for equality. I was, and still am, devastated.

I'm horribly self centered and while I could list off many events that have impacted other people to their core, the worst thing that has impacted me is the inauguration of Donald Trump and the rallies in Charlottesville have really cause me to look at my safety and rights as a woman and a Jew. I realize that there are some people who are in far worse situations than myself, but I can't help but fear. What rights will be taken from me? Will my family be safe?

Holy buckets. The election, the situation in Israel, the climate issues causing refugees, my student now living in South Korea with what is happening in North Korea especially, the earthquake in Mexico, the hurricanes in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. So many things. Al of the things. My wife teaching English to adult immigrant s brings the world closer. And the Karen family we are Mentoring also brings the world closer.

The election of Donald Trump as US President has been most surprising and distressing. I am concerned about living in a country where someone so unqualified, inexperienced, void of a moral compass could be elected as our leader. What does this say about my fellow countrymen? I worry about the impact of this term in office now and into the future. While I try not to embrace the anxiety underlying those who compare recent history to pre-WWII Germany, I can appreciate their concern. Ugh!

The US presidential election has had a major impact. The shock of _rump winning, the disappointment in Hilary's loss, and the ensuing political chaos has made me politically active again. I am a resistor. I have joined three indivisible groups. The two small neighborhood groups have been a welcome new piece to my life in terms of creating community. We have been hosting one of them this past month. Sharing concerns and observations with others while also writing postcards to influence legislators has been reassuring and constructive, gives a sense of what democracy should be and that I am not alone in my values and views. My focus has been universal health care and flipping red states blue (in state legislatures and in congressional races). I want to be proactive and positive in what I take on. I need to feel that I am building a better world. Healthcare for all in California is my first priority. If we do it out here, other states will follow and the actions of the federal government will not matter (as long as they do not interfere). I am working with Sister District to flip legislative seats in CA and around the country. I am going to Virginia to canvass in November to get out the Democratic vote.

I'm sure I'm not alone in remembering how the presidential election of 2016 left me feeling stymied about misjudging the country, depressed about the future of our country, guilty about allowing this condition to be inherited by my 24 year old son and his generation, and ashamed about how backward and isolationist the US looks to the global community. The only silver lining in this dark cloud is the activism that has resulted to prevent anachronistic, short-sighted, non-compassionate and bullying policies from gaining long term traction.

Trump's election has brought the poison of humanity to the surface. Pain and deepening are both side effects that I am wrestling with. It has been a year of trauma for many and it may not end very soon. However, all tyrants fall and it will end eventually. It has been important for me to take the Longview of life and lean into that which is unchanging and eternal.

There seems to have been so many times of crisis in the world this year, if I think too deeply I get lost in a nauseating wave of despair. From the continuation of the Syrian refugee crisis, the worsening of global warming seen in natural disaster after natural disaster, the terrifying number of ISIS attacks worldwide, and the rising of white supremacy within my own country after an election that makes me sick, I'm sometimes left questioning if there is anything left good in the world at all. I even sometimes question if my life has any meaning or worth in the slightest, and I feel as though every day I continue to exist I am simply the embodiment of disgusting selfishness. It sometimes brings me to feel as though I can never make an impact to drive out all this hatred, and that inevitably the darkness and evil of the world will swallow me whole. But despite all of this, I know deep down that there is good left in this world, after seeing the responses to Hurricane Irma where in the face of death and destruction human-kindness still was able to overcome, and I know that bringing light and love in any way I can here on this Earth is purpose enough. I know that this world is a chaotic mess of hate and division right now, but I won't stop believing that love, once again, can rise.

The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States has imperiled so many things I hold dear... and it has revealed a surging bigotry in this country that was, perhaps, always there, but that, as a white woman, I didn't have to confront so completely. Trump represents threats on every front: to the safety and well-being of people of color, immigrants, women and the poor, to the preservation of our environment and the fighting of climate change, to the healthcare of all Americans, to the economic future of the many and not just the few, to the tolerance of people of many faith backgrounds, to freedom of speech and the press, to the effort towards a peaceful, more understanding world. My individual life has not yet felt a dramatic impact from the above, but so many of things on that list are long, hugely difficult challenges to meet--and decisions made about them now *will* have an impact down the road.

Trump's election. I'm scared for the world, I'm scared for people and things I love: nature, peace, ... . I don't believe in the things Trump wants to achieve. When I heard he wanted to pull back from environmental issues and was going to build a wall against immigrants, I got goosebumps. And not in a very good way.

I don't think there's any greater event this year than the 2016 Presidential Election, The toxicity of the Democrat brand is so widespread and pervasive that the Republicans are enjoying both a de facto moral victory AND a crisis within for Party identity. The egotism and impulsiveness of our President is serving our country poorly in terms of our national security, our economic dynamism, our cultural unity and our common humanitarianism. What a sad time.

Manchester arena Bomb. I have become more aware of the way a terror attack can have such an impact. I never used to think to much on 9/11 but this year it felt different on the anniversary. I feel it deeply in my soul. I feel more a great sense of pride at the Manchester community and that I am part of it.

Obviously the Trump presidency has brought out a horrible side of human nature that honestly makes me question things. I feel more misanthropic to those whose views I don't share, and... I can only hope that he has been impeached by the time this is written. How can we live in a society where the person put in a key leadership role evinces nothing but self-righteousness and division? It disgusts me, but only shines a light on a facet of human nature that is already out there -- and only emboldened now.

Look. Everyone is saying Donald Trump. Hilary losing. It broke my faith in the US in a massive way. Others too. It was a successful move by Putin - former KGB - to divide and weaken our country and it keeps me up at night. I've become so damn sensitive in the aftermath. I feel the need not only to open uncomfortable conversations; but, also to salve wounds and actively try to create connections and opportunities for depolarization. I've even stopped enjoying heavy lifting, MMA, and running. I just want to constantly meditate and do yoga. Because now is the time for all of us to center.

This past year, the Cubs won the World Series. It was amazing to see my home so excited, celebrating something 108 years in the making. The city was still celebrating when the 2017 season started, and it was crazy to watch. It made me very aware that I'm not at home, as there was really no one to celebrate with in person, but watching Game 7 made me realize that home isn't that far away.

Trump was elected asa president Not happy

The downfall of my country. It's embarrassing and heartbreaking and damned scary.

The election was a major event in this country and it seemed to me that it had repurcussions around the world as well as several countries had similar upsets in their elections as well. This was the year when Donald Trump ran against Hillary Clinton. I really did not care for either candidate and I feel that many in America did not either. They both had so many flaws, it was like voting for the devil either way. I am sure that there were many who voted who voted against an opponent rather than because they liked the person that they were voting for. There was so much hatred in this election that many people were commenting on this and I felt this, too, strongly. It seems that our democratic process has really fallen apart and that people are not able to elect people to run for office because they really are good for the job, but there are political machines at work and if you know how to work the machine you get to run. Bernie Sanders was a very popular candidate, but they kept saying that he did not have enough political power to run against Trump. Well, obviously Hillary didn't either. I was really disappointed in this year's election from both sides and hope that there are some ammendments made to the process so that future elections may be changed. The only good thing to come out of this so far is to be able to say that the disaster that is turning out to be this country's policy thus far is not something that I voted for.

Trump. His initially tacit tolerance of racism encouraged overt racism to flourish openly, followed by frightening polarization and a complete lack of discussion of the issues that brought us here. Everybody's talking. Nobody's listening. It's a guaranteed route to disaster. Oh, and that is now followed by name calling with the leader of North Korea who has nuclear warheads and missiles to send them virtually anywhere. Apparently everything our president needed to know, he did learn in kindergarten.

The election of Donald Trump. The most traumatic presidential win bar none for me and people like me. The idea that someone who not only tolerates, but supports white supremacy (including anti-LGBT policies) has made me feel more unsafe in this country than I've ever felt.

The terrorist attacks in Europe. Every single one of them. It's a constant reminder that you might lose your life or your loved ones out of the blue and for no reason.

How can I not talk about the election of the horrific thin-skinned ignoramus who now purports to be our president? I've been scared by the hatred, bigotry, and animus he's stirred up. It was never gone, of course, but at least it wasn't mainstream. (November 9, 2016, was when I started wearing my kippah full-time, even at work, in Otherness solidarity with my terrified students.) I've also been inspired by the outpouring of compassion toward the marginalized and resistance to those seeking to abuse power. I've felt heartened each time the courts block his hateful initiatives. I've felt amazed gratitude each time Congress manages to not-do his dangerous bidding. Who knows if our democracy will survive? But there's a chance, if the good people of America--and there are many--continue too stand up for what is right.

New president. I now see how pervasive white privilege is, and how destructive.

Trump taking office has really effected how I view our government system and systems in general. There is a lot of corruption and nobody that wants to fight it is truly allowed to because the system is skewed to be against them even though they are supposed to be able to protest.

Trump's presidential win has had a significant effect on my peace of mind and sense of safety in the world. His ignorance is a real threat to the planet and the global community.

The protests and counter protests in Charlottesville. The way some people reacted really shook my faith in humanity.

Unfortunately, the election of Donald Trump. We are living in a political climate unlike ever before, which has created all kinds of fear and sadness and bad things, but has given all of the people ready to move forward in our society new fire. It has helped me connect Jewishly and otherwise to events and people that need my attention, and I have been able to consider social justice in a whole new way. It preys on my soft sensibilities; I cannot sit by and watch as others feel pain.

Donald Trump was elected president, which I think has impacted me and everyone in the world. There was this sense of the country going in the *right* direction, and things getting better for folks, and then boom! Turns out there are so many white supremacists in America. I feel relatively sheltered from it, having only lived in big liberal cities, but it is super concerning. I feel scared for my friends of color, my undocumented friends, my Muslim friends, and for everyone, really. It's such an unpredictable time. Also, there have been a million hurricanes lately and global warming is a clearer threat than ever. That's pretty scary.

The presidential election. I grossly underestimated the rampant misogyny, racism, and feeling of victimhood in the U.S. I travel routinely outside the U.S. and am frequently questioned about what has happened to the US. Europeans, in particular, wonder at how such an individual as Mr. T. has been elected as POTUS. I can only respond that the US proletariat has always had a strong undercurrent antiintellectualism. Now it has bubbled to the surface and the whole world trembles. As soon as the election results were inevitable, I commented that a global, nuclear conflict was now inevitable. Given the president's recent statements, I continue to pray that I was mistaken.

The election of Trump to the presidency has really thrown me. I have apparently been living in the much talked about bubble, not believing that this could happen. The hatred and ugliness that he has unleashed in this country has been profoundly disturbing to me. I have marched, phone called, emailed, tweeted, attended meetings, donated money, and had as many conversations as possible to try to make a tiny ripple in the national conversation. But my fear and anxiety have definitely impacted my health, and my anxiety over my gay daughter's safety has been unremitting. As a Jew and a mother of a gay young adult woman, I feel threatened and at risk all the time. And that makes me for the first time have some true, non-intellectualized empathy for the African-American and Latino families in my community. How must it be every day to wake up and wonder if this will be the day that your child is shot or beaten or taken to jail? I have had a tiny taste of that buffet and would very much like to pay the check and move on. My heart now aches for the mothers who must gorge unremittingly on that repast.

The event that has probably most impacted me as well as many others this year was the election of Donald Trump to the presidency. I still remember the way I felt the night of and day after the election. I felt such a weight on my shoulders and disgusted with what our country let happen. I felt so confused. I was horrified to see what would come next. Now, 9-10 months later, the initial shock and fear has faded, but I still feel really strongly about the situation. He has continued to prove himself right in terms of my expectations for him. Fortunately, I think a lot of other people has realized how insane he is, but now we're stuck with him. We must commit every day to standing up to him and trying to change the situation. Today, the news on this topic is about kneeling during the national anthem. The Ravens played this morning and a lot of them kneeled. Trump tweeted that anyone who does show should be fired. Hopefully this example of strength and solidarity will have a larger impact.

Not just one event: many. The election, if you can call it that, of Donald Trump, has affected me hugely. I wonder if there is any opportunity for our country to retrieve a shred of common decency and connection among people. I feel as though I am always treading on a very narrow path between denial ( just live for the day, don't watch the news, try to be kind and hope for the best) and despair ( watch ALL the news, feel hopeless, go to protests but worry that they mean nothing). And the WEATHER events are breaking my heart. Every morning I wake up and think about Puerto Rico or Bangladesh or Mexico city. I realize how ephemeral security is. I imagine what it would be like for my mother, who is 92, to be caught up in a situation like Puerto Rico where she would go months without power and food. Who would help her? What would happen to her? I feel so fortunate at the moment, but know I could be swept away at any time. The idea that something would happen to members of my family who are far away and that I wouldn't be able to reach them, help them, is devastating. I can try to be environmentally responsible, but worry it is too late, that no one in seats of power cares what happens to the world and its people, as long as they "have theirs." We have such a beautiful planet. It hurts me physically to experience what is happening to it.

Well... the last time 10Q came around, the 2016 election hadn't happened. And now it has. And somehow, an imbecile is our president. I'm concerned about the people in the country who voted for him. I'm concerned about more vocal white supremacists who feel marginalized by our society and who are not succeeding as they feel entitled to. I'm concerned about the world's view on our country and losing our allies' respect. I'm worried about worsening global warming and natural disasters (of which we have already had plenty this year) in light of an ignorant, climate-change denying executive leader. I'm concerned the normalization of expressing racist and misogynyst views, with the silver lining that at least when people express their hatred, I know who they are. Quiet people don't hold those views any less than the loud ones. The loud ones just make me cringe at how horribly wrong they are. And they don't know better. But they could. If only they were more open-minded, experienced, thoughtful, and capable. I haven't yet personally suffered from these event that "impacted" me this year, but I am more afraid of where this country and world are headed than I ever have been in my life.

The earthquake in Mexico and the hurricanes in the US, is incredible the power of Nature but is more incredible the solidarity of the human beings and how everyone is involved, that at the end doesn’t matter what your social status is or what us your religion or skin color, everyone in the worst moments are present and willing to help, that gives me a little hope in humanity, I wish if we can do it everyday so the world could be a better place to live, but that’s the purpose that our generation is here, to make it possible.

The plebiscite for Marriage Equality really made me have to stand firm in my beliefs despite disaproval from others. Four years ago I would've voted no because I had never questioned why I believed what I did and accepted what I had been told because I assumed its authority. Now I had changed my views and I could offer to others my reasoning seeing as I used to hold the same beliefs. The plebiscite was an opportunity for me to display this new character I've developed over the last few years. I dearly hope we finally gain marriage equality. Love is love.

As a person of color, the election of Trump was in no way a surprise for me, but a painful reminder of the politics of the country in which I live. Post-election conversations have put me at odds with so many of my white friends, who take no responsibility for communicating with their racist and bigoted family members. To protect myself from ongoing pain, I have had to distance myself from so many of these people. It has been an incredible amount of emotional work and I know I will need a lot of time to heal.

The realization that our current head of our nation is not up to the job. It has made me more aware of policitics then I ever wanted to know. Made me more active in my own community.

The election of Trump has had a huge impact on my tv channel choices!

The election of Donald Trump. I cried all day, and for days in a row, after that event. My world was rocked, I had so much more faith in humanity before the election. I have since been inspired by "the resistance" response but I worry, daily that the world will not make it through the 4 yrs of his tenure.

Trump being elected president! This has exposed so much ugliness in the world, and I've reached the point where more often than not, I can't even engage. We're practically on the brink of nuclear war as he and Kim Jong-Un keep taunting each other, and I can't process it in any useful way. I don't know how to make things better, because so many things are going wrong.

The hurricanes and earthquakes of the past 3 weeks have affected me, my neighbors, and my friends. I've seen how fragile property and life can be. I think I need to be more proactive in encouraging public officials to do the right thing to protect us from these disasters.

The US election! What a mess!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe that Donald Trump is our president. I was and still am, genuinely terrified to think about the future of this country is his hands. I know people always say that when the candidate they didn't want wins, but I truly have a knot of anxiety in my stomach whenever I see something about him on the news. A narcissistic megalomaniac who shoots off the cuff is not what our country needs in these already scary times. At least his first year is almost over, only 3 more to go, let's hope we survive it.

The previously referenced quitting my job for a drunk. Or maybe getting the gig that enabled me to quit when he had one drunken hissy-fit too many. The two events, obviously, are like Siamese twins, or two sides of a coin. But for the first time in decades, I'm happy with how I earn a living (although the money's not so great).

Oh God, what hasn't? The world is in terrible, terrible shape. Donald Trump. Hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes. The plight of immigrants, transgender servicemembers, everybody who has health insurance. God save us, at this point, basically.

I don't want to talk about the person the electoral college and 53% of white women put in the White House. So I won't. #Resist

Obviously the election of Trump has profoundly impacted everybody, but I can't not mention it. Closer to home, the plebiscite/postal survey on marriage equality has been devastating and exhausting. The "no" campaign claiming oppression, violence and silencing when their media coverage is 4:1 of what the yes campaign is getting, when they are enacting the violence and the hatred. It's grinding me down, and it's draining all of us. It's horrifying. I'm angry and exhausted and depressed at this dehumanisation.

Australia's same sex marriage survey. It has shown me both how far we have come and how far we have to go. The dishonesty and homophobia is not something I usually have to deal with daily and with this I have.

Trump. That says it all.

An event that has happened in the past year that impacted me was the election of Donald Trump as the forty fifth president of the United States. First, as I grow older I'm becoming a more politically savvy person and during the 2016 campaign, I payed closer attention to different candidates then I ever had. Over the course of the race I decided that if I could vote, I would vote as a democrat because the actions and words of the republican candidate, Donald Trump,disgusted me. The way he singled out minorities and inappropriately refered to women sickened me. In my eyes I couldn't see any way that he would possibly be voted into office. However, despite my doubt, on January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn into office. The following morning it finally hit me, he was my president and that I wasn't just waking up from a bad dream, this would be my reality now. It afftected me on a personal level because for the first time in my life, politics had made me feel emotions I never thought it could: anger, sadness, and confusion. It felt like evil had won, a man who belittled and insulted African-Americans, Mexicans, and women now held the most important position in the world. Since then I've taken more interest in politics by reading political articles and watching the news regularly, and now I feel that the only way to defy Donald Trump's heinous acts is to unite against him and speak our minds through peaceful protest. If Americans continue to do that, we will overpower Donald Trump's hateful message and love and peace will prevail. That is something that has happened in the last year that has impacted me greatly.

OMG it has to be the election. Hands down. And then the Women's March. Both events have ripple effects that are felt daily. While driving and listening to the news this morning I thought to myself that I need to put my legislators phone numbers into my phone so that I can call them whenever I listen to the news to let them know that I don't think that trump is fit to be president and ask them to use their powers to represent me and start moving him out of the oval office now!

Oh the only event that anyone could speak about that has impacted the entire world is the election of Donald Trump as president. At first, I was just "well I can't do anything about it," but the more he is in office & continuing to do stupid things, the angrier I become. He has made a mockery out of the office. He has made the entire US look like a fool for making such a horrible choice in a leader. He continues to focus on inconsequential issues instead of the ones that he should be as the most powerful man of the free world. It has been a horrible year for our country with him as president. I pray that either he leaves of his own accord soon, or someone finds a way to take him out of office before he does too much more damage.

The presidential election! Why I am not a fan of President Trump, watching how the loosing side refuses to see their role in the result is both infuriating, humorous and frustrating. Urbanizing rural America, discouraging and destroying the educational opportunities for those for whom trades are more suited to who they are; of strangling the productive capacity of These Untied States, while ignoring the plight of those who depended upon the jobs that were driven to automation, moved overseas or even to south of the Mason-Dixon line; or by global trade to those with competitive advantage. It has been 10 months and still there are only the occasional signs that there is recognition that the whole of the nation is not DC, NY, etc..

Ugh, Trump anyone? But it's more than that. On the negative, why are there so many people out there that believe they are superior because of their beliefs or their race or religion. On the "positive" this is national chemotherapy. We had to have this culmination of events to excise the tumors of hate, elitism and xenophobia. He's our chemo. It sucks. It fucking sucks it all to hell. But I have to believe that when we emerge, when we come through it, when we rise on the other side of this darkness, we will be that much stronger and free of the demons that have plagued us for so long as nation, and more expansively as global citizens of this tiny blue marble floating in space that we all share.

So many, but the rise in anti semitism and islamophobia around the world. It seems like history is repeating itself with countries around the world responding in fear to refugees fleeing their war torn countries and people (mostly white?) afraid their jobs and culture will be taken away. Once again, Jews and Muslims are being scape goated. Refugees are our life blood for this country and when we show an appalling lack of compassion for these people, our soul as a country is damaged.

The election of Trump has with out a doubt been the most disturbing and disillusioning and biggest wake up call to action of my whole entire life. I have had to work diligently to balance my own tendency to burn out as a social activist to stepping back and resetting my own internal compass. Trump has served as a messenger to us all to WAKE UP and get more involved, love everything about being human and question what is still abrasive, assaultive and afraid of unity within ourselves. Myself I am becoming a more open and kind person. My relationships with my daughters are improving and I hope that will ring true on a wider circle. There is no time left for pettiness and disappointment, there is only time to recognize our common humanity, our goals to live in harmony and take back sanity on the planet by treating all beings and the planet herself with respect.

Weather disasters (September 2017) that have had devastating effects on so many .

The gay marriage debate. I just can't believe how we still cannot let all people have their opinion without violence or mental abuse!!! No matter what side we are talking about. We are going backwards not forwards

Having Trump as our president has been particularly negative for me. I am saddened to see how narrow minded and even racist some of my friends are, and how emboldened they have become under his leadership.

The last presidential election and the concomitant divisiveness, anti-Semitism, and racism that has broken out as a result. I think we are all anxious about what will happen next.

I mean, isn't the only answer worth giving Donald Trump becoming president? It has made me scared for my health care, something that Obama fought so hard to make affordable to so many people. I still pay over $500 a month for it, but man do I use every penny of my coverage. I am working to get involved with NAMI to protest the repealing of the Affordable Health Care Act. In fact that is something I am going to do this week. No time like the present!

I felt impacted by the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency. Our ives have not been the same since.

The election of Donald Trump. I can't understand why somebody who showed us who he was and how little he knew during his campaign would be elected. I've become more politically active. I'm involved in campaigns on the local level. I'm more aware of social injustice and am doing my part to be a better person.

The election was the first time I voted in a general election. I stayed up all night to go to sleep by crying myself to sleep. It made me fearful of the future.

tRUMP. tRUMP. tRump....ugh he is a vile, misogynistic, predatory, xenophobic, racist, classless bully who neither reads nor thinks! I'm embarrassed to be a citizen of the USA I'm scared our country will NOT recuperate from his horrible debacle of a "presidency"

The "election" of Trump. It has been utterly demoralizing to see such a pig in a position of power, and to discover how many people (presumably) in my life every day support this monster.

The 2016 election and fallout was brutal. A true gut punch. But it inspired me to recommit to my goal of running for office.

EVERYTHING that keeps happening since Trump was elected has shocked me, agitated me, and made me anxious. I find a greater need than ever to slow myself down, to meditate, breathe and focus on the few things I actually CAN control, and also remind myself that humanity is better than one person who was elected - but it's hard, hard hard.

Like many others, the election impacted me. I remember being at Voice Your Vote and being surrounded by 200 excited teens and community members. And, when Hillary won a state and as the TV's lit up and teens started cheering a teen walked past me looking sad. I asked him how he was doing and he told me that it was hard for him, as a republican, to be in such an environment. I told him he should be proud to cheer for whoever he wanted to cheer for. I was thankful that the event ended well before the results really started coming in. The elections made me consider what is important to me and what influence our President has. Watching a video from Charlottesville hearing "Jews will not replace us" by vile men shook me to the bones. How can that be acceptable in today's world? Where did these people exist before the election? Among all of the madness that is Trump, letting the crazies out of hiding is by far the worst part for me.

Once again, so many different things...the election of Donald Trump as 45th POTUS, has without a doubt impacted everyone in this country immensely, and certainly not for the better. It has divided our nation like no other event in my lifetime.

The election of our current president. This has exacerbated an already dysfunctional Congress, And gives us a leader who his narcissistic and dangerous. It makes me fear of the future for our children.

Trump's election. I have mostly been able to stay away from complete terror, but having a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder as president has triggered my therapy clients and made me afraid for our country. I can't believe the hatred, bigotry, anti-semitism, and ethnocentrism that are somehow validated by this horrendous man.

There are so many horrible things going on, I feel like the more I pay attention the more scared I get. I feel less like a Democrat than I have in my whole life while at the same time hating everything conservative. It’s a confusing time for me.

The fact that Donald Trump is now our president has really opened my eyes to the idea that it is possible for progress to go backward, and it is more necessary than ever for me to help this society. I know that I am going to put a ton of work into conserving and protecting the environment, and I will be working on this throughout my entire life.

By Trump making this country so divisive, I have become even more inclusive and kind and self-aware of how I come across to people who are different from me. My heart breaks for minorities (even though as a jew I certainly am one), for immigrants, for anyone who feels persecuted and unwelcome since our miserable president took office. Black Lives always mattered to me, but now more than ever since I learned how horrible our justice system can be. So I am extra understanding and go out of my way to make sure strangers sense that I see them, I care for them, I am not another "white" person who doesn't care about them.

Trump. Full of despair and shock that hatred burns so bright. Occasionally uplifted and moved to tears by the beauty and bravery of the resistance. Unsure of what to do, how to protect the rights of all the vulnerable people in his sights. People of color, women, children, queers, Muslims, poor people. There is evil in the world, how do we react?

The many hurricanes in places where I have traveled to and family have lived in. I have felt helpless in the whole process of how to support those affected.

Hurricanes and natural disasters show me how much I have to be grateful for and how protected I really am.

Since this time last year? I would be stupid not to mention the election of Donald Trump. It was scary for me because as a history teacher I remember warning people not to joke about Trump and to take what he says seriously. No one thought he could do it, so they kept laughing and sharing his message - something tells me that's partly why he won. It scares me that such a horrible man could have so much power. As a Canadian, all I can do is it an watch. I cancelled any plans of going to the states, on the count of his attempts to ban Muslims and kick out illegal immigrants. If they can't go in, I 'm guessing he wouldn't want me around either. A more personal event would be Chester Bennington's suicide. It was so personal because like me, he'd survived sexual abuse. It scared me to think that at any point the pain could return, and I could be in the same place as he was in his mind.

The election of Donald Trump turned everything upside down. But really it just brought to light some things that had always been true. There are deep divisions in this country, and it's not clear if/when they will be resolved. People do not know how to get along despite not agreeing.

I'm afraid the presidential election has had a resounding impact on the entire world. I wish I could fine even one positive element in it. I fear for this country, for the global population, and for the planet.

Besides the election,which was awful enough, the weather has been scary. Lots of hurricanes and earthquakes so it's apparent we are running the climate. Mostly, however, it's the swing to conservatism and hating the"others" that seems to be more and more powerful worldwide.

The clown/troll/liar-in-chief/orange-one/#45 stole the election from Hillary Clinton with Russian help. What a travesty! Plus, Black people keep getting shot on the street by police and the police are not held accountable. BLM movement is carrying on and SURJ is doing great work but it seems things get worse, not better. Plus, in Charlottesville neo-nazis held a march and killed an innocent protester by driving into a crowd. There have been church shootings, riots, all kinds of political and racial strife and the president just makes a fool of himself and a mockery of everything people with values stand for. This is all happening in front of the backdrop of weather-related disasters. Mother nature has shown her wrath this year. We have had multiple hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, and heatwaves. Global warming is starting to take a toll on all of us.

#45.. yuck.. everyday it is a total shock to see what he says or does..

Trump's immigration ban. It hit me so hard. I read a story about two young Middle eastern brothers, younger than Noam, who were turned away from the US even though they lived here, had their greencard rights taken away, sent to Ethiopia. I fell asleep in tears. And the next morning, aching to do something tangible to help other than sign some distant online petition, I took a box of pastries to the local refugee resettlement agency to say thank you to the workers, and I lost it at the reception desk, crying while handing the staff member a box of pastries.

Has to be Trump's election because it has shaken all of my underlying beliefs about our country and the people that live (and vote) here. Trump is an asshole. He is just plain bad for everything we hold dear and stand for. He has already done tremendous damage to the office of the President and to our courts. He regularly embarrasses the US on the international stage. He's awful.

The election made me realize how sexist and racist our country really is—including people close to me and in my own neighborhood.

I'm not sure I'd call Trump an event. Given my cluster of identities and concerns, I haven't been directly impacted. But given that I now live in the US, I do think it's a matter of when, not if.

The election of an utterly disgusting, ignorant, racist, uninformed, narcissist with no redeeming characteristics at all - and with the tacit approval of millions of people who should know better.

I have to say Holy Crap - the Donald Trump shit show. But this year it is because he won the presidential election. He is our fucking president. It still turns my stomach. The morning after the election I cried, cried, and cried. For days! Since then he has been more divisive than ever. Our country is divided, racists and white supremacists have been emboldened and spew their hate out in the open. Trump is undoing all of Obama's legislations. He is threatening other countries, his administration is a group of unqualified assholes. He and his transition team are currently under investigation for collusion with russia. There is a dossier that says there is a tape where trump gets a golden shower by some russian prostitutes. (i know it is wrong but I want this tape to make the light of day). He is an awful being and is threatening human rights not only in our country, but around the world. This has impacted me greatly. I am back in social justice mode, advocating for myself and vulnerable populations. I hope he gets impeached soon.

Everyone has been impacted by the presidential election, and the enabling Republican Congress that permits and encourages his daily acts of destruction. We feel endangered, wanting to barricade ourselves indoors, wanting to march in the streets, and wanting to flee far away. All of these impulses feel like an electric tremor on the skin that threatens to turn into a violent shock wave. The horrors of Syria, and the refugees, have permeated our consciousness and conscience. The outlet that has given me comfort is the interfaith performance group that I have founded. After playing with these musicians from around the world and three different faith communities, I feel whole and hopeful again.

OMG. Are you kidding me? DONALD FUCKING TRUMP. I can't even...

Trump has become our president. I can't believe I had to write that. It's put me on edge about being an american Jew. It's made me scared of my neighbors and for my country. It's created so many many challenges.

Donald Trump is our PRESIDENT?! I'm embarrassed, ashamed, and afraid. I've swung on the pendulum from one side to another, from squeezing out all of my energy into activism and education to curling up inside my shell and not thinking about it at all. I feel guilty for not engaging with politics in those latter moments -- I'm aware that I'm able to do that because I'm part of the privileged part of society. I also oscillate there around being ashamed of being privileged and being empowered / activated by it. [I wish that I felt more solid with myself in this regard, and that it didn't depend so much on with whom I'm speaking at the moment.] Sometimes, I really feel like I can use my privilege to stand up for the people who can't stand up for themselves. At other times, I want to find parts of myself that aren't privileged -- socio-economic class, religion, gender -- and exploit those so that I can identify with the underrepresented parts of society.

Saying goodbye to Obama and cringing at The truth of our countries anger, image issues and violence. The truth is that it’s not a surprise he now has a seat in office, that people-almost EVERYONE seems to swallow the chaos and poop out a digested version into a US Playdough mold of Trumps hair and wear it. His rhetoric and has been the rhetoric of the US for a hundred years is catchy and is has spread throughout the world. The racism that still exists hurts so deeply it’s almost paralyzing. The tragedies of those killed and the uprising has led to great moments of clarity that seem to be washed down the drain quickly. We seem to be hitting critical mass and it doesn’t look like pro-humanity os our trajectory That being said, there are millions who are working diligently to change things. Our climate, our world is full of so many amazing people. All people really. All amazing. I just don’t like a lot of them. But I’m amazed by many and feel blessed to have been and continue to be exposed to their art, there spiritual teaching, their walking down the street with there kid and smoking a cigarette. Nancy Cole’s father died and I saw what a life well lived looks like. An accomplished physician friend father husband who touched thousand of hearts and minds. And blessed to have been able to do so most likely because he was meant to and he was afforded these opportunities. Free will is a wonderful thing. It also wreaks havoc. Love wins in the hearts of those who love

How is it possible that 53% of voting white women vote Republican, and how is it possible that a sufficient amount of electoral college voters landed on Trump? This man has unleashed Pandora's box of unbridled terrorism on Black and brown citizens and immigrants. He praises police brutality and baits other world leaders (looking at you, North Korea) to annihilate us all. How was this possible, and how is it still happening? When Bush Jr was re-elected, I was completely shocked and dismayed that my views could possibly be the minority in this country, but now I am horrified and terrified by what kind of racist, xenophobic, species-killing "values" this man espouses. Our nation and the world can do better. How has it impacted me? Just a reminder of the many ways I am indeed privileged...yet perhaps I will concede those privileges in solidarity as the alt-right, neo-Nazi, white supremacists demand us to take sides. I do not stand with them. I rise for the righteous, ethical, multicultural, woman-centered, equitable truth that Black Lives do indeed Matter, precisely because all lives matter - you fucking nitwits! Ooh, the anger. And let's not even talk about the shifting tectonic plates. The Earth is moving.

Even though the world has gone crazy I feel that I have desensitised to it and it no longer impacts on me.

Ugh - again, the fucking election. How? Why? I think those answers are self-evident.

So many world events have impacted me this year - they have made my heart heavy. I’ve felt lost with the outcomes of our US elections and I've felt hurt with the way our country is turning backwards; I’ve seen many people struggle; I’ve experienced too much stress, pressure, and anxiety. I’ve watched our world fall apart and my heart has broken. I’ve sometimes felt powerless; powerless as an individual, powerless as a part of a great nation, just powerless ... I want to take action and lead us from darkness but am uncertain as to how to do so. As a teacher I've been trying my best to lead by example, especially when so many of my students fear deportation or racial profiling to cause them harm on a daily basis under our new presidency. It's hard to get up and face the day sometimes ... my students and my own three children are what help me to move forward - they need the example that there is still good in the world. Perhaps that is my part I play. Perhaps that is my power.

The inauguration of the 45th president of the United States has impacted me in every single way. It affects the work my clients do, which affects the work my firm does. It affects my neighbors and my cities and my friends. It affects my relationships with other people. It forced a existential crisis of sorts for many people. How this will truly affect everyone is still to be decided, but this is something we are all reckoning with.

Good Lord, lets just get the elephant in the room out of the way: the election of Donald Trump. He'd be happy to know so many people are talking about him as an impactful event. That night I went to bed astonished and woke up the next morning terrified. The election day protests were the first time I've felt like my safety might've actually been in danger while doing my job. I walked 32 miles that weekend trying to keep up with protestors, staying out until 2 in the morning some nights. I remember feeling like there had to be a recount, something had to change, because this couldn't be real. It's been 10 months. People are still talking about impeachment, but who knows what horrifying action it will take for a republican congress to finally look at their president and admit failure. Maybe he'll fuck an intern. Maybe he already has. Charlottesville especially rocked me. People in my circle told me when they heard the chants of "jews will not replace us," they were thinking about me, worried about my safety as a Jewish woman. The video of James Alex Fields Jr. driving full-speed into a crowd of people still twists my stomach. Now there's someone openly wearing a swastika armband in Seattle. Like this is truly an era where white supremacy, nationalism, and neonazism feel comfortable to crawl out of the woodwork, and then when people try to push them back down, they are reprimanded. News stories cant even break without people insisting facts are just opinions or lies. We are in a time where the paradox of tolerance has never made more sense. I don't think we're made to process human suffering on this scale. I'm not sure what that means for the next 5 months, but I find it hard to be alone to think about these things. Politically, I can no longer think about the future, because I have absolutely no idea what next week will bring. I think, eventually, we will recover, but for now, I am painfully aware I am living in a history textbook, and thinking of the future just makes me afraid. I cant wait to read this in a year.

Donald Trump is the president of the United States of America. It's an embarrassment. It's sickening. It's a total fucking disaster. A PBS special about the Viet Nam war is on in the background as I type this. I can watch that and know that we - meaning the world, whoever is left - will get to the other side of this regime. It'll be an era, like Viet Nam or The Depression. It'll pass. But my god. People are living so much fear - Trump supporters, immigrants, minorities, environmentalists, women...everyone has something to fear, something to lose right now.

Korea. Trump's election. Hilary's Hijack of the Dem Party. Season 3 Rick and Morty. Sums it up, people

Who would've known Trump would actually become president... This nation was founded on racism, so while I'm not surprised, I'm still disappointed. Nazis marching to save confederate statues and rhetoric that taking a knee is more offensive than police brutality against POC. White fragility is so fragile. We white folks have so much work to do. We need to tune in and learn our REAL nation's history. It's a far cry from heroic and admirable. The nitty gritty details of how our country (read:government) has treated our land's indigenous peoples is atrocious...and it doesn't get better as you comb through this nation's birth. This nation was built on the backs of POC.

Oh god. This year. Trump, nazis, hurricanes, earthquakes, DACA, refugee bans. Ugh. There's so much wrong that I can barely think about it without shutting down.

The US election has been utterly shocking, disheartening and confusing. For me, it has shaken my faith in my fellow Americans and called into question to desire to remain an American.

The election of Donald Trump and all the chaos that has followed. The man is a liar, a narcissist, a bully. He lacks morality and acts unethically. He continues to divide this country through his actions and his rhetoric. I worry that we will never be the same, that America will lose its way and that the evil forces in the world and in our country will prevail.

Ugh. I bet I know what everyone in the US is going to say to this one. I can't even say it, but it definitely has been impactful. I have been on a media blackout since December, tho, and that has made me a calmer and happier person. I still catch the occasional headline on a TV at the gym or on the morning radio shows, and I take it in, process it, and move on with my day. I do not have to get hung up on the insanity that takes place daily here. I will not let it get me down.

Trump being elected. The rise of greater division in the world. Realization of the continued slavery, sexual and others that affects all nuances of life. I feel frighentend and overwhelmed and an urgent need to make a difference

none. i don't really pay attention to world events. if i dedicated 1 minute for each "important" world event (whatever is on the media), i'd spend many many minutes doing nothing. why? i don't think i'm empathic...

Most recently, the earthquake in Mexico City. C1 and I were in DF when this happened and we came out unscathed. There have been so many natural disasters, tragedies (including Trump becoming president) but this one was very close to home. It gave us a new sense of purpose and gratitude that I hope to carry with me on a daily basis.

The protests in Charlottesville were heartwrenching for me this summer. This was the most in your face anti-semitism I had ever experienced since deciding to become a Jew. I had never seen such organized hate. The fear our community experienced was only compounded by a president who refused to condemn those who terrorized us. The very day of the protests I bought my first kippah because I decided I wasn't going to hide. I was going to make myself more visible. I picked a kippah with doves on it for peace. I know I'm joining a hated minority but I won't let that keep me from practicing my faith.

Ohhh wow. The election. Trump becoming President. Russia waging a cyber-war on us and NO ONE CARES. I no longer believe our country is able to take care of itself or that our democracy is at all functional. So, I suppose I lost another large piece of my innocence. I knew before the election that our country was racist, that we are all racist, but I feel it more acutely now. I feel pulled toward more social justice activism instead of environmental activism, though I still feel a sharp dread of what climate change is going to do to us as a species. Everything just feels so urgent all at the same time.

Trump getting elected made me so depressed I got fired? I mean, I think that's why, it's not clear, but yeah, that and the rise of fascism in the US.

The election of Donald Trump was an event that was of huge interest to me even though I am far removed physically from the USA. The persona of the man and those who voted him in piqued my interest. From outside,we see the US as strong, powerful, innovative, creative, high energy and passionate. Being a county formed by immigrants it has always been open to diversity and immigration. How can such a great country turn to looking inwards so fast. How can a land of abundance and energy become so protective. I guess its because American's don't know how blessed they are. They have everything but are still not happy and want more. An impractical solution would be to fly some of them down here to India or to Africa where they can see how tough life can be and how difficult is it just to survive. Then they will know how good they have it back home. The USA is a great country, but its trying to do a transplant where perhaps only a band-aid is enough.

When Trump was elected I think I had an actual panic attack. I've never had one before- never even thought they could happen to me. Just the thought of someone leading this country who is so misogynistic, inconsiderate, naive to actual problems, and incapable of making choices for people he knows nothing about put me over the edge.

The Presidential Election of 2016. I come from a strong family of Republicans, and it was tough living in the city of Dems and my teacher was being awful! Inauguration day was so fun! My friends and teachers cried but we had a party! We ate tacos, sang songs, and went to see LaLa Land! Woot woot, Ryan Gosling!

This country elected a moron president. I am horrified by his actions and heart-sick for this country on a daily basis. I traded in my car for a hybrid because he denies climate change and I am trying to figure out what else one person can do to help correct all the damage he is doing- to the unity of this country, to the environment, to our politics and policies, etc.

Last year, I wrote that I expected to be writing during the tenure of the first female president of the United States. Instead, I find myself still unable to comprehend that Donald Trump is in the White House! I feel that this election rsesult is one in a chain of events indicating that the experiment we know as "Democracy" is on the wane. I work not to give in to feelings of despair that we are winessing the rise of the fools and haters, who are the actual (no longer silent) majority in the developed world

Trump. Do I have to explain myself?

When Trump became President. Because i am a African American male in his early 20's. When he became president people around the country started feeling brave . For example they started to be racist to all different kinds of race that wasn't white. This just makes me so sad that when he became president America Started to fight against each other and that is never a good sign.

Drumpf's election.

the election of donald trump in the UShas forced me to work harder at understanding, compassion and has continued to support the knowledge that as eric says, no one else thinks like me! i have become quite aware of the miner of people who support his beliefs. and it als has helped me remain aware of my own values, beliefs and driving forces

Trump getting elected President was disappointing and depressing. I live overseas and it has been such a struggle to answer the questions "How did that happen?" and "What is America doing?!" for both myself and others who ask. The headlines surrounding him make me cringe or rage, alternatively. The most shocking experience I had this year was with a woman behind the counter of the nearby gas station, who asked in a rather horrifyingly gleeful voice, "So you are going to war?" Shocked, I stared at her blankly for a moment, so she prompted, "With North Korea?" She didn't differentiate between bluster and reality. Trump walks such a fine line between fiction and reality anyway that it's hard to say how close we are every day to some unrevokable action and horrible consequences. It's terrifying.

The world turned upside down at the start of 5777, and at its end, we saw hurricanes and earthquakes tear our part of the world apart. The world has changed irrevocably. And we must now learn to live in this new era.

Participating in the Women's March was very inspiring, moving, and uplifting. Since then, I've backed away from all of this inspiration and wondered if I truly care or if I just feel like so much will go on as is no matter what I do or say.

Climate change has affected me this year. Seeing and understanding all of the different things we could be doing to make it better for future Generations has affected some of my daily choices.

Recently, the Mexico City Earthquake. That place is my fourth home, and I have many friends there. The feeling of helplessness. I could not do anything for them here. I just wanted to be there and help around. It is making me re-think my life.

Is ANYONE not talking about the Trump election for this one? I've never been more shocked, truly rattled, deep to my core and beyond. I believed in my heart of hearts that I'd be witnessing the first female President of the United States sworn in come 2017. Instead I had to behold a spectacle and a disgrace. I am happy to live overseas during all this as being in the US - with its constant TV news coverage - would probably break me. I get enough from social media and online news, and just hearing his voice can sour my entire day. I am currently reading Hillary's newest book, What Happened, and it both fuels my fury and comforts me in equal doses. I hope it'll shed some light on how she - and I, and women, and sentient voters - can proceed from here.

Climate change in general, more specifically; * The blatant stupidity of Trump c.s. who are denying everything about global warming and are harming the planet and all living beings on it. * The impact of Hurricane Irma on amongst others St. Maarten. If we do nothing about global warming, we will get more and stronger hurricanes in the future. Finally, all the interesting but extremely scary articles I read about worst case climate change scenarios. This has motivated me even further to work on creating a sustainble future and habitable earth for everyone. It is more urgent than ever and I hope there is still a window of time to change things for the better.

Trump's election. Horrifying. And his presidency is living up to our worst fears.

Hurricanes and the animals...my heart is broken for everyone and the animals that had to be left tied up and just abandoned

There has been so much hate speech that it's beginning to feel as though hate is our new currency. It's difficult not to feel targeted, loathed for begin different. It's made me more hesitant to share myself and my truths with others. Watching what's going on around the world, hate that is being fueled by our own president, can become quite disheartening.

The continued move towards allowing anyone in the world to come into our country illegally and then not be required to do anything to change their legal status.Yet many feel these people should be allowed to vote, drive, etc. just like citizens of our nations. There is a process that has been in place for over one hundred years and this process must be maintained.

Two big hits are Trump winning the US presidency and now the current postal vote on gay marriage in Australia. Both show me that kindness cannot be taken for granted and that you can't rely on society to look after the broader interest. These both stink of self-interest, point scoring and a dumbing down of public discourse. They both show a lack of empathy and understanding.

Oh the wold. 2017. Charlottesville. Bomb threats on Jewish institutions. Nazis. Brokenness everywhere. The election, the inaugaration, the women's march...coping with significant guilt that I'm not doing ANYTHING in the resistance, along with not a small degree of apathy - I feel really powerless, so why does it matter what I do? I love the small corner of my world, and that takes up so much time and energy.

I think the Manchester bombing at the Ariana Grande concert hugely affected me because when I was young we were used to terror attacks and I don't want this generation to go through the same thing. It upsets me still that those kids had to experience that

There are so many, as I think everyone can agree. Trump's inauguration was big, emboldened Nazi's marching, natural disasters across the world, ramped up nuclear discourse, etc. My response to the onslaught of overwhelming events is to turn away, try to find purchase, and to feel like I am not responding appropriately to anything at all. It's forcing me to go small and to think about planting seeds of change where I can, rather than worrying about solving the huge problems all at once.

This year Trump was elected our 45th president. He is devisive to say the least. We've seen in increase in hate and rascism and it's so sad and upsetting. He is not my president and does nto represent me.

The Trump election... what else could have had as big an impact. Makes me nervous for what could be coming in terms of war, the economy and at home.

The election of Donald Trump as president has been very deeply disturbing to me. I did not realize how much hate there was lying under the surface of the American population. It is sad. It is scary. It is very deeply disturbing. I am most disturbed by the levels of hate people seem to have for one another in our country, whether it is race, sexuality, or gender. I guess I was living in some fantasy world where I thought we were so much closer to being tolerant if not accepting of each other as human beings. It feels like we as a nation took a huge step backward.

The election and inauguration of Trump. What a flipping disaster.

Besides Hurricane Irma, whose eye passed over us and we are still recovering from, the events in Charlottesville. There is no excuse for white supremists/nationalists. It makes me scared for where we live, here in a very anglo christian area. We have a president who has made it acceptable to be a bully and white nationalist.

My worst nightmare actually happened and that mos yet we call Trump is in the White House. The day after the election it was as if we were all in mourning. It took months to even be able to read the news. Every day is some new insane antic. Everyone is worried-- at least anyone who is paying attention. For the first time in my life I worry for the sustainability of my government. I believe he is putting irreparable strain on the foundation of democracy and I don't know what it will look like. I find myself hiding out. Watching more tv and less news. It's beyond comprehension.

In truth, every event impacts me these days - from hurricanes to earthquakes to conflicts to refugees. I feel overwhelmed by the way the world seems to be working these days. I feel complacent even though I am doing more than I used to do address what is happening in the world (I think). But I think the biggest impact is what I wrote about last year - my concerns about the US elections. The results of those elections have had such a negative impact on the rest of the world, and of course on this country.

Donald Trump's ascendancy to the Presidency and the subsequent demise of all values I hold dear. The man, his family, his politics are nothing less than a national travesty and an embarrassment. It is my greatest hope that the good people of this country rise and rid ourselves of his brand of divisiveness and hate. However, he has unveiled terrible divisions in our country that cannot be ignored.

President Trump's election. Revulsion, disgust, disappointment, apathy, horror. Repeat.

I'm sorry to say that the topic is the same as last year and the event has been more impactful to the United States and to the world than we had imagined or feared. 45 is a nightmare as president. It's evident to the psychiatric community that he is a pathological liar and narcissist. He's presenting himself to his "base" (never was that word more appropriate) as a nationalist and racist. His first speech to the U.N. included threats to North Korea. His cabinet members are all committed to the destruction of the systems they are intended to oversee. The DOJ is finding more and more proof of his connections with Russia and their interference in the election. This is a very short list of concerns, which are multitudinous. Books will be written.

The election of Trump. It's made me lose faith in the intelligence of most humans. I can't understand why anyone would think he's a good choice. It's made me with draw from reading about anything political.

The election! Can't count the ways! Americas reputation as a moral leader is quickly eroding. We are a laughing stock..... I dearly hope this man is out of office quickly!

Donald Trump was elected president and the "alt right", with its antisemitism and protectionism has a grip on us all. The rest of us struggle to effectively fight this ignorance and bullying. Still, the right continues to gain power throughout the world. It saddens me that so many humans are struggling to survive, to find clean water, to find food to eat, to get an education while rich narcissists and ignorant young men simply want what they want when they want it, with no empathy.

I think the latest elections probably impacted my life more than most other things. It was a positive impact.

Oh Lordy. In the world? All the suffering of everyone from disasters, natural (earthquake in Mexico) and man-made (stronger hurricanes). My mental health has taken a hit with Donald Trump in the White House. This hasn't affected just me, but millions of people are having issues, my therapist says many many people are seeing her, and her friends in the field, with anxiety, sleeplessness, real fear over what this madman will do .

The horror of the election and its aftermath. I am so sad. sad for America, sad for women, sad for minorities. I don't know this country anymore. And I am ashamed of us.

The freaking election. I felt like we were driving in a rickety but somewhat functional car, making bumpy but generally forward progress, and then a bunch of us grabbed the wheel and drove the whole thing off a cliff.

The election of Trump. It has me extremely disappointed in my fellow Americans. I am anxious that this is the beginning of an awful dictatorship from which the county will not recover.

It has been a very momentous and decidedly negative year for world news, but what has had the greatest impact on me was the election of Trump. I was (and am) shocked and disgusted. It really opened my eyes to how racism and discriminatory white America still is, to what many minorities have been struggling with and trying to tell us all along. It has put a wedge between me and some of my nuclear family. I have become far more politically active - attending multiple protests/demonstrations and contacting my representatives about some of the subsequent terrible legislature. It has also catalyzed my desire to convert to Judaism. I have a Jewish spouse and toddler, head a Jewish household, am active in a local congregation, and have lived a Jewish life for many years but had yet to officially convert. I will not live as a non-Jew any longer just because it will make my (relationship with my racist) family more comfortable.

I think everyone has been affected negatively by Trump winning the election and making it okay for all the closet racists, homophobes, misogynists and other hateful groups to feel more comfortable spewing their venom. I feel less valued and more targeted as a Jewish woman. I feel even more compelled than usual to show "allyship" be active in standing up for and with people of colour, people of Muslim faith, folks who are LGBTQ, and anyone who is marginalized. I participated in #BlackLivesMatter this year and I hope to do more with them; I don't plan on visiting the US anytime soon and the world just feels like it's going backwards instead of forwards with some of the asinine policies being made, legislation being repealed and civil rights being eliminated. Civil rights have never felt so important to me than at this point in time. I've always been more of a passive activist, participating in rallies and talking the talk, but now I know it's time to walk the talk and DO more than just say the words and express solidarity. A bunch of us marched in the Women's march in January after the election, and it felt good knowing that SO MANY people, not just women, were just as compelled to show up and be counted as those who weren't going to sit and take this change in leadership from a true, thoughtful, diplomatic leader to a hateful bully who has no skill in diplomacy or foreign policy.

Trump. It's all about Trump. I despise the man. I think he is a disgrace to our country, to the world, and to humanity. I've hated him for 30 years, since I worked in NYC and had to see his smug asshole face in the news just about every day. I keep waiting for the 40% of the country that supports him no matter what to wake the fuck up and admit that they made a colossal mistake, but I don't think that will happen. If I had to pick an event that pushed me even further over the edge in my disgust for the douchbag in chief, it would be his response to the events in Charlottesville, VA. Our president is a pig of a person, unable to condemn racism and Antisemitism and bigotry when he sees it. And seeing the marching neo Nazis dickheads sickened me. The whole thing is a cluster and makes me ashamed that so many Americans are like that. I've been seeing Confederate flags in NYS. WTF is that all about? Scary what we've come to as a country, and I blame Trump for much of it.

The piece of shit cheeto that's in the White House has definitely brought a lot of worry and heartbreak into my life, but it has reignited a fire in Kiara and I, one that I thought I lost with my youth. Between Trump and the nazis & other white supremacists, the cracks in our society are showing more and more every day. We're preparing ourselves to resist, both within and without the system. Just so this thing isn't a complete downer, I proposed to Kiara on New Year's Day. 2016 was such a rough year that I didn't want the proposal to be linked to it. I wanted to start 2017 in the best way possible, and I succeeded.

Trump became President. It's unthinkable. I wasn't a big Hillary fan either. But Donald Trump. Every day, I feel sick to my stomach when I think about it. He is causing the divides in our country to become stronger and more visible every minute. He taunts other world leaders such as North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un. He makes President Bush look like a genius. On the positive side, he is following his speeches better because he now has no idea what he is talking about so it's harder for him to go off-course. He still has Twitter so there is that.

The many hurricanes and earth quakes Globally and through the collective consciousness my heart is heavy seeing the destruction and devastation Personally thus effected my cruise in December- we can no longer visit St Marten so instead we will be docking at St Kitts

I voted for a woman in the Presidential Election. Amazing! Awesome and inspiring. It kept taking me back to middleschool when Nick Salerni said a woman would never represent a party in a presidential election. I feel so vindicated! Yes! It was a joyous event to cast my ballot and I was so elated. Thinking about it makes me smile and I visualize it. It was just so great.

The election of Trump. It has depressed me. Made me angry. I am still surprised and outraged that he won. I think he is doing harm to the country. It renewed my desire to get involved, although, truth be told, I've not done much except march and make some phone calls. I am become quite angry at those who support him. I do not see them as whole human beings, rather in a single dimension, and I loath them for that dimension. And at times, I do not like myself for my narrow-mindedness towards them. I try to be more open, but find myself falling short.

The election of Trump. A stupid, vile, bigoted, venal man who is attempting to roll back all of the progress of the last half century. He plans to destroy the housing and community development programs that have been my life's work, and not a single person in his own party seems ready yet to stand up to him. We have made so much progress over those years - I am sad that it's come to this and I'm ready to fight to make sure he doesn't get his wish.

See answer to Day 1. the election has caused so much fear I'm being ambushed from all sides. Focus on whether the football players are kneeling for the National Anthem, oh while you're doing that, we're going to try for Muslim Ban 3.0, and by the way, we've got war jets screaming past North Korea, and we're going to try (again) to get rid of the first try at national health care. People talk about being "woke". I don't want to be woke anymore. Hubs and I were talking and he said, "I feel like being aware of what is going on is good for me, but I just can't do it without going crazy." We both agreed that disconnecting from news and national information is a good thing (dare I say psychologically) but I think it's scary not knowing. If you don't speak out, are you implicitly saying you support what is going on?

I think the biggest event in the world that has impacted me would be the racial divide this country is going through. Creating opportunity is something that I have always fought for. Not basing that opportunity on the color of ones' skin. The world is pushing that way though. I fear that I will lose that hope in the apathy around my circumstances. I am white. I am male. I am not the enemy. I feel working for a non-profit has created a negative mindset in my life. Why do we say we want to help everyone, but decide that we are the judge and jury with who deserves the help. What if we were more like the church and loved everyone in ever corner. This event has really just changed my way of thinking. For something that I have cared about for so long, it amazes me that I have let a non-profit create apathy in my heart.

Where to start? Trump's inauguration still has me reeling. I keep waiting for him to make a decision that is fair and just. I am not holding my breath.

The election has deeply impacted me. My anxiety has been higher than it's been in years, and I'm constantly fighting feeling hopeless. It's also made us really examine our privilege and try to figure out ways we can help. I don't think we've done as much as we maybe could have, but we've been doing more than before, which was really nothing.

Trump became president! The general permission to be racist and in your face affects everyone in North America and maybe around the world. Aside from constant news about his missteps and aggressive tweets and generally objectionable behaviour, it also fosters other racist events. Personally i find that conversation always gets around to him and pushes other news off the radar, real events like a hurricane in southeast Asia! I look for more civil society.

Wow. This is the question I was dreading. Reading back over last year's answers and how hopeful I felt about the election... that was horrible. I still feel numb and angry and terrified that this actually happened, almost a year later. Trump becoming president, and maybe more importantly Hillary NOT becoming president, have dramatically changed my world view. So many surreal and awful things have happened as a result: the emboldening of Nazis (marching openly in the US in 2017!), the Russia investigation, etc. It's just too much to deal with. I feel this residual nausea and dread and anger all the time now, and I don't know if it will every go away. Trying to find silver linings- this has brought me much closer to some of my coworkers. It motivated me to get back into volunteering, in only a small way, but still- that's what I can give right now. But honestly, there is very little in the way of positives. I am very upset by how easy it is for me to bury my head in the sand and ignore things, and how hard it is for me to meaningfully contribute to the "resistance." I still can't tell how crazy my general feeling of doom is. I am vaguely thankful for Trump's incompetence- this could be a lot worse. But it's still pretty awful. And that's not even touching on climate change and the impact of this horrific hurricane season. That's not touching on the travel ban, or escalating police violence against minorities, or the deportation of parents awaiting surgery for their child, or the numerous and increasingly horrible ACA repeal attempts. I don't know what to say or how much to say or anything. I just wish that I still felt hope, that I still felt like my child had a chance at growing up in a peaceful and happy world. But I don't.

Donald Trump being sworn in as president. It really dealt a blow to my faith in my fellow citizens that they would fall for his populist, xenophobic, nationalistic rhetoric. I was deeply distressed for the first few months. Now I am able to see others - even who may have voted for him - standing up and decrying his positions. He does not represent the America I love. He is a complete opportunist. I do not say that he is mentally ill, because that doesn't give him enough credit. He knows exactly what he is doing. He is cunning in a way that most dictators through history have been. We will not stand for him.

The election of Donald Trump. Both that single event and the many moments since then. I would imagine that is how many people are answering this question this year. The election itself and the days following it were devastating. The next morning was a dark day. The mood was somber. Alyson and Cat both spoke about how they had spoken with their children and attempted to explain what had happened. Meetings that day were venting sessions and group therapy. The older people in the room felt that it might not end up being so bad. Months later, on a conference call, they all agreed that had turned out much worse than what they had imagined. I think it has turned out just as horribly as I imagined it would. I guess I probably had a higher hope that nuclear war wasn't going to so casually become a potential outcome from a UN speech or a press conference. Otherwise, it has been exactly as horrible as I imagined. Open racism, violence, dismantling of equal protection, and destruction of environmental rules. This could all be a good thing. Perhaps we will learn about the threat to our way of life that had been lurking just beneath the surface. But I think it's more like Pandora's box- once this bad gets out, it's hard to put back away.

Everything Donald Trump has done within the last year has negatively affected my life and mental health. I am consistently so disappointed with our country, its extreme racism/misogyny/homophobia that I question whether or not I want to continue living here, or what my future even looks like. While I've had a good year on a personal level, politically it's been tumultuous and infuriating.

Donald Trump being elected as president shocked me out of my bubble. It changed my entire outlook on politics. I knew our country was divided, but I had no idea how much. I'm sad by the amount of hate in our world right now. Working in the Jewish community, I hesitate to tell strangers what I do for work. For the first time, I'm genuinely scared for the future.

Hurricane Harvey really brought the devastation of a natural disaster home for me-- I didn't realize how people could be that affected until I had family who went through it. I don't have much, but I gave as much as I could.

I have to talk about the election of the US president as one of the most upsetting things that happened this year as it caused me to be angry and feeling very upset for a great deal of time. The feelings are now of resignation to the stupidity of the American voters and hope that he will be kept in check by the systems that are in place to curtail any criminal and treasonous activity.

The election of Donald Trump has profoundly impacted me, as it has millions of others. It has been a dark and challenging change for the US and the world. His election has caused a major rift in the country, and has emboldened a number of people to embrace and engage in hateful behavior. Conversely, it has also encouraged many, many people to become active in the political process to combat his agenda.

Trump became president of the U.S. I have become even more negative, pessimistic, fatalistic, and generally down on everything & everyone. I've given up hope for humans finding common ground & for the survival of civilized culture in this country.

I mean. The election. Donald Trump is president and that is crushing, demoralizing, dread-inducing. It's led me to focus less on the news and castle intrigue out of Washington, quit Facebook and Twitter, and focus on the friends and family I truly love. I'm trying harder to see and take opportunities to help individual people in my community. I'm trying to do less, but make what I do more meaningful.

This horrible election. Screw Donald Trump. Luckily the impact of my life is minimal at the moment - but for those that are impacted, my heart aches for you and the struggles that have come with this horrible president. We have to continue to fight against him.

Much like last year I think the event that most impacted me this year was the r esults of the 2016 election. I've never seen a more divided country with more boundaries on what you can and cannot do. I try to stay away from politics and as neutral as possible but sometimes it is very hard. I hate watching this division, especially on social media. One positive thing is that I feel as though I am more into my views and I will stand up for them more.

Probably the biggest event this year is that Donald Trump was elected President of the United States of America. This event has caused an incredible impact, not just on America, but on the entire world. It has motivated many to action, and sparred many movements, such as the Women's March on Washington that I was able to attend in January. I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to attend that event and have never been a part of something so great. To be surrounded, shoulder to shoulder, with so many sisters and brothers who said that they would stand with me and not allow my fellow citizens of this world to be taken advantage of.

The election of our president has affected me very negatively. The man seems obsessed with his ego and not what's best for our country. He is obsessed with what makes him look like he is looking after our country but I do not think he realizes he is not taking very good care of us. This week he has had words with North Korean leader and now they are threatening war and taking his stupid tweets as an act of War which only Congress can do. I pray that things change quickly and that there is a possible solution to this. I will hold mr. Trump personally responsible for any American who dies because of the stupid tweets he put out this week.

I still can't get over Donald Trump being president. It has revealed a lot about our county. I understand we can have different viewpoints on things, but we need to somehow figure out a way to get along. We aren't doing this and I don't think he's helping us do this.

Ohmahgawd, are you kidding me? The 2016 election was a nightmare. I became deperessed and anxious. I was scared for all of us on the left, for Jews, for POC, for women, for the poor, for everyone who was not included in Trump's base, and who are actively hated or blamed by his base. I felt a range of emotions immediately after, I often still feel the same emotions. The silver lining is that it movtivated me to become more vocal, and more politically active. I'm still stressed out by the reality of his presidency, but I am focused on resisting and being as politically active as I can be.

The election of Trump has had a profound impact on me. I've been frightened and horrified to learn how many Americans espouse racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and other forms of hatred and inequity, and how many are comfortable w policy and actions that hurt their neighbors and family members. I have been working my whole life for more justice and equity, and to learn how deeply the opposition resents and fears change makes me see how naive and advantaged I've been.

The election of Donald trump and resulting shitty world was so much worse than I could have imagined. If last year was oppressive this year looks like a wasteland. But in this epically difficult time I see people I care about fighting for what they believe in. They are fraying around the edges becoming crazy about things that would be ignored otherwise. Im concerned, Im worried about the people effected, and Im taking actions where I can. There needs to be more.

Trump was elected. It's been terrible. I am anxious all the time

The November 2016 election has changed absolutely everything. At this time last year I thought Hillary Clinton would be the first female president, but that could not be further from what happened. Trump’s term as President has been disastrous so far. Republicans seem to have no human decency. Nazis are a thing again. There are huge hurricanes and fires. It seems like the Earth itself is rejecting what is happening. I have no idea what to do.

Equifax being hacked and our personal info put at risk. Again. I immediately signed up for ID Theft Defense through Primerica to be monitored and protected. Only $22 for a family, but still, a cost I resent having to pay. Another instance of a high-handed company not doing its job well. I have disliked credit bureaus for years since they never seem to do their job well, and when they foul up they make the consumer fix the problem. The closest to a dictatorship I experience as an American.

Trump was elected as President. It's very confusing times. Everyone is on opposite ends of the spectrum and don't bother asking anyone a question (to better educate yourself and understand where people are coming from) because you'll instantly regret it. There's a lot of contradiction and one-sided opinions. "What's ok for one person, isn't for another. Fly this flag but not that one. Agree with me or you're the spawn of Satan (but not the religious kind). You must be open to everyone's experiences and life situations - but only if your viewpoint sides with mine..." Craziness.

Trump's election. I worry for the world my children will grow up in. I believe in acceptance and equality and this presidency has allowed every racist, bigoted, hate filled individual to spew their vitriol without fear. I hate that the president is a showman and not someone who actually cares about the country or the job. I have always been proud of America. Now, I'm worried about living here.

The election of our current US President has created what I perceive to be a tremendous level of uncertainty. - I know and have worked with immigrants on work visas and green cards. When they consider skipping a trip home for fear that they wont be allowed to return to their home/jobs/friends I empathize with their concerns. - When the President gets into a war of words with another nation's leader and they threaten to nuke each other... - When the President threatens to simply stop trading with the largest and most rapidly industrializing nation in the world who provides us with so many of our basic goods and the foundational building blocks of our locally manufactured goods... How am I to be confident in the stability of my country, my job, my income, my investments, my access to goods and services? How do I make plans around this level of instability?

The Presidency of Donald Trump has impacted the world, not just myself. It has brought the inequalities and prejudices that have been trying to hide in our country into laser sharp focus, it has motivated progressives from complacency to action, and it has driven home the importance of showing up and standing up for what you believe in.

The election in November. It feels like the world fell apart at the seems, and I no longer know what kind of world I'm in and what is going on with the people in this country, and I've never felt so unsure about the future of the people here or around the globe. Scary things are happening, and it just seems to be getting worse and more intense. I've located my activist side, and I've started to realize where I draw lines in the sand over my values, but I find it increasingly difficult to feel hopefully about the future of my world.

The election of President Trump has vastly impacted me. It's made me more politically aware, it's made me a lot more active on social issues. I'm no longer passive. I think it's because I can't stand by and watch as things fall apart around me. I always had an idea of what I would do if I were around during WWII, and now's my chance.

In all honesty, I'm starting to become desensitized to a lot of the dark, grim things happening around us. I've always had a problem focusing on world issues and the bigger picture because of my depression - I'm so caught up in helping myself and functioning as a person that it's hard for me to see things in a larger scope. I'd like to work on that in the coming year.

oh my word, Donald Trump. add this before sending to the vault: many events this year were frightening, most recently Las Vegas, hurricanes, and earthquakes where folks are suffering. Having leadership to inspire the country at this time would help to make the world better. sadly we do not have that leadership.

The election of Donald Trump has made me feel that the future of this country is grim and it may not be worth trying to make things better since people are so stupid and hateful and hellbent on vengeance.

Donald Trump was elected president. The man is horrible, vile and a menace to the country. He is trying to bully private citizens and other countries. He is going to cause us to go to war; this impacts me because of my family in the military, my boyfriend's job on the coast guard base and for our country as a whole. He is cutting funding for many programs, trying to take healthcare back to the dark ages and destroy women's rights. I weep internally for my country and where this demon is taking us.

The ongoing destruction that the President of the ISA is causing with him remarks and actions. He is such a dick. He has had such a negative effect on hope. He makes liberals and immigrants feel unsafe. It’s been hard to maintain a sense of joy with him as president.

One month ago I would have rolled my eyes and just said "Donald Trump" who has made the world a very shaky place. A decidedly man made disaster. Then this past month, the Caribbean and southern US and Mexico were hit by an appalling sequence of natural, but likely also man-made, disasters in the form of deadly hurricanes, earthquakes and more hurricanes. The destruction has been unfathomable. Entire islands have been devastated - hard to imagine they will recover in my lifetime. Back to Donald Trump and his glib dismissal of climate change. His toothless base are right behind him, although one can only hope that the voters flooded out in Houston and Florida will think twice in 2018. And now, seemingly indifferent to the threat of all out nuclear war, he is playing a game of chicken with another dangerous toddler bully in North Korea. As long as he can get good ratings and be king of the castle, nya, nya, nya, nya...What else? The migrant refugees to Bangladesh and Europe continue to be a heartbreaking concern along with the increased racism and nativism that has come their way. Finally, the rising incidence of anti-semitism in Western Europe and the US is very worrisome, particularly as Donald Trump has enabled the racists, toothless or not. How the hell did any Jews vote for him?

The election of the president. It reduced my faith in human nature and the people of this country. I felt we were on the right track...getting better becoming more tolerant...but no. we are not. He has given people the allowance to be crude, rude racist and biogety, in ways that make me fear for my children and their future in this country. :-(

The presidential election seems to have left a lot of uncertainty in the world. It seems like the culture of hate is more prominent and it makes me nervous.

Ugh Donald Trump. Fuck Donald Trump. I don't even want to have this conversation.

The election of Trump has been life- altering. I'm fearful for the future and at the same time, exhilarated by the forces of good that I feel - the protests, the coming together. As R. David mentioned in his RH sermon, the cracks let the light in. I'm focusing on that.

HRC losing. That was horrible. It still is horrible. I hope next year it is less horrible, but I don't see how our country can move forward with our current leadership. I fear for the people in our country, for the minorities who face discrimination, for the persecuted who cannot find refuge here, for the civil servants who can no longer do their work, for the public programs which lack support, for the private citizens who feel disenfranchised. We are a country in mourning, and it is a very, very sad time. I only hope the damage we do can be undone at a future time.

Donald Trump became my president, and this has affected all of the United States, not just me. I am saddened that there are enough people in the world that felt that he was the better choice - an awful, terrible, man who says awful, terrible, childish things. Racism, antisemitism, and general hatred of "the other" are rearing their ugly heads, and he will not or cannot stand up and denounce their actions. He is pulling us into conflict with North Korea in a manner that I don't believe any other administration would, and I am afraid.

Trump as president. I couldn't sleep the night of the election. I was so upset and cried so much. It was a dark day, for sure. I am so deeply stressed, saddened, frustrated, enraged, [insert any adjective] every time he speaks or tweets. God, the tweets. What a joke of a man; we are the laughing stock of the world. Just for memory's sake: I laid on the couch for a few hours after the election. I was pretty inconsolable. I texted with my dad all night. He was pretty supportive and felt similarly, though he was less emotional. I had my internship early the next morning and everyone just worked in stunned silence. My preceptor, Emily, took me and the undergrad intern to Starbucks and just tried to process the whole situation. It was awful. After work I went out with friends to Crisp and we were pretty devastated. I think the hardest thing was accepting the reality on election day in November...but then also having to accept that you would just feel like shit again all over on Inauguration Day. I stayed home during his Inauguration but went to the Women's march the next day. It was the first day since the election that I didn't think all hope was lost. I'm scared and worried for the future of our country, but hoping by the time I read this next year Trump is impeached. Wishful thinking, but still!

Having spent a lot of time in northern Japan, I feel that North Korea's repeated missile tests near that area impacted me. Though its not clear that North Korea is declaring war on Japan, the chance that they might blow up something under the guise of testing things seems real. I dont really fear the threat of war in the US because things are so large and well defended here... plus we dont have close enemies. But North Korea is just a stones throw from Hokkaido, Japan which makes me worry about what could happen on a whim from "rocket man". I would be sad if the places and people I remember were gone.

When Trump won the election last November, I was shocked and despondent. I went to action groups, to connect with like-minded people and plan acts of resistance, but I've felt defeated throughout much of the year, and retreated into familiar disengagement. It's not that actions are beyond my ability, but that I don't believe in their efficacy - so I've not made those phone calls to representatives or turned up at numerous rallies across the Bay Area. I dip into the news to keep up with what's going on, and hope that the administration will dig itself into a terminal hole, but I'm sorry to say I have not disrupted my life that much to make a difference. My passivity feels like self-preservation, because full engagement is too anxiety-provoking. I have a general sense that the world has "jumped the shark," that we are on a downward spiral right now and normal rules of decent human engagement are extremely fragile. It makes me more cynical, and I am looking for a mode of existence that can restore my hope and sense of empowerment.

This has been a rough year to be in the world. While I was surprised that Trump won the election, I was not shocked. Everything that has happened since seems to mark a sort downward spiral for our country and for humanity in general. Coupled with all of the threats of war and natural disasters of late, I have felt very anxious, with an impending sense of doom. This has affected me physically-- I feel nauseous, lightheaded, short of breath, and concerned. I wake up in the middle of the night wondering what terrible calamity will tomorrow bring. What scares me most is that most people are feeling the doomsday flu these days.

Donald Trump. He has affected the entire world, not just my life. I feel like i have to be more woke then ever before, and it makes me sad that i have friends close to me who stand for nothing or in a worse case actually support him. Trump has single handedly divided this country even more than what i was before. breaks my heart.

The presidential elections was very impactful. It was a complete shock. I was so sure we were about to have our first female president. I was distraught. Waking up in a President Trump world felt post-apocalyptic. I felt like I didn't know who people were anymore if they could truly vote to support him. I felt so disheartened. It felt like everything I cared about was meaningless to others. I've devoted my life to service, but the election essentially punched me right in the heart. I have truly never felt so heartbroken. It has taken months to recover. Now we're living in this administration I think it was right to be so upset. Racism and anti-semitism are surging. The president seems to support it. And foreign affairs are abysmal at best. These are scary times.

Donald trump won! Ha! No surprise there. The event that sticks out in my mind though is hurricane Irma, a category 5 hurricane, that forced my children & I to evacuate our beautiful beach home not 2 weeks after we moved in! It was such an emotional week! Full of highs & lows. We ended up in Durham, NC. I was blessed incredibly through the whole process by more people than I can name. I saw God's hand moving on our behalf AND that was everything! Back home for a little more than a week now. No damage was sustained at our home but the neighborhood is ravagedravaged

Golly, I wonder what this one will be about. I'm writing this at 1:50pm on Monday, September 25, 2017, and a few hours ago North Korea's foreign minister called Trump's comments a "declaration of war" and said they would respond in kind. Maybe this'll turn into something, maybe it won't. It's just... what is there to say about Trump that hasn't already been said. He's an idiot, a narcissist, an egotist, a racist, a white supremacist... the list goes on and on. My only hope is that by this time next year (or close to it) he'll either be gone or on his way out. Then comes President Pence, who is more dangerous than Trump in so many ways, but at least we won't have to worry about him embarrassing us to such an absurd degree. I genuinely think it's human nature not to recognize a threat until it's too late. We did it with Trump, we're doing it with global warming. Human systems are not designed to be proactive, they're designed to be reactive.

The election and inauguration of Donald Trump as President of The United States of America has impacted me by causing me to reexamine my political views. I have been a moderate Republican for my entire adult life, a moniker I used to wear proudly. With all the divisiveness he has created with his Nationalistic rhetoric and hate filled speech has troubled me. This is not the America I know or what to see. It has created in me a great desire for dialogue and to listen more carefully to the views and needs of others, something I wish the President would do. I worry about the hate that is being stoked by his presidency and I am concerned for my son's generation that is coming to age during this time in our history.

One event in the world that has impacted me this year is my college roommate Jeremy's dad passing away. It's impacted me because I can image my Dad being gone and all the regrets I would have. Why it impacts me because I want a close relationship with my Dad and parents. It's a special connection and relationship that I want to be remembered.

The election of 45 to the White House and everything that's come from it has been one unmitigated disaster after another. I compare today's headlines with those of Germany in the 1930s and I find myself getting really worried and preparing to pack my bags.

The elections and Trump being president, feels like our country is going backwards and his outlook on immigrants is very scary and brings back memories of what it was like when we first moved here as immigrants.

The election of Donald Trump and the loss of Hillary Clinton had me questioning my own morals and values and my belief in democracy (still strong) as well as first world capitalism (not so much.) I've become increasingly socialist in my views.

Remember that election last year? That was a big deal. November 8, 2016. We won't soon forget that date. And Trump has proven himself to be about as horrible as we expected. He needs to get himself the hell off twitter and understand the world, but I also wouldn't mind him leaving. 2020 can't come soon enough, as far as politics are concerned. That election affected me personally quite a bit, too. It caused me to finally come out to my father, but it also through a wrench in one of my close friendships. We had a crazy week at school that week, with classes being cancelled and tests pushed back and professors struggling as much as students. Our country will take a long time to heal, but I believe we can get there. Once Trump is gone, of course.

A world event that has impacted me is the inauguration of the most incompetent man child that the world have ever seen to become president of the United States. This has affected me because the dipshit secretary of education he hired, Betsy, is ruining college education. That is all.

Omg...I cannot believe I'm putting this down again....but the unthinkable happened and Trump was elected. I refuse to honor him by his title. But the unthinkable has reminded me how racist so many people are and I have become super paranoid whenever I'm in situations without other minorities. It has removed a sense of security which I used to have, when I claimed to be color blind. As a woman of color, I cannot refuse to see the differences and I have to fight for the rights of myote marginazlied brothers and sisters. Because they are coming for me next.

The recent hurricane in the Caribbean apparently destroyed much of the US Virgin Islands, where Dave and I spent a week last December when I was scholar-in-residence at the Historical Synagogue in St. Thomas. Everything was so lush, gorgeous flowers of every color growing wherever we went. Now I worry about the Jewish community, especially from what little I see online. I fear for the St. Thomas historic synagogue and hope there wasn't too much damage. I have seen horrific photos of what's left of where we wen hiking and snorkeling on St. John and it fills me with sadness that we were among the last to see the Virgin Islands in its glory. How quickly something that seemed so permanent is gone. I realize there's much I take for granted that is actually more temporary than I assume. I need to stop and smell the roses, as the saying goes, and appreciate all the good things that can be so fleeting.

Trumperdink. Enough said.

The election of Donald Trump has caused me to become very very depressed about the state of our country, and really was a slap in the face about how bitter and backwards a large part of this country is. I honestly had no idea. I can't stand the news anymore, I wake up with dread every morning about the latest insult. I have trouble mustering up any optimism. I have lost faith in "checks and balances" of our government, and I don't really have any hope that he will be impeached or voted out of office. Which in turn makes it hard to muster up energy to fight or resist. It's all just so depressing.

The election has really impacted me, and made me more aware and scared of the politics of this country. Its also made me feel lie my voice is more important than ever.

It appears the almighty dollar has won and the 10 year project instituted by the Republicans is working

Mostly I'm just alarmed by the growing divisions in our country. I could blame Trump, but he's more the symptom than the problem. We seem to be fueled by hate and fear and misunderstanding, which is not the world I want for my children. I am trying to become more vocal in my activism, but sometimes I feel like my one tiny voice isn't enough to make a difference.

Last year, from England, I was stressing about Trump being elected in the wake of Brexit. Now, Trump's presidency and worldwide response makes me sick to my stomach. Working at a social justice-minded organization, I feel more connected and aware and nauseated. So many things have impacted me, I'm not even sure what to highlight.

The election of Donald Trump as president. It shocked me that America could wind up in such an acrimonious state. The why was I thought we had progressed beyond electing someone based on grievances. Seems I was wrong. So sad.

The inauguration of the current "president" -- initially, I had a lot of anxiety about what this would mean for people of color, namely myself and my close friends, but the events of the past few months have actually shown me how resilient and truly brave many marginalized communities are, particularly when they work in conjunction and without fear to prove that the only true way of making this, and any country great, is through diversity and progress.

Perhaps the most impactful rule the vent was the election nominating Trump as president of the United States. Everything that I hear in the media which includes the New Yorker Magazine points to this president being unreasonable, racist in one form or another, corrupt, and selfish, just to name a few not so positive superlatives. Of course, there is hope that we will come out a better nation because of this but it is an extremely painful process.

The election of DJT has been a burden on humanity and opened my eyes to how far America has to go. I can say I genuinely have more sympathy for the feeling that conservatives had during the Obama years but I also understand what it must have been like to live during the early years of the civil rights movement as racists (whites and white allies that wanted to maintain the social order that castigates descendants of slaves as less than them) couldn't fundamentally understand why blacks were complaining. At least they weren't slaves. Who cares if we think they don't have constitutional rights to speak out or speak up? Who cares is they are disproportionately arrested and killed in the streets?

Hillary lost and it made me focus on trying to make a difference in the world. More importantly, it reminded me that security blankets and nets that I think are out there are not sure at all. I have to take care of myself and push ever onward.

This year, there have been massive flooding and hurricanes. Flint, Michigan still is without clean water, a racist, sexist, bigot has been elected into office. I think the biggest thing that has impacted me was the elections. I couldn't believe our country would elect someone so blatantly racist and sexist. It made me realize how many people in this country are truly backwards. It was and still is scary for me. I'm a female Jew of color, what does this mean for me and for people like me? Where do I fit in a world where my countries leader spews nothing but hate towards people like me?

Donald Trump. No other words are needed.

Donald Trump is in the White House. I have felt sad, angry and scared, but mostly sad - sad for our country, sad for all the people who are targets of his hatred. His hateful and careless response to the Charlottesville, VA killing finally broke me and I cried real tears of sadness. His presidency has made me want to withdraw into an isolated cocoon. He has created chaos and noise in my head and my relationships that I have to work to filter and silence. It is a constant battle to not let his negativity seep into all the corners of my life, my mind, and my heart. Americans are stuck in an abusive relationship and the abuser is Donald Trump.

THE ELECTION. Need I say more. So much of what I had thought America to be as I grew up has been proved wrong. For a Jewish female millennial from New York City, it was the first time I felt afraid and unwelcome in the country that, in spite of living abroad since graduating from college, was my home. When I woke up to the official result, I couldn't help but cry uncontrollably. It was a nightmare from which I wanted to seriously wake up from. I want, as foolish as it may seem, to live in a world where I get paid as much as a man. I've had to work twice as hard to make 77% of what a man makes. I have a "Nasty Woman" t-shirt that I wear proudly. I'm not ashamed anymore to be a feminist because in times like these, my friends and I who went to the Women's March all around the world, called our representatives in Congress, and react in disgust at just about everything that comes out of 45's mouth, are important arbiters of what really is the majority. It reaffirms my belief that all Americans need to leave our borders, speak other languages, see the world. Now more than ever, as tempting it is for us to retreat, we need to prove that we're not as tone-deaf as our president seems to exude.

The President and North Korea. I realize now even more than last year how undependable he is and what a loose cannon he is. He is dividing our country and he makes me feel uneasy about our childrens future. I don't know what hes going to do next.

The election of Donald J. Trump to the presidency of the United States of America. How did that happen? I am still working that out.

The presidential election, and the subsequent frequent name-calling and vitriol, has upset me and tired me out. It is exhausting. The specter of Trump for three and a half years, and another election campaign with him as candidate, makes me cringe. I am embarassed and saddened that my country elected someone so unfit for the job and so without compassion.

Trump taking the oath of presidency impacted me more than other presidents. He has the knack of saying what he thinks without worrying about the impact of his words to everyone. I am angry and so disappointed that some of my family and friends still support him. I am sad that America is divided into for or against him. I just wish that he would show some diplomacy and try to get along with both sides.

This country elected Donald Trump to office and ruined the lives of people everywhere. It's so hard to talk about. It feels like right now there's little compassion in this world, and the little there is needs to be protected at all costs. I feel angry and hurt and betrayed. I feel so angry. I feel like fighting. I also feel like killing myself. I feel unwanted here. It feels like America doesn't want me here. It's shitty to see how many greedy, horrible people there are in this world and how many of them are in positions of power and control. It's hard not to feel helpless when the people you elected to represent you betray you when it comes to vote on issues. It all starts to feel pointless. It all starts to feel like the only choice you have is kill or be killed. And I don't want to believe that that's how it is. Disillusionment is so painful. Injustice is painful. Powerlessness is painful. We are all suffering.

The election. We live in a fear-based society that is devoid of objective thinking. It seems as though almost nobody, especially not in government, can make a decision that exclusively benefits their constituents. I don't consider myself an expert by any means, but when you are voting on a bill that only 8% of the country is in favor of, perhaps you should re-write the bill. Nuclear war is now a looming threat. The doomsday clock is the closest that it has been since Cuban Missile crisis. When I was a child studying history my first thought was always, "Wow, I cannot believe that the world let this event happen." Now, I'm living in a time when incredibly destructive things are happening every day. The news doesn't help with this distorted perspective. Fear sells clicks and Neilsen ratings. Turning on the news today and seeing that North Korea is under the assumption that they are at war with the US because of a Tweet that our POTUS sent... well. Last year, if you had told me that fact, I never would've believed you.

The election of Donald Trump as the president of the United States remains deeply vexing, even surreal, for me. On the one hand it has shown how brightly the flames of hatred and prejudice continue to burn...and how quickly groups of people (Muslims, Latino immigrants) can be scapegoated and "othered" as Jews were in the early days of the Third Reich. I grieve for the harm that is being done by almost unilaterally counter-productive decisions (Paris Accord, Immigrant 'round-ups', revoking regulations)...but I grieve far more (and am afraid for) about how effective hate, racism, anti-semitism, etc. have been in launching this dangerous man into power, and helping him maintain his base of passionate followers.

The US election has effected the world. It is amazing and terrifying to watch the impact that can be caused by hate. It seems that good needs to be worked at constantly with a slow steady growth in response. But hate, is like ripples in the water. A small thoughtless toss, effects the entire space. Even folks I have considered to be generally good people in the past now feel compelled to say the most vile things. I pray for us.

The election of Donald Trump, and the surrounding impacts of that, have been enormous. I have never felt so ashamed of a president in my lifetime and have never been so overwhelmed by all that needs protected and saved, let alone improved. Our nation is deteriorating. We took our oldest to several demonstrations. I feel like we are on the cusp of collapse. I can only hope that we regrow.

Trump won the Presidential election. This is disturbing to me as a reflection of the state of the world - that so many voted for a person like him -- and due to his destructive and divisive rhetoric.

The presidential election and its fall-out have impacted my family and me as we learn to navigate a more dangerous and divisive world, especially considering our geographic location. I attended the Women's March in January and have been involved in local events as best I can but it feels like I am swimming upstream.

Didn't have to think long to choose Donald Trump's election here. His election and the events surrounding his presidency have frightened me like never before. I have spent many moments this past year concerned for myself, my loved ones and my country. Given the rapid rise of open anti-Semitism this past year, applauded and encouraged by President Trump, I worry if America really is a place where it is safe to be Jewish. I worry that I've put a target on my sons' backs by being open about our Judaism. I'm worried that we won't know that we need to leave until it's too late.

The event in the world that has impacted me this year has been the loss of the US election by Hilary Clinton, and the subsequent takeover by Donald Trump. His ideas are so hurtful, and he is causing such disruption, and animosity. It is an embarrassment to me as a North American. His ideas and promotions of specific groups sometimes invokes fear and uncertainty to me from a Jewish point of view.

Donald Trump was elected President of the United States and this, for a million reasons, rocked my world and THE world. I was overly confident that we would elect the first female President, particularly when the choice was between someone with experience in the highest echelons of politics and diplomacy versus a crass, businessman with questionable (at best) ethics. I was despondent and committed myself, in response, to strengthening ties between Marin's Muslim & Jewish communities and visiting inmates, monthly, at San Quentin to share friendship, singing and Jewish teaching.

Trump winning the presidential election. At times I'm still in disbelief over that. I have never been so fully devastated by political results before. However, I watched election night with a naive heart, thinking there was no possible way Trump would win...& then I watched as that naivety was destroyed. I woke up the next morning hurt and confused. I was scared for what this would mean for me, for my community, for my fellow humans, for my country, for my world. I couldn't even make it through brushing my teeth without crying. I had the most unproductive work day ever. In the months since, I have learned a lot - about myself, this country, politics, etc. This is one event that has had one of the biggest impacts on my life.

Ugh, well #45 being in office is the obvious one. I don't like calling him "president." He's embarrassing and is dividing people in our nation over superfluous issues when we should be banning together to fix things. Definitely increased my anxiety.

Donald Trump becoming president has impacted a lot for me. A large part of the impact has been how I think of the world, the U.S., and the problems that we face. I feel that I have become more sympathetic towards other people, and also have become more educated about politics and how things work, or are supposed to work. I have become more informed about racial issues and disparities, and how to be aware of my privilege and how to use it to help others.

Drumph put a climate change denier as the head of the EPA, eliminated environmental protections from poisons being dumped into rivers, and has pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord. Because of this, my partner, who works in environmental stewardship caring for endangered species, may soon be unemployed. We just have to sit on the sidelines and watch as the only home we will every have is being looted and destroyed in the name of 'making more money'. This is terrifying, not only for us personally, but what this short-sighted policy means for all of us, even those that voted for it.

The 2016 elections had minimal direct impact on me, but the residual impact is unavoidable. The tension, the anger, the distrust, and the growing chasm between Americans are palpable. Evaluating and respecting my own perspectives, which lean conservative, in the deafening liberal echo chamber is sometimes challenging but necessary for intellectual integrity.

Trump's election, Rauner's inability to govern the state. Finding out just how stupid and egotistical all politicians are. To a greater extent I am discovering just how stupid and naive I am...a real Mr. Nice Guy. I keep thinking do unto others as you would like them to do unto you. Yeah, right! Pile of bullshit. Everyone is out to get theirs. I am not saying I want to be an ass to everyone, or that everyone is an ass. But a majority really is, not all the time, but when there is stress, hurrying....you add some pressure and people turn evil.

Trump getting elected to the Presidency. At the time I was devastated and shocked. I never believed it could happen. Now I am still sad and constantly in disbelief at the current reality - but I am also galvanized. I have never been so informed or so engaged in the society I live in. It has made me realize all the more that change must be driven from the bottom, from local communities, from all of us. We cannot rely on state houses or white houses to drive progress. We must do it ourselves, each of us through are actions, no matter how few people they affect.

The election of Donald Trump. I know, everyone is saying that but it coincided with my first visit to Auschwitz where I had a panic attack in a room, listening to excerpts from Nazi speeches. Do I think he is Hitler, no but the images of those Nazi rallies and the tone of voice hit too close to home less than a month after the election.

All of the earthquakes and hurricanes have been scary. I wonder how I would fare if I lost everything like so many others have...the suffering is overwhelming.

The presidential election has had a huge impact. It's crazy to see the state of the world changing. There has been so much more hatred and has instilled fear into the hearts of pretty much everyone. I am afraid for the next 3 years of Trump's presidency and how things will continue to change. As a queer female Jew, I am nervous about my rights being protected.

I'm sure most people will say the election. It's impact on me is not about Trump. It is more about the fear and tension that it puts on myself for my beliefs. i feel isolated - i almost have the feeling of being gay prior to the days where being LGBTQ is mainstream. I have to be very selective in how i express myself. Mainly for my family's sake so that J doesn't have to explain herself etc... The election has torn the social fabric in our society and i'm not sure what can be done to recover civility and compassion. I also think that this is a great opportunity for transformational change. It probably won't look the way i would like.

Trump is an A-hole. His election has turned the world upside-down. I dont really need to say more. Actually, I will say that just today, he tweeted that people hsould boycott games where black people take a knee during the national anthem to protest the ways black people are treated. Trump said that fans should walk out of stadiums when they see this. What a divisive mother fucker. I have realized that it's so easy to un-do all of the good and all of the progress we have made. I have had many existential moments because of Trump.

I think Trump being elected. Although does not directly affect me, it scares me that there is such a leader in the world who can so quickly destroy all that Obama put in place and cause hatred towards people who are different in some way. Who can take away freedom and encourage hatred between fellow human beings. I have never wanted anyone removed from this planet as much as I do him.

The election of Donald Trump. I was absolutely devastated when a man who promoted hatred in all forms was elected president. I was certain that America could not be so small minded. As it turns our, we were not and yet we are couched with having to prevent this man and his all Republican Senate and Congress from destroying the good works that were happening. I know that this is a backlash by some people and I know that we have a narcissist in office- I keep hoping we get him out before something happens.

The obvious answer is the election of Donald Trump. He has incited violence, he has caused our system of democracy to disrupt, and he has created a group of followers who believe every racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic word he says. He has divided the county in ways I didn't know could happen. BUT, he has also made me check myself and my assumptions a lot. I am more cognizant of my white privilege and how I present myself. It's also been a realization that my bubble of Silver Spring and Takoma Park really is just a bubble and a rare one of diversity and acceptance at that. I've come to appreciate that world so much more this year and to do more to protect the members of my community by speaking out for them when I can, buying from small businesses, and just being kinder to people on the street. All of this is showing me that at the very least, kindness never hurt anyone.

Ugh: Donald Trump being elected, and his subsequent behavior, has affected everything. My children and I are now soft activists (Thanks, Warm Cookies of the Revolution!) in a world that is dangerous to non-normative non-white people, feels out of control, on the brink of war with North Korea (!) and filled with 'fake news' and a president that is a horrible, narcissistic archetypal bad guy. I'm really hating it.

Hillary lost. Thanks be to God. And I had hope for a while. But it is dwindling by the day. 0bama's leftist gifts keep on giving. The country is more divided by the day, all because of him and his ilk. I don't know if we will make it thru.

Thankfully DONALD TRUMP won the elections, unfortunately the SNOWFLAKES are terrorizing the cities. the war between EVIL AND GOOD is raging. I hate people more than I ever did. There are RIOTS that considered protests. The victim is the offender. IT is NAUSEATING.

Political decisiveness. Angry elections. Unstable and irrational approaches of our president.

The start of Trump's presidency has been exceptionally challenging, sad, and terrifying for the world, for the environment, for the hope and love I have for humanity. I am scared that the based tendencies of humans are being supported by the environment. I feel that soon once again, our child (today Meridith is 30-1) may live in a world where being Jewish makes you a target of ridicule and violence and hate.

All roads lead back to Trump. This stupid ass is going to start WWIII with Korea! If the CIA were doing its job to protect us he would be dead by now!

The election itself. It was so defeating to see Clinton defeated. And now it just feels like the world is one big forest fire that refuses to be put out and and energy expended at all is just more hot air.

The election of Donald Trump as President rocked the foundation of our country. During Obama's years as President, we were often encouraged by his agenda and positive rhetoric and frustrated by the bipartisan standoffs that prevented more progress from being made. But now it feels that progress in our country has been dealt a major blow, and it has lead to a countrywide depression that no one is quite sure how to deal with. His election caused me to lose a lot of faith in other people (seems either country was too apathetic and didn't vote, or the overall political demeanor of the country is swinging back to the right). This presidency has normalized hatred and bigotry, and it is impossible not to be disheartened by it.

When Trump was elected it was a blow that I, and honestly much of the United States, wasn't expecting. I felt somehow personally hurt because I had spent time phone banking for Hillary and suddenly it felt real, because I had poured work into something and it still wasn't enough. I'm not naive enough to believe that I actually could have made the difference in the election, but it was honestly eye-opening to realize that so many Americans had believed in Trump's platform enough to vote him into office. I cried watching his acceptance speech, mostly out of shock. Being on the campus of a women's college in the wake of the election was a surreal experience. November 9 it was as if the whole student body was mourning. But in the wake of the election I saw people banding together to fight for the causes we knew would be threatened under a Trump presidency, and ultimately I had some hope that regardless who sat in the White House there were good people who would fight for progressive causes across the country.

Being diagnosed with h-EDS has enabled me to go back home and be the person I truly am and not this fake person that joined the Navy.

The election of Trump. He's an embarrassment and he's disgusting and he makes me ashamed to be American. I worry for myself, my family, my community every single day. I can only hope his behavior never gets normalized as representative of our government or people.

Donald Trump got elected. Vastly decreased my faith in my country.

45, do I need to say more? He's a daily reminder of what is important and the world I want to help create, and a constant source of frustration and anger.

So many that I actually stopped watching the news and reading newspapers as it was so depressing. I restricted myself to short news bulletins once a day to protect my brain and my sanity.

Nothing has changed since last year other than the nightmare of a Trump presidency becoming a reality. As I've expressed to people recently, he's even worse than advertised. As a leader, he's a bull in a China shop with a Twitter account, and his administration has become a theater of the absurd. I understand party loyalty but feel constantly baffled by those who continually double-down on their support for him. The sight of him or seeing one of his tweets gives me anxiety like I haven't felt in years. I don't want to read or talk about him but often find myself unable to do either, as if talking about the monster will make him not real.

The election. See my answer to question 1

Prior to Trump's election I have not been very politically inclined. I now refuse to let this man control my choices about my body or other people's lives.

The election of Donald Trump still baffles me to this day. How someone that propagates hate and division can be the President astonishes me. I fear for the world with him in the White House.

Ugh. Trump. What a dick.

Donald Trump's election. It truly made me realize how many fucked up people there are in the world. So many racists and haters, and I can only defend my beliefs if I'm fighting on the front line.

Trumps election. Are you kidding. Living in the DC area, you here everything, all day, every day. Even when you aren't even trying. Stress just permeates the air. The idea that everything is at risk. The concept that even if we , falsely, thought things had improved in terms of acceptance and inclusion is now such a distant memory and the realization that people really don't change.....yikes. Working so hard to reconcile who I am, stay the course, model my belief system everyday. Remaining stoic when my son, with Asperger Syndomre (an autism spectrum disorder) with anxiety and a special interest in politics, tells me how scared he is everyday. Helping him to not get caught up in all the panic. Encouraging the thought that clearer heads will prevail - when I am not positive that they will. ...and then so many other events. One can't be singled out - bombings, attacks, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, .........

The election. It's divided people, instead of uniting. People sided against, instead of for. The current federal administation seems to have given permission for the 'ugly' to brag and show off like a peacock. This has become a different America.

Donald Trump was elected president. I can't wait to look back and tell my kids what a huge mistake it was and how we all changed and grew and became better people from it. But I'm not convinced I'll get to.

The events in Israel regarding the Kotel and conversion have impacted me this year. I am unhappy that the State of Israel does not recognize Progressive Judaism. I lead a very Jewish life according to Reform Judaism. I lead Rosh Chodesh services and leyned Torah at the Kotel while Charedi were screaming and trying to distract my prayers. I would like to see the Israel Supreme Court allow Progressive Judaism flourish.

Oh, God. Way too easy. Not this year, sorry, no answer.

There is no question the election of Donald Trump has had the biggest, and most negative impact. I despise every thing he stands for, and have an extremely difficult time understanding his supporters. I find myself yelling at the TV, iPad (newspaper) constantly. But as I practice mindfulness and compassion I have tried to think about how I might approach someone who views things differently. I have tried to understand where they are coming from. It is very hard. There is so much ignorance and out right lies coming from our President. I am fearful of what he and his cabinet will do this country. So we, I, must continue to resist the policies and still find a way to engage individuals.

Trumps election for sure has had a huge impact on me. It's left me frightened for what's coming next. It's left me angry at watching things unravel so quickly and the games that of been made through such hard work over the past 50 years dissipating in front of my eyes. It's left me sad because a country that I had such positive regard for has turned into a rogue state and lost the respect of people the world over. Between the natural disasters that seem to be spinning out of climate change and the human political disaster's world wide it's been a year of many shaking moments

Trump actually being sworn in as POTUS has made me sad and sometimes fearful of being an American. His narcissism and lack of awareness as to how his many tweets are received blows my mind. I'm afraid US soil will be targeted more and more with Trump allowing and participating in the language and actions of hate. He does not represent me.

Jeronimo Yanez was found not guilty. I still can't comprehend - let alone put words to - my feelings about that. It's still white-hot rage and sadness and hopelessness. Why the fuck are people so willfully blind about the power police have? It's motivated me to keep going, out of sheer rage and hopelessness if nothing else. Keep asking the hard questions and working to build bridges and connections and try to make the world less of a shithole.

So much hillary lost the election and trump is president. It's devastating heartbreaking, Russia interfered with the election, there has been a Muslim ban, there is hurricane Maria affecting Puerto Rico and trump hasn't said a word- not enough aid is bring given. Rohingya Muslim are being killed in Myanmar- it's awful and they are fleeing to Bangladesh. The war in Syria continues, people are starving in Yemen. There was a massive earthquake in Mexico. North Korea might go to the war with the US over Donald trump tweets and speech at the UN. Black lives matter continues to fight yet policemen still get acquitted for killings black peoples in this country and no one in authority ever does anything. States are repressing voters rights. We better have s fighting chance of having Democrats win back the congress in 2028. Women's rights are on the verge of being lost as Secretary Devos of Education repeals guidance to college campuses on Title 9 protections on sexual assault cases.

Trump's election to the presidency pretty much rocked my world. It's not just that I think he's unhinged, a malignant narcissist whose actions will likely do great damage to our country and its institutions. It's also that his election destroyed what little confidence I had left in many of my fellow Americans to vote wisely. For the first time in my life, I've really begun to question whether I want to stay in a country where more than a few people were willing to vote for a racist charlatan who has neither the temperament nor the intellect to be president, and who clearly lacks a moral or ethical compass. I've found it depressing to read justifications for Trump's behaviors from his supporters. No outrage seems enough to break their attachment to the orange con man. I fear what will happen if he's removed from office--too many angry white guys with guns out there. Trump has played on their resentments and deepened the already existing divisions in this country in ways that will be felt for years, if not decades, ahead.

Trump election happened last year but isn't helping anyone. Lots of pro women protests. So many hurricanes and earthquakes. It's hard to understand what truly effects me and how I should rise up.

The election of Donald Trump and the aftermath were the most impactful event of the last year. At this time last year it seemed likely the US was about to have their first female president. Instead we have Donald Trump which has lead us down a dark path. Or maybe further led us down a dark path as I we were already headed that way to get to this Election result in the first place. With each new turn of events you wonder how can this stand. But then things continue and get worse. I hope that this is the dark before the dawn and that it will inspire us to do better.

Oh Lord, the Presidential election! It is a complete tragedy! Our country is so divided. If anything, it has shown us how racist and sexist we still really are. Alive & well. I pray for this country. I pray for Mother Earth. I pray our National Parks will remain as they are. I pray for the world. Also, is it 5 now? Five hurricanes in quick succession. Irma, Jose, ... Maria. Devastated Puerto Rico, Barbuda, other island nations. Global warming.

Trump winning. I was so depressed. The white supremacists marching in Virginia. People being physically threatened and having trump and his supporters defend neo nazi's but when an athlete takes a knee to protest racism they're called SOBs and their right to free speech is threatened. After depression comes anger. I'm angry and there are so many wonderful tools that have helped me take action. And I am grateful for those tools and my ability to take action.

Trump became president of the US. It's been horrible and I am surprised as to how bad it has been. He is a horrible president.

I said the election and everything for number one, so for this I'll say Charlottesville. This felt like the final unmasking of ugliness and bigotry, which has been important for white folks to see but also terrifying for black and brown people, fighting for basic human rights. It's made me feel somewhat hopeless but also energized to DO.

Trump becoming President. The world as we know it has changed. We have collectively broken through the thinning veil of human decency by publicly electing such a vile and heartless human being. I am sad and embarrassed and missing a dose of hope that I once had. Although it is diminished, my silver lining is that people, like weeds growing through a sidewalk will become empowered by what they don't like, as well as what they like, and most people will see that our lives are in our own power to shape...regardless of who is at the helm. I pray there is more sense among us in this world, and that we will recover from the damage of his words and actions

The election of TRUMP. It was devastating. I had to drive to Seattle the next day after the election was decided. I cried most of the way as I drove up I-5. I was impacted by this event due to the fear of what his presidency does to the morale of the country, to the rights of minorities, how he impacts the environment, and to the overall world. TRUMP IS TERRIFYING.

The event that has impacted me the most is Donald Trump's presidency. Because of it, I did not follow the news as much as I used to. But I have the privilege of doing this while others are experiencing the news happening to them. It's wrong. This year, I want to make a greater effort to keep up with the news and have informed discussions about it.

The nation has taken a scary turn. I refuse to life my life afraid.

OMG... all the things. The continuing disaster that is President Trump. The hurricanes. The wildfires. The threats of war. The rising neo-nazis. Return of Gamergate.

I am ashamed to say that I have not been deeply affected by any event in the world. I have managed to stay on the sidelines of Trump and the horrors. I have watched news more than ever, but I have been so deliberate in not letting myself be sucked in as many have. My feeling, which I know is very myopic, is that since I can do little about what is going on in the world, I want to focus on what I can control.

Donald Trump. I've lost a lot of faith in our country. It seems so divided and even my friends (who are mostly brown) seem to have prejudices against white people. I seem to be a bit of an exception but that just shows the hypocrisy of racism. I didn't vote even tho it was a pivotal election just because both candidates were not fighting for what I believe in. I guess that just reinforces my current philosophy that if you need something done right, you have to do it yourself.

The election (ie, like Hilary Clinton losing). This was an event to which I felt especially connected to. It particularly factualized (sp?) the long way that we have to go in terms of gender equality. It's easy, even as a mechancial engineer, to surround myself with forward-thinking people, and think that there's less progress to be made. But this was a real shock and a wake-up call. I also felt guilty form this because (a) I felt like I should have been more active and (b) I felt really connected to the election results because I felt like it was a direct statement against my demographic. But then I felt guilty and negligent that other minorities have incidents like that happen all of the time, but I'm likely not as deeply effected as they are, since it doesn't feel like a direct stab at me as a person. As I'm reflecting about this, and even before reflecting, I've felt disappointed in how I haven't stepped up my activism as much as I'd like. I think moving kinda threw me for a loop. But I also really don't like making excuses for that stuff. I was doing the whole BossBabes and AWE stuff in Austin, but so much has been going on since moving that I haven't jumped in on anything yet. I hope I get to do that soon, as well as getting more in to loop with current evens. V easy to tune that stuff out and isolate into my own world, which is peaceful but overall is not great.

The thing that has really gotten to me is the way the black racists are being able to take over and go against the police, tear down southern statues, disrespect the flag, and the like. There were even slaves in the bible before Africans ever sold their own people to Americans and they were told how to behave just like the slave owners were told how to act. Blacks are not owed anything and are no better or no worse than anyone else. I believe if things go on the way they are going that there will be another civil war. White Southerners are just as tired of being run over and put down and their history being destroyed as any other people are. The way President Trump has not been accepted and has constantly been bashed by the media. Never has any president had to deal with this. The USA is supposed to be a democratic society and he was elected and should be able to run our country now like all past presidents have. I think terrorism affects everyone. I think the mess with Rocket Man and stuff in the Middle East is just the Bible being fulfilled.

To say that the election this year threw me for a loop is an understatement. It's been close to a year and I still haven't come to grips with it. It was like waking up one day and learning that everything you knew (or assumed) about the world and about people was wrong. I had this vision of a kinder America with people helping each other and politicians working to make people lives better and a gentler, more inclusive culture. I woke up to this world full of hate and anger where every week brings worst news. It has been awful and I don't expect it to get better any time soon.

I am so angry and sad that Trump took the presidency. Often my mind will flick to an alternate reality in which Hilary won, and what would we be experiencing now in terms of human services, climate change addressing, foreign relations? Instead we have this horrible embarrassment and affront to human decency and our country's character. It makes me feel more scared in the world. It makes me feel sick that we could go from having a president like Obama, and finally starting to feel that the world was losing some of its hatefulness and small-mindedness, and then this was such an incredibly massive disappointment. And it's brought out so much hate in our country. It just feels really depressing. It was after he was elected that I went back to therapy. Although now I realize that since I've stopped therapy I've really stopped writing as much. Or is it just that my anxiety got worse?

Donald Trump got elected president. I stayed up late the night of the election, hoping to watch Hillary Clinton get elected and it became soul-sucking. Heart-breaking. This is not a man you'd want as your next door neighbor, let alone running your country. I could write a lot about how much I dislike the president, but his election made me more aware of current events. More aware of policy. More aware of unrest. It made me rethink my relationship to issues and the world. I've attended my senator's town hall meeting to hear what he had to say and I have attended local backyard town council discussion groups to see if I need to be more involved. I don't know what the answers are. I do know I need to be informed and keep my eye on facts. And I need to keep challenging myself and others.

Ever since Trump took office, I have carried this permanent tightness in my neck and shoulders from hunching over so much in shame and embarrassment. I could feel myself get physically sick as the realization of what we had done as a country hit me like a wave. However, the 2016 election has helped me see this country in a new light, finally allowing me to see the edges of the darkness that has slowly stretched itself out across our nation for the past century. I know now that I fail my friends and family if I don't speak up when I have the opportunity.

Donald Trump becoming the U.S. President. It has made me realize that the rich, powerful, and privileged are taking over the world, and there is no more hope for common people like me. And the hurricanes that have affected Texas and the major earthquake in Mexico has also made me realize that the world might come to an end.

Trump presidency. This truly is the dankest timeline.

Well, technically the election of Donald Trump was last year, but since he took office this year, I'm counting it. Having a racist, sexist, narcissistic asshole as president of our country has, in various ways, shaken me out of oblivious ignorance, and I feel like I'm seeing a lot of things very differently. As the youth of today says, I am woke af.

Trumps election has made me question many things - is our civilization and society really making progress? - is their justice and fairness? - how much latent hatred is their within my country, my people It first made me sad, angry, frustrated. But I then began to see the silver lining and the longer arc of justice. Every action has a reaction, every emotion has an opposite or resolution emotion. The negative births the positive and the positive is rarely a positive for everyone. There is a pendulum and a constant unfolding and evolution.

DONALD TRUMP. Not my country. Not my president. But I woke up on the morning of the election dazed and confused, sad for the state of the world that a bigoted racist ignoramus could be democratically elected as the figure head for the United States of America.

The 2016 presidential elections. Donald Trump beat out Hilary Clinton, and since that day - all people talk about is politics. Being from a small town in rural Ohio, I am surrounded by Trump supporters. I am the black sheep in the town, as I am not a supporter of Trump, nor was I a supporter of Hilary. I left my small town and explored the world after high school. I went to a "liberal" college and traveled as much as I could. I participated in a year of service through AmeriCorps. My views definitely lean to the left, but after moving home, I feel that I am somewhere in the middle. After the election, there has been so much discussion and protesting and violence around racial issues and equality, tax, immigration and healthcare reform. It almost feels like we've all forgotten what our country was built on - freedom. The freedom to practice what ever religion you wanted. The freedom to protest (peacefully) and fight for social change. The freedom to respectfully debate matters and agree to disagree with loved ones and strangers. I feel like we've forgotten that we are all HUMAN. No matter race, gender, country of origin, religion, age, etc. We are all human beings and deserve to be treated that way. The election has challenged me to look at my own beliefs and willingness to stand up for what is right - especially when I'm usually the only one on my side of the debate. It has impacted me, and many others greatly.

A white supremacist fascist was elected president of the United States by white supremacists and fascists. I am terrified that this seventy-year-old child and bully will be the death of us all, as he has no concept of maturity, governance, or anything beyond his own ego and bank account.

It would most definitely be the whole Trump/Kim bullshit we've been witnessing as of late. Behold two man-children behaving like they're in the schoolyard, throwing threats at each other. Two egomaniacs ruffling their feathers like peacocks. Except they're just cocks. It reads like a tragic comedy, albeit a badly written one with run of the mill main actors. We all know that a war, a nuclear one, will be suicide for both sides, yet they refuse to explore alternatives. Kim keeps on testing weapons. Trump keeps on threatening, while claiming not to desire a war. The sheer dumbassery of this situation is enough to make any sane person question if direct democracy isn't after all the best kind of government. There are two things about these shenanigans that actually make me smile: 1 - The Americans and the Russians are (for once) finding it hard to negociate with a nuclear nation after the Cold War. See, boys? You can't be the bullies all the time; 2 - The uselessness of the UN's Security Council is being exposed: allowing the USA, the UK, France, Russia and China to have so much power over matters of war and peace is a joke - these countries cannot be trusted to act in Humanity's best interests and have proven that too many times already. Time to reform or extinguish the Security Council already.

After thinking about this question for a few days, I keep coming back to the election of President Trump in November. That single event has impacted my professional work at a hunger relief nonprofit, my teaching at a college, how I volunteer and donate money, and almost every family conversation I have had since November. I have always been a political person and I have never been shy about talking about the subject. Yet, this election shifted the casual conversations to daily conversations that impact my labor.

Trump's inauguration has made me reflect on who I want to be in the world: how my career and personal choices have affected the world around me, and what I can do to make sure that my impact on the world is positive. I realized that much of my desire to work in journalism was motivated by ego and hadn't been challenged by reality in many years. This indirectly led to my confidence in shifting gears in my career—working at a company that isn't "journalistic" but is better equipped to directly serve people vs. hoping that my managerial work in journalism somehow indirectly had an impact.

The election really affected me. I just can't believe that we are living in a time when someone can be so openly hateful and harmful to our country and the world.

The election of Donald Trump and the reemergence of the ugliness that white supremacy and ignorance has greatly effected me this year. It has changed the way I see people. I have become more and more aware that much of the way we live is still directly influenced by the history of violence that comes with those who see themselves as better than others. I have very little patience for it now, and I feel so much scorn for those who are just okay to leave things as they are.

Knowing people caught up in a particularly intense hurricane season has certainly brought the realities of climate change closer to my consciousness.

The election of Donald Trump. It is utterly depressing that that many people could vote for someone so uncouth and divisive.

Well...Trump became President. That's affected a lot of things worldwide. That plus Brexit. We've got this huge political swing to the right and it's scary and sad and there are more tensions than ever. I'm not fully certain of the how and why it has impacted me so much...I guess I care about a lot of the things and the kinds of people affected by far right power and influence.

Trump's election. Ugh. I'm so sad for my daughters, I'm so sad for the world. All the vitriol and greed just disgusts me.

Unfortunately, Trump getting elected as President. It was shocking, horrifying, and so very sad because of what it says about our humanity and who we are as a country. My level of disgust with politics in general has never been higher - both parties are so extreme and so hostile to the other and so self-focused rather than caring about what is best for the country. Trump and what he stands for are so contrary to my sensibilities and values, and its scary and sad to think that there are so many people who supported him, and who fail to see his narcissism, dictatorial ways and authoritarianism. The country feels so divided and sort of unrecognizable to me. I can only hope progress will come from this and lessons will be learned without too much cost.

Charlie Gard. He was born with a disability, in the UK, that was considered untreatable. When his parents tried to get him help elsewhere, the hospital and doctors took them to court and sued them to terminate their parental rights, because the doctors said he would never have quality of life and the parents were putting him through unnecessary medical procedures. The courts awarded custody of this little boy to the hospital, who then dragged out the appeal until Charlie died at not quite 1 year old. It was the most tragic story, and it was STUPID.

Monarch butterflies breeding in my redeemed organic garden, despite the stilt grass invasion and my fibromyalgia flaring in the heat. Plant the rustled milkweeds, and they will come. Plant the flowers that provide their nectar. The "thuggish" nature of then-boneset-but-white snakeroot took the garden over, and proved to be favorite monarch food. And so in first-time ever, the strong monarch emerges from the last chrysalis, beats wings to dry, while I commune with this noble one, nose to nose. And she launches on a thousand plus mile journey. Her grandchildren to return next summer. Of miracles, of awe. Of the tender morning prayer of thanking the Shekinah for Her compassion and lovingkindness.

Donald Trump was elected president this year. It was a harsh blow for the majority of people (especially since over 3 million more people voted for Hillary) It was empowering seeing a woman running for president. He has unleashed hatred against others like never before. Charlottesville was deeply upsetting but people have come together to display their disagreement with the government. I have been more vocal than before with my friends and especially with my family. I can't believe I ever used to be a registered republican.

The swearing in of Trump as President of the United States is the worst thing that has EVER happened to this country. I believe he is an insane megalomaniac and if unchecked, he will destroy everything I love about my country replacing good with bad across the board. I find myself struggling with despair every day.

I don't see how it could be anything other than the election of Trump. While I personally will probably not suffer directly because of any decisions that are made by this administration I am deeply troubled by how my fellow human beings are treated and the environment and the rest of the world. I have found myself incredibly angry at the people who despite the outright and ongoing racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and general stupidity continue to support him. Despite the calls to show understanding or try to comprehend the economic straits that might drive someone to vote for Trump, I can't bring myself to. Even in this season of forgiveness, I don't think I can bring myself to forgive people who ultimately condone what this president represents.

Jesus. In 2017? This is too much.

Donald Trump is President of the United States. I stayed up late with Coby and Chris and watched as the results came in. Went to sleep feeling sick. Woke up in the morning to confirm. Was at a loss for words. I found solace in the fact that he lost the popular vote by a long shot. I diligently kept up with the news for awhile. And then I couldn't keep up. I couldn't keep up with the fake news, the real news, and everyone spreading the news along with their hate. This election and the time since then has taught me so much about what it means to be a good person and good citizen. I have spent so many hours thinking about how I want to show up in the world, how my actions affect those near and far from me, how I want people to feel when they talk to me, and how I can continue to live my life based on my values when it seems the world around me is losing its values. I think the answer is love. There is no other way around all this than with love. We can't hide from each other, push one another away, and expect to move forward. We have to contribute more than we criticize, and whatever the problem, be part of the solution.

Oh boy. This one will probably be the US election for lots of people, and I'm going to fall right into that camp. It's not the fact that our country is slowly descending into madness that is impacting me terribly. I figured that it was going to happen sooner or later; it just seems like it was sooner. It's the responses I've seen from people who I identify with, and whose beliefs I ascribe to. It's the ultimate failure of "open" and "progressive" people to accept and embrace the pain that all people feel, and their exclusivity towards those who ascribe to one vote. I really thought people were better than this, but it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

Every time a healthcare bill has come up I have been in the position of begging my own government not to kill me and my husband. And on top of that, because I live in DC and have no representation in Congress don't even have a say in whether or not the law is changed to put us in jeopardy. There is something about this year that feels like we've slipped through the looking glass and live in a bizarro world now. I have to keep reminding myself this is real life. As I feared, Donald Trump is pretty much the worst thing that has ever happened to this country.

President Trump! How ridiculous he is. Today it's the NFL players kneeling, and a reminder that hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico owes $72 billion to Wall Street for reasons I don't know.

Donald Trump was elected President. Atrocious It's very upsetting and horrifing to me. I think he's impulsive, dangerous and narcissitic.

Donald Trump. Maybe not in the way he has for other people, in that Trump has made me find my footing in the middle, so turn away from some of my liberal upbringing and to really question why I believe what I believe. This is hard, but important work. This is what, I think, we all should be doing. This is what will save the world.

There have been several abuses of power towards many vulnerable groups of people, here in the U.S. We have seen white supremacist rally and wave Nazi flags as they are encouraged by the president and his cabinet. Never did I think we would ever see these images again. The rise of far right political ideology here at home and in Europe is a scary sight. I'm sure we all feel the anxiety from it, the fear of it, but we choose to fight it bravely. We hope humanity doesn't do something stupid again. We are flaunting our nuclear weapons. The beginning of the 21st century.

The November 2016 election changed my world. I'm horrified by the election and the results. I despair that my fellow countrymen voted for Trump. I am amazed daily by the corruption, treason, incompetence, and racism displayed by Trump, his cabinet, his family, and many members of the GOP Senate and House. I've never been this informed about current events. I've never donated more money to charities to support the people who are suffering at the hands of this heartless administration. I would do more if I could.

5777 saw the most vicious election cycle in my brief time on this earth. More hate and vitriol thrown back and forth, creating a culture of hyper-critical citizens who seem to be spreading nothing but hate. It's only gotten worse, with a chief officer concerned with only dividing rather than uniting. I feel the same in my religion at the moment as well, with tribes of Jews spewing hate at each other, or those who don't worship the same way they do. History is repeating itself.

Donald. J. Trump. Where do I start? His defense of Nazis or the """Alt-right"""? I honestly don't feel like our country is safe anymore, both from within & outside--although from within, it was never really safe for a lot of people. I am just so worried that that fucking idiot is going to destroy everything, & the least appropriate people for the job will be left to pick up the pieces (meaning those who are not equipped to deal with something like that). I'm scared.

The current president is the worst scourge to have happened to the world in my lifetime.

Donald Trump was elected President, and I am fearful for my country, its citizens and my family.

All these damn hurricanes. Made me realize we take everything for granted and we think we're all that until mother nature reminds us we're not. First with Irma, when I was legitimately scared for my life because it was projected to be a category 5 storm and I wasn't able to evacuate. Then with hurricane Maria, who went right through Puerto Rico. I was so nervous for that island and Jaime's family, and it really showed me that sometimes you can only do so much before the inevitable happens and it is beyond your control.

As I wrote in 2016, I am disgusted by the Presidential election. Before, I wrote about the campaign; now, I'm writing about the result. I cannot believe this country is so screwed up. There is still vitriol, name-calling, divisiveness. There is nothing "presidential" about him. I think the ease of anonymous posting has brought out the worst in so many people. Social media isn't really all that sociable, it seems.

Trump. And all the stupid Trump-y shit Trump's done this past year. And the things he hasn't done. The things he's said. And the things he hasn't said. He's causing friction in all the ways, in all the places, dividing our country more with each passing day, and making the world worse and worse and worse.

I know so many people are going to say this same thing, but the election. I didn't even tune into the news to watch the election coverage because I believed it was a given that Hillary would win. Watching the horror of Trump winning the election was like watching a train wreck - I just couldn't look away. I was in shock that this piece of shit, sexist pig big mouth won, I was embarrassed for my country, and I was gravely disappointed that a brilliant woman - who would have championed equal wages and paid maternity leave - lost.

The most significant event was the election of Donald Trump instead of Hillary and what it portends for the future of our society for the ill. I am ashamed that my country elected a despicable human being.

Still Brexit.

Fuck that flaming garbage dumpster. I'm so sad we don't have a woman president.

The election of Donald Trump to the office of POTUS. It has woken me up to how much racism, sexism, anti-antisemitism, hate, and ignorance still thrives in this country. His election has scared me, not so much for myself as a privileged white person, but more for my clients and friends of color.

The childish rhetoric between two narcissistic world leaders who have the ability to ruin the lives of so many people much smarter and more sensible than they.

The 2017 Election of D.Trump. I was in shock that he could actually become Prez. Why? He lacks any of the qualities needed to be a dedicated President -- lacks integrity, compassion and intellect.

The hurricanes. Irma Harvey and Maria. They leave me feeling helpless and really wanting to serve somehow. I look earned I really value being a global citizen

The election of Donald Trump to president has been the saddest and lowest moment for me and the country. Since his election, the country is more polarized than ever and every day he tweets provacative and unkind messages to anyone or group who has not embraced him or his wished for actions. The upside is that people are no longer complacent about the state of our country and are coming out and standing up for democracy, kindness, and understanding. All of the qualities that this man does not and never has embodied.

Are you kidding??!! The election of Dotard Donald tRump as president of the United States. How has it impacted me? It's made me more vigilant, more vocal, more aggressive in expressing and defending first amendment rights. Why? Our survival depends on our resistance to assaults on our freedoms. Upton Sinclair admonished us to be mindful of fascism arriving cloaked in the flag and dangling a cross. I sincerely pray that we will survive this regime intact and be alive to read our 5778 10Q ruminations next year...in peace.

Trump became president. A man child is running our country and has access to nuke codes. He’s going to ruin what little we have left yet as terrible shit happens people keep making excuses for him and saying he was the only REAL candidate. I think people know what they’ve done but they can’t admit it to themselves or others.

The presidency. I was truly shocked and horrified when Donald Trump won the presidency. I really never thought it was possible for him to win, I thought people were genuinely good and would see that he is awful and hateful and completely incompetent. I misjudged them. I misjudged the character of my fellow Americans, my fellow human beings. I misjudged their level of hatred and the level of contempt they have for others they don't understand. I used to believe people, at their heart, were generally good. Now, I am just not so sure. And I hate that is how I feel. Because I really, really did believe in the goodness of humanity. But now I don't, and I feel like some innocence has been lost there.

This year I have become so much more connected than ever before with my brownness, with where I come from and where that means that I am supposed to go and how much more special it will be if I actually succeed. Along with this Donald Trump is our president. People everywhere are persecuted for prejudices people had been pretending were gone. Everyone is more aware. Everyone feels slighted, no matter which side they are on. I connect to these feelings and to the pain of my people, and yet I feel like an outsider for doing so. I feel as if I have no right to be furious, to speak of injustices, when I rarely experience them myself. Do I still get to hold my brown card if no one calls me a spick or looks at me strange on the street? If I get catcalled less than most women? If I've never been bullied? Do I have a right to feel any different than white people as a whole, when I look more like them than my own? I feel much more comfortable with who I am than ever before, and yet amid that my existential crisis still brews and at times envelops me in its turbulence. It happens more often that it should. I feel this discomfort and disgust with this world and many in it, and I am complicit in it all. I am more apathetic than any human deserves to be. I still let myself sit in bed some days feeling sorry because a boy who told me doesn't like me was actually telling the truth. Donald Trump is imploding the fragile peace of our world, and I am writing more about myself than about those who have actually been hurt. Who have actually fucking died.

Donald Trump getting elected. It has shown me how many people are blind to large problems and how divided our country is on a fundamental level. The divisions are not based on cogent thought or analysis of data, but on flawed principles and false memories of the good old days. There are people who don't like the poor, sick, black, helpless, foreign, alien, and those in most need. The striking point I have taken from this is how un-Christian many Christians are acting. I have several friends that notice this within their churches and stand against it, but many do not. I fear for being a Jew, but it seems like they'll come for the Mexicans and Arabs first. I plan on standing with these marginalized groups to stop hatred and bigotry in my community.

The election of Donald Trump. It feels like someone is playing a terrible joke on us, to see how awful things have to get before people can see things clearly. We are in the middle of Ken Burns documentary on the Viet Nam War and things were really bad then, too. It is encouraging me because we did make some improvement from those times. But history seems to be repeating itself. Hopefully the good parts will repeat themselves, as well.

Hillary Clinton's defeat has reminded me that strong women are punished for their ambitions, and that well-educated, qualified women are not valued as much as men. Any men. My dreams died that day.

So many events. There have been bombs going off all over the place. Killing innocent people (when do they not). The London bomb at the Ariana Grande concert was quite frightening. To think someone might target children specifically. The nuclear threat of North Korea. It feels two steps removed and yet it isn't but what can you do. Trump. He makes a mockery - is a mockery - of everything I believe the thinking world stands for and yet he managed to become president and they haven't figured out how to get him out. He especially makes me frightened for the world. It's like watching a batman movie only the joker is running Gotham.

President Trump was elected. I prayed throughout the election - it was really a close call. I'm grateful to God that Donald won, not because he is perfect but because he has Christian advisors, because he does what he feels is the right thing to do - he didn't owe a bunch of favors to people for funding, he doesn't care what people think and can stand up for himself and the country. He acknowledges God and supports Israel which are two qualities that I want in anyone who leads in my life. Hillary has always scared me. Her lies were found out and her values are not the same as mine, and that's if she honestly ever spoke her values. I was disgusted at the violence, hatred, and law breaking that was going on because Hillary did not win. If Hillary had won and people did that, they would've been called out for that. There is such violent opposition.

The war in Syria, the economic collapse in Venezuela, and storms and fires across the world have all made me feel our world is more fragile and we have a greater responsibility to care for it.

Can I say anything besides grant yet more bandwidth to Donald fucking Trump? I mean, maybe I need to be better than that. Yes, he is an issue. But is he my issue? Is he an interesting example of neoliberal capitalism at a turning point, starting to eat itself? He spends £700bn (70?) on the military and nobody bats an eyelid. Enough to pay for his entire nation's education. To make it free. His entire nation. The thing somehow comes down to narratives. He lives in the midst of a deadly cocktail of neoliberalism, anti-globalisation sentiment, political disaffection, and reality TV. The guy is the monster and we are his father Frankenstein. Narrative vs narrative is deadlock. Futile. Instead, this whole debacle has a power, maybe, to bring what was latent to the fore. To bubble up what was lurking below into full view. And if we face our monster fully, look him in the eye, can we both be genuinely compassionate and aware of every single ugly wart we have crafted. When we stare at him for what he is does he begin to disassemble and dissolve? He won't be beaten by a single hero, he will be beaten by a network, scaled across. I've come to learn and realise this. And cultivating this network. Or at least ploughing the ground so that seeds can be fruitfully sewn. That is my life's work. That is what I must find ways of doing, more ways of doing, in the year ahead.

The goddamn election. It got me to actually go to meetings for once - joined League of Women Voters, went to an ACLU group (People Power), co-organized a SURJ anti-racist reading group. It has made me realize that no one besides us is out here to save us so I have to put my boots on the ground.

Trump. Need I say more.

Donald Trump was elected president, and I don't think that anyone in my immediate circle or even the next broader circle would have seen that coming. What that taught me is how different a world that I clearly live in compared to almost 50% of the voting population, and that was a real eye opener. I'm scared for our country. I'm scared that we have people that are having such drastically different experiences of day-to-day life that such an extremist could dream of coming into power.

Clearly Trump becoming President is the major world event. It has made me so sick and angry to see the hate he espouses get a stage. I cry, I am terrified for the state of our country and our world, and honestly believe that WW3 could happen at any moment and it would be all his fault. It has also given me hope to see people come together from professional sports teams, to the women's march, to all groups of life. It has given my work more purpose and made me a more conscientious human being, understanding my role as a privileged white woman and learning to listen so I can be a true ally and supporter in a way that is helpful, and not harmful to my fellow communities.

Trump. I'm nauseated. Because such a person should not be the world's most powerful person.

Oh boy, there are so many world events that have been huge and impactful this year. First off of course there is the sharp turn to the right into fear and isolationism that America took when we elected Donald Trump. But also right now the world feels like it is reeling from natural disasters: hurricanes that have destroyed Puerto Rico and many Caribbean islands, seriously flooded and destroyed Houston, and impacted many places in Florida, plus earthquakes in Mexico City with huge loss of life. Then there's still the tragedy in Syria, the heightening of a new cold war with Russia, and perhaps most terrifying of all, the escalating war of words between President Trump and Kim Jong Il in South Korea, which seems poised to possibly escalate into actual nuclear missile exchanges. The world just feels like a scary place to live right now.

Not the world, just my miserable little country. The recent totally skewed president election has trigger me to really hate the new Malay aunty president and also the government behind her which treats its citizens like a bunch of morons. Such insults always make me think of migrating and moving my kids away from this bullying environment from the top.

Duh. Trump's presidency. Can't wait to look back on these questions next year and see what kind of fun we've had

Charlottesville, Virginia. It affirmed how little things have changed in terms of racial justice. It also reveals who your true friends are, and who are the racists who just tolerate your existence.

Trump being elected, standing rock.. Made me sad abut our world but also glad that we are moving in an evolved direction because it is coming to the surface to be dealt with

The election of the 45th President of the United States has devastated me. The night of the election and the days after I was gutted. I truly saw my country for what it was: sexist and racist.I lost my sense of hope and optimism. The Women's March helped me and activism has been a necessary salve. I've tried to be more of an agent of change. Some days I am. Others I'm not. I am impressed by the work that Eveleigh does and aspire to be as engaged and honest and thoughtful and active. Some days I truly wonder if our country, nay our world, will ever recover from this catastrophe that is leading the most powerful nation in the world. I have never struggled like this before in my life. I realize how that reveals my privilege and how I must do more. I can be strong. I can be politically active. In fact, I have to be.

Oh Jesus. TRUMP. Fuckling dip-shit blow-hard skidmark. I will NEVER forget the embarrassment and shame and DANGER that he has brought to the US,and there are surely not enough characters that I can use to describe all of his wreck and ruin. We live in the Divided States drawn into stark relief with his “presidency.” Every worry that I had about US citizens while I lived abroad has now been verified and then some. There seem to be so many ignorant and wilfully ignorant assholes in this country, it’s difficult to see how we’re going to progress forward with the setbacks incurred by this administration.

President Trump. How? Why?

Do I have to answer this? I have Trump fatigue. I am still struggling to put into words how this has all impacted me. It's affected so much of my life and yet so little compared with other populations that have been affected. It has made me think and question so many things about how the world works, how the government works and why it works, how society views things, what the future will be like for my future children. And yet it hasn't impacted me enough to act in any real way. I help Raytheon hide. That's about it. I'd like to change that. It all has made me feel less sure of how I want to approach things but it is also forcing me to decide how I really feel about certain issues. Some things haven't required much thought though because it's so obviously clear what is right and wrong.....I hope to write it all down some day because this is quite a time to be alive.

Fuckin' Trump! Ugh.

The election of Donald Trump shook me to my core. To know that a highly qualified, skilled, experienced, brilliant woman could be passed over for a completely inexperienced stupid man was a real wake up call. I lost a lot of respect for the voters in this country, and realized how sexism and racism is truly so alive and well in this country. It infuriates me and motivates me to stand up and say No. No, it's not okay. None of this is okay.

The election. It has impacted everyone. I voted for Trump. For some reason I look over my shoulder as I type that..people are childish because they did not win this time. it's nuts. I am not hugely into politics but feel that we are all being governed by larger forces than our measly government and president. I am pretty confident that Trump is not part of the darker forces at work, but I do believe they are enjoying using him and his antics on Twitter to further distract the masses, and boy howdy is it working.

Trump. Very sad and frustrating to have an idiot in office

The economy has made a negative impact on the ability to enjoy some things. I struggle with money, largely due to poor choices, and the effects the economy has led to things being tighter than I'm comfortable with.

There are many events I could choose from this year, since I feel the world has changed a lot since the presidential election in November. The Women's March in January was very impactful for me. It was phenomenal to see so many people get together to stand up for their beliefs. On the other side of the spectrum, the march in Charlottesville, VA, was scary, but it showed me that we have a lot of work to do as a country and I need to continue educating others about different cultures and religions and fighting Anti-Semitism in America and the world. Lastly, the recent wave of hurricanes has been devastating to watch and has spurred me to do what I can to support the relief efforts and rally our community to help.

The election of Donald Trump has caused me to second guess everything. I am so disappointed. I feel like our country is in such a bad place with him in office. I hope he's not there long.

Electing Trump to President... Never thought that would happen... Major challenge to stay positive... Guy is sad... Why can't a loving, conscious human being be in such a pivotal and influential position....? Someone to inspire and unite... Not divide and incite...

I fell as if we, the gay community, has always been fighting for equal rights. So all this BS about taking a knee or standing up to #45 really isn't that big of a big deal because we've been fighting this fight for decades.

The fact that America elected a crazy, uninformed, unqualified, bully for President! It has caused chaos in America. It has caused more division than anything else in my lifetime. We are going backwards as a society as people begin to lose their rights. As chaos continues, the rich will get richer while the rest of us just keep working and fighting to stay above water. It's shameful.

What a year: Election of Trump - please wake me from this nightmare! He is such a horrifying reflection of the shadow side of America. And I feel I must look at what he reflects in me. My unhealed shame coming out in bits of arrogance and narcissism. But oh my, do I/we really need to see this large of a reflection????

The war in Syria is just brutal. 11mm people displaced, widespread destruction, use of chemical weapons, and blatant genocide are all reasons to be repulsed and saddened. The rest of the world could play a role but has stayed on the sidelines except for Russia, which is aiding Assad. It's a true tragedy and a travesty. We say never again to the Holocaust, then this happens. At the same time, Turkey is becoming a dictatorship and Venezuela is crumbling under the weight of socialism...it's hard to watch.

Certainly the presidential election has impacted me, though the movements of collective activism and belief, whether it's the early marches or the more recent hurricane disaster relief efforts—these have reminded me of the role, value, and power of coalitions amidst the loneliness of our interconnected world and the surprising disenfranchisement it can engender.

Donald Trump became president...

I can't really say anything has impacted beyond the scale of normal, day to day events.

The election of Trump. I'm seriously stunned that an entire nation of intelligent people elected such a hot headed, egotistical jack-ass to their most powerful seat. It scares me because every time he sends a rude or threatening tweet, I feel like North Korea is going to bomb the USA. I don't want another war. I want my children to grow up. I don't want them to have to go through a war. Why won't some one muzzle that man? Could the North Koreans just take out him? (sorry God). How did this happen??

This has been such a tough year for the world. The election that saw Donald Trump become PUSA was painful for so many people. Our nation has never felt more divided. The hurricanes that have hit Houston and Puerto Rico are saddening. My sister-in-laws parents were rescued from their house at 4am - they thought they were going to die and lost everything except for the clothes on their back. So many people are without power in Puerto Rico... beyond what I can imagine. The Women's March was very inspiring to witness. The Charlotesville protests broke my heart. Our PUSA's response to it broke my heart. The way people seemed to help each other out in Houston warmed my heart. The events of the year have brought out the worst and the best. I feel frozen. Numb. I want to be more present. I want to help. I need to make time to be a part of some type of community... to make the world a little better because I can.

The election of Donald Trump. Along with the majority of Americans and people around the world, I realized that politically and in almost all respects, a worst nightmare had been realized. From that moment, I have been working as part of the resistance movement--not anti-Trump, but pro-universal healthcare (or at least a modification of the ACA, not its repeal and replacement), pro-education, pro-immigration rights, reducing income inequities, for social and criminal justice, for native rights, recognizing and doing something about global warming....I have been active in about a dozen groups, attended marches and rallies, will be hosting a meet and greet of a candidate for governor of CT, have signed dozens of petitions, sent emails, tweeted, and have used Facebook to assure that facts are properly presented giving an opportunity for justice to win out.

Brexit - how can it be anything else as a Brit - that and the ongoing debacle that is the Scottish Referendum issue so much uncertainty not good for anyone

Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, in what still feels like a horrible speculative fiction scenario. I found out in Ashleigh's bathroom from a text from Max and broke down, blindsided once again by an election result that showed the world moving in a direction that can only lead to horror (looking at you, Brexit). I had to go to a meeting in Mainz for the whole day, you could tell who was American on the train because they were the ones who looked like somebody they knew had just died in front of them. Since the election result, the right wing has grown progressively more radical, white nationalists and homophobic assholes feel empowered enough to march in the street, legislation that will kill people like me and my friends is being passed regularly. I feel safe in Germany, although the election last Sunday showed that the AfD is also growing in power. All in all, the election of a vengeful, sexist, racist idiot has made me feel unsure about what the future of the world and my personal future will look like, and I really wish it hadn't happened.

Seeing the total eclipse of the Sun in August with my wife and friends was life changing. I want to travel the world now to see more of them!

Ugh, Donald Trump. The election. Brexit. Terrorism. It's all still there! In a sea of horrible events, the thing that made me feel the worst is the Ariana Grande bomb. Hearing the news, I was transported back to when I was a teenager and I started to go to gigs. I saw Take That when I was 12 and we were all so innocent - we sat cross-legged on the floor waiting for them to come on, and I had my little homemade Gary Barlow banner, and my Dad went off for a fish supper and waited outside for the concert to end with his book and a crossword. I was SO EXCITED for that concert, and the thought of all those poor children (and adults) finally getting to the moment they'd been waiting for for months, only to be killed or maimed or traumatised - it's just unbearable.

This crazy hurricane season. Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico. We are so fragile and our earth is changing. How do we, as a civilization, keep up?

Trump. Fuck. Obamacare repeal. Birth control.

Mexico' s earthquake, hurricanes all over America, North Korea attempting to go on war. Trump's irrational policies. Everything has created crisis all over having us as mankind question where are we heading and how are we doing it

The election of Donald Trump as US president has caused me much stress, and has compelled many of us to look at our activism, and become more diligent at protesting and calling our senators to vocalize opposition to this administration's policy changes.

Like almost everybody the Presidential Election has impacted me, and made me look at the world differently. I have been saddened to see the anger and intolerance on both sides. People with tiki torches doing their version of Nazi cos-play. Gay pride marches that pointedly exclude the Star of David. People on both sides taking down and belittling those on the other side of the political spectrum. I have been trying very hard to stay centered, work for positive change, and lift up the good in others. Not easy but I will keep trying.

The 2016 Presidential elections. What a load of bull shit. I can't even type his name. We elected a reality TV star as our 45th president. He's a bully, a racist, a bigot, a fascist, a sexist, a rapist, an asshole. What a loss. America deserves better. The pendulum has swung SO FAR RIGHT it's abusive to so many people. He will likely get impeached for colluding with Russia, obstruction of justice, being a shitty politician and businessman. Fingers crossed. Also, the racist uprisings surrounding Confederate monuments in America. There has been a lot of talk about how Germany does not have any Hitler monuments or statues. This is a no-brainer. America should not be glorifying its racist and slavery-bound past. It's a no-brainer. I achieved last year's goal of doing the Racial Equity Institute training, and I'd like to set the goal to do it again this year.

The new Presidency. I had never been scared for my country and its future. I can't say that anymore. Forty years old and I've never worried about America being able to work out its issues. We always seemed to get better, smarter, tried to be better than our past. I fear that we are going backwards now, and it feels very dangerous.

Donald Trump is president. I don't know how the hell we got here, but even typing those words makes me stomach hurt. Every single day has been a firestorm of news about Russia and the election hacking, and the war in North Korea, and some racist comment that Trump made today, and some horrible thing that one of his cabinet members said. It is exhausting. And I think that the most frustrating aspect about it, is how short the memories are of people in our country. A few weeks ago, there was a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia to support keeping up a confederate statue. It became a white supremacy rally where people were yelling "You will not replace us, Jews will not replace us" and holding Nazi flags. It was disgusting. A counter protest erupted, and a girl ended up dying from the left. Our president's response? There was violence on both sides. Both sides. There were some "very good people there." It is difficult to be a young Jewish girl in a country where this kind of behavior is supported from the top and considered okay. What makes it worse, is that everyone was outraged about it for a few days, then everyone seemingly forgot. The racism and antisemitism still exists, it has just been buried under the surface of our country. This is what I have had the most trouble with. Not just that our president is horrible and disgusting and grossly unqualified, but that everyone so quickly forgets this and moves on with their lives. I can't just let it go.

World event. This is always such a hard one. We've had massive hurricanes, the Trumps are in the Whitehouse *eye roll*, but I don't feel personally affected by it all. The only thing that hurricane Maria cemented for me is how disconnected I am from Puerto Rico, and for good reason. No, no world event truly impacted me this year. Either I'm completely oblivious to the world around me, blissfully unaffected, or lucky. I don't know, but I'd call it a good thing.

The election of Donald Trump as President, his inauguration, and everything that's happened since. It's been like a spiritual evisceration, at times violently painful, a constant presence of darkness behind even life's most benign moments. Individually and collectively we've had to learn how to live with this tragedy, this injury, this threat. How much we've all changed is remarkable. We see ourselves behaving like characters in a story, but we only call the other side preposterous for it. We see new evils in each other, new things to distrust. It's like the rules of physics have shifted, but we're still exploring how. What has been violated? What remains true? I can't bring myself to say that the silver lining might be worth it, but I can see the argument that some make that, in the long run, these exposures are good. It's *good* to wake up to the privilege that has benefited me throughout my life. It's good to feel ashamed that people who look and live like me can dismiss the humanity of others, can rationalize away their own responsibility to acknowledge and protect it. It's good to be aware of these evils that were lying dormant, festering while the political climate made them too unattractive to air. It's good to discover that they are not dead (ha! not even close) so that we can continue the fight, not let down the guard, not become complacent and lulled into unconsciously becoming the badness ourselves. But I can't bring myself to say that this is actually good. It's good that we're being made to face and grapple with what's not good. But it's not good that we have these evils. It's horrifying. It's disgusting. It's wrong.

The biggest, most obvious one is Trump being elected president. It has thrown us into chaos and put everything off balance. It has racheted up my fear and stress levels pretty high. He is clearly a threat to women, minorities, our nation and our planet OTOH, I have also watched many people be positively galvanized by his election. People are paying attention and getting involved and realizing that it's time to do things differently.

There have been consistent terror attacks in Israel (where I live) during the last year, including one near the end of September, 2017. They raised my levels of internal fear and sense of hopelessness.

Last year, my husband and I went for a trip to Europe. They had a terrorist attack while we were there. We went to Europe again this summer and there was another terrorist attack, in places we had spent some time this summer, after we left. It makes me so sad, that people believe that they are correct about their beliefs to the point that they kill other people. Aren't they ashamed? Do they really make it to the paradise that their religions espouse? I don't think so. It makes me angry, sad, frustrated that they cannot look at someone else who is different and just see themselves.

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency has impacted me primarily via my wife's reaction. I have become much more supportive of her and her emotions because now I do not see them as "neurotic", which I did before. Now I share them. And, I have become more politically active.

The Women's March was an incredibly powerful experience for me -- to be a part of something so monumental was dizzying and uplifting. I am more present in the moment, listening and parsing the news far more often than I used to, and using the context of inequality to understand things that happen around me. It is sometimes overwhelming realizing how far we still have to go, and although I am not often politically active, I have tried to make this awareness a part of my life. Addressing unconscious bias in myself & others, recognizing others in small ways, consistently & publicly expressing my support, etc.

OMG Trump whose racism and buffoonery continues to appal the world. It annoys me and threatens world peace.

Honestly, Trump being president has impacted me in unexpected ways. The division of opinion on the man has made it more and more clear to me that I don't want to pick a side--I want to find a way for everyone to move forward together. The atmosphere of anti-everything feels more and more poisonous to me every day. The friends that I can communicate with openly about these feelings have become my guiding stars.

The 2017 US Presidential Election. Heartbreak, outrage, disappointment... it's hard to describe the fear and turmoil that I've witnessed in my country and in the citizenry since Donald Trump was elected president 10 months ago. From where I'm sitting now, it feels like his election has precipitated an unprecedented outpouring of hate, racism, and violence. I'm disappointed in those that voted for Trump, outraged by those who didn't vote at all, and worried for the future of my country, democracy, and the world at large.

Donald Trump's presidency and our governments lack of response or accountability has made me feel so disconnected, hopeless, and anxious/depressed about this country. Thinking about it makes me want to completely shut off and abandon this country/planet. It confirms what I and other nonwhite people have been saying for ages- how little our government actually cares about its people and how IGNORANT parts of this country are. Seeing it flaunted in my face so much just makes me sick and depressed, like I want to withdraw into a hole and jump ship. There are things I can do...but I know they are ultimately futile and that change is in the hands of rich white dudes who are literally doing nothing. I feel absolute despair about this.

The US elected a terrible person to the presidency. He is slowly killing us all, and if/when he gets impeached we're still in trouble because the vicepresident is no less cruel but he is calm and so he would not be stopped. I spend a lot of time wondering what skills I should work on acquiring. A lot of time attending political meetings. A lot of time worrying.

September 19th Mexico earthquake and Trump winning the presidency. Earthquake because i have seen the best of my people through shows of solidarity in the most amazing ways, and the worst too....people stealing, taking advantage of the situation, abusive. Trump winning, i just never thought it would happen, it made me recognize how far i was from reality and how people think differently than me.

Too many awful things have happened this year but by far the worst is Donald Trump winning the presidency of the USA. It shocks and scares me that people think his hate is ok. I could never understand how people voted for Hitler but it's the same. He lies and people listen and he panders to people's fears. I worry for the safety of the World with him in power. Of course Theresa May is not a whole lot better!

Donald Trump becoming president has effected me and alot of people I know in an negative way. We all need to come together instead of trying to divide everyone. Also, the floods/Hurricanes in Texas & Florida didn't directly effect me, but its heartbreaking that many people lost their homes and everything they were used to and have to start from the bottom.

The election of Trump in America. I have a difficult time accept this reality, and the hatred and ignorance that people still hold onto.

Trump being elected. - the environment is fragile and cannot be neglected even for 4 years by a president who doesn't seem to care about it or act in a way to preserve it...just in case he could be wrong. -my healthcare options may change and not for the better Online and big box retail is crowding out small businesses Little independent retail and small businesses cannot effectively compete in this mega big box and online type of arena.

Trump's election didn't affect me as much as the intensity of the reaction of people around me. The impact for me was feeling frustrated and alienated with the panic and dramatization of my community. I ended up feeling even more disconnected from activists, but also liberal friends and family.

The biggest event that I think affects everyone I know directly was the unlikely election of Trump as President. It is still impossible to even contemplate, but there he is. A bully, a liar, a narcissist, a baby. He is so naive and childish, so needy and brash, so unpresidential and unprofessional in every way. He is a danger to all Americans and to our relationship with other countries. He has surrounded himself with people who have no business governing. I really hope we all learn something from this experience. Many genocides and refugee crises are going on all over the world - it is almost too much to take in or feel that I can have any effect. Hurricanes and earthquakes did enormous amounts of damage to multiple countries. Not a lot of good going on in the world.

The Trump election and the horrible things that followed. I can't believe this is happening. It's September, almost a full year later and I'm still experiencing panic, fear, PTSD every time I read more horrifying stuff on the news. I'm paralyzed with fear and uncertain about what to do. Should I be fleeing to Canada? Participating more actively in the protests or liberal politics or environmental protection causes? I can't shake the feeling that the planet is shaking us off and we're helping. I can't shake the feeling nuclear war and destruction are nigh.

I am still trying to figure out of the Trump win and subsequent chaos of his administration is the death cry of toxic masculinity, climate denial, post-slavery racism, xenophobia, and Christian triumphalism or rather the beginning of the Apocalypse. My Orthodox sister has such confidence that God will preserve us through this disaster; I don't think that God is as purposeful as that. I am still anxious on a near-daily basis.

The emergence, aft er the 2016 presidential election of a boorish, noisy modernity, and the reemergence of this country's extremely Dark Side. I am horrified. In combination with the emergence of North Korea as a nuclear-armed power, his deepens my pessimism.

The fact that Donald Trump was elected president is still unreal and ridiculous. There is now a passive attitude towards hatred and intolerance. It scares me that everyone is out for themselves with no regard to how they are affecting anyone around them. I think it has made me draw closer to spiritual people, though!

Oh my goodness...where to start. Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Fires, Hail Storms, etc. A lot of devastation around this world right now. It's very sad and hard to see this happening to humanity. All of these events impact me - I am part of this; even if it doesn't impact me directly - it's indirect and still hard to witness. I help in my way that I can. In contrast there are also some good things unfolding...today, I read that Saudi Arabia is now going to lift the driving ban law on women next year. This is wonderful to hear. Strangely I was thinking about UAE this morning and how they are slow to embrace/implement women being equal in their culture. Definitely a synchronicity.

FUCK DONALD TRUMP.

Definitely the US presidential election and many things as a result of that. I don't want to downplay any tragic world events, as there were many. This was something close and tangible. The country is in a sad and disturbing state as I see it. I hope this will really end up with a positive growth for social justice as a result. I'm so uncertain about the future of things and it's scary.

The election of Dumpf has changed things in a not-so-fun way.

I will state clearly that the single most impactful event of the past year was Donald Trump being elected President of the United States. I really did not think that our country had sunk so low, but I was wrong – deeply, deeply wrong. My son keeps reminding me that everything can be undone once he’s out of office, but it is still not pleasant to watch the results of entire lifetimes of struggle vanish in an instant. The things I’ve witnesses this year were previously unimaginable. So I am now imagining that nothing is off limits, and anyone can do whatever the hell they want.

The presidential election and the aftermath. He comes across as completely improvised, without consideration for consequence. His vision of who the United States are seems to be very narrow. And people are scared. The amount of vitriol in the news, on facebook, in the conversations people are and are not having makes me sad. I feel so much shame internalized and projected onto others, and I don't know what to do about it.

I know most people are going to say the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, but I am not convinced that this is watershed moment of the year. Instead, I think that the change in my attitude regarding this election and other events is more impactful - I am not concerned as long as it doesn't directly impact me. I don't worry, cry, shout, etc... about events that really don't affect me or my family. Instead I observe, and discern what information I can from the event. I try not to assume or infer what will happen. I speculate, but do not get emotional.

how can you pick just 1?

Oh wow, what a doozy. The night that Donald Trump was elected President was seriously one of the worst nights of my life. We are living in such an insane period of history. I hope that my children never have to experience anything like this. I have felt so incredibly low during these past nine months, but I've also been filled with hope and understood the power of resilience. I've seen a lot of people come together and speak out against hatred and stand up for what's right, and I truly believe that we're just going to see more and more resistance. The physical shock and pain that has resulted from his presidency has also woken me up and made me realize what my priorities are in life. They have reaffirmed my values and made me even more eager to brings book into this world about marginalized kids.

The election of Donald Trump to the presidency, and all that has flowed from that. It has made me so stressed and anxious. I really don't feel like I've been the same since. I thought that it would all end with the election -- all the insanity, the ugliness, the proud ignorance. Instead, it's intensified. Some days reading the news is literally agonizing. It's like living through the End of Times. And now this nuclear standoff with North Korea, and his inane, dangerous tweets -- aaagh! He makes me nuts. And he has no interest in hearing what anyone else but him thinks or says. I was just talking to my therapist about this. This is how bad it is. I talk about current events with my *therapist*. I feel more anxious, have had more stomach pain, more nightmares. I listen to podcasts all the time. There's literally not a corner of my life this hasn't impacted. I know I need to get a grip. But it's all rather horrifying.

The election of Trump really fucked me up. I had always believed that things were messed up but that they wouldn't be able to get at the things I held dear and that isn't true anymore. It has made me more politically aware and although it hasn't made me as active as it should have, it is a start.

Trump. I don't even have words for it. Except horror and abject disbelief. However, his presence has showed me how very far we've come from the America I thought I was living in and that I thought was meant to be my destiny, my life, so there's a small piece of something to be grateful for in that. But still: what a disgusting human being. I wish him ill, and I don't say that lightly.

The situation in North Korea scares me even more now. I'd never have thought that Kim Jung Un could look like the saner antagonist in a dispute, but it actually seems possible.

One word, DRUMPF. I can truly say that at no other time in my life have I ever cared so much about politics and government than I do now. I can also say that I evidently formulated some kind of expectation regarding what I think a leader should be and this expectation is not reflected in this president. There is a palpable tension in everyday life that did not exist prior to this presidency. It's sad that this year I am so distracted by this event, that no other event can even come to mind. I feel as if I am in a nightmarish reality show where dignity and morals have been unseated by brand and pretentiousness.

The presidential election of 2016. I am still deeply saddened that so many of my fellow Americans chose to vote for a man who is a vulgar bully. Although I am generally liberal-leaning, there were several Republican candidates who I would have accepted as my President. But not this one. I have lost a lot of faith in the direction that my country is taking.

Trump election shocked and sad. Likewise weather events worldwide and the frustrating blindness and non chalance

The U.S. is coming unhinged. Somehow the evil Cheeto got elected. I was an entirely different political being one year ago. Now I am woke, activated, angry, Antifa. Fuck Drumpf. Resist, remove. Peace. Also, big ass iceberg, hot summer, Irma in Houston. The world as I knew it one year ago exists no longer. The world is getting worse by the day. I'm seriously waiting for a bomb to drop. Never have I seen so much go bad so quickly. To realize it has already been nearly a year is unfathomable. Guess I'm still in shock.

The Presidential Election. Trump's victory feels like it's changed the whole tenor of our nation and created a cultural divide. For the first time in my life, I feel fear because I'm in a religious minority, because as the mother of a transgender child, I worry about what their future holds, and as a parent and grandparent, I worry about the future of our planet. I find myself tensing up and biting my tongue in social settings like dinner parties if the talk goes to politics, as well as with friends and family on social media. It feels like every day the things I've believed and valued about our society are challenged.

Trump's election. There is nothing more to say there.

Seriously? Has anyone not answered Trump? UGH. The worst.

The many floods in the South. I am more determined to create a real inventory of what is in this house and more determined to start the process of making a will or trust. I am more aware of climate change and its effect on this area.

I don't have an answer to this. I didn't last year either. This is troubling to me. Maybe this year I can involve myself more in international affairs. I can be a little more selfless.

Donald Trump's ascendancy to the Presidency has affected many people all over the planet. Myself, I am in that intellectual left-leaning group who is stunned that it was POSSIBLE for clear-minded human beings to vote for him. As an artist--one who aspires to re-acquaint my audience with reality, as the I Ching has said--this has been a huge wake-up call to how differently millions of other people view themselves and the world from the way that I do. This has been the mistake of the Enlightened Left--we felt that the truths we were discovering--that "all men are created equal" really SHOULD include all sexes and genders, all races and cultures; that creating good society for all to inhabit is the greatest good that our nation can aspire to; that the "drug war" is a catastrophe and a violation of another human right, that of dominion over one's consciousness. Why should the government have any say about what I put into my body and mind? Unless it is scientifically proven to make me violate other people's rights (robbing, killing, raping) (which NO drug has been proven to do) what right do they have to tell me what I can and cannot do with my mind? The answer might be that the government is trying to protect me from myself (victimless crimes) and I understand that--but science has proven this to be a fallacy, with Portugal being Exhibit A in this argument. But let me return to my premise: Trump's election has rung the awakening bell for the Enlightened Left, notifying them that their enjoyment of this brave new world has left many, many people behind. We have abandoned our brothers and sisters, our neighbors and fellow citizens, while running up the hill to the Promised Land. Hopefully we will learn this lesson deeply and go back down to bring everyone along. It will be hard work, and it won't look the same as when we left it when we get back, but this is our duty as beneficiaries of this fantastic national project. It is up to us to help everyone reap the benefits of our enlightenment and our wealth. May this make significant progress in my lifetime!

President Trump being elected has greatly imppacted me. This continues screw up my chances of keeping a job and letting us have more people get hired and keep helping folks the way we need to in my fold.

Like every other answer, the failed election. The most important answer, black lives matter.

The United States elected Donald Trump over Hilary Clinton to be president. To me this decision epitomizes two things: 1) the nation is sexist / racist and 2) the nation is poorly educated. A selfish man whose degradation of women is showcased daily should not represent our nation. I feel the impact as a calling to keep working to improve myself and demonstrate that I am as capable as any man.

The election of Donald Trump. Never before have I experienced something so polarizing. To have people threaten and then carrying out the severing of a friendship over a political choice made me astonished. I voted for our President. And it's not for racist, bigoted, or otherwise morally incorrect reasons. But now I know what it feels like to be in the closet--if associates at work ever found out, I can almost guarantee it would mean the burning of many bridges and compromise of many working relationships. This truly saddens me that we cannot, in this day and age, accept each other for differing opinions and to even have discussion over those in a civil, polite manner. We have lowered ourselves to the antics of elementary children, who blindly cast out others who are not part of their clique circle. Shame.

Trump was elected president. I didn't vote for him, but I thought I would set aside my judgments and give him the benefit to lead. I think he's a terrible leader, and doesn't respect or represent American values. But then again, based on what I'm seeing, I wonder what American values are, if we don't hold them and represent them as a community and a nation? I hold a hope that his abysmal leadership will actually serve to unite us, even if it's in opposition to what he stands for. I hope his leadership actually makes us better people, because we finally unite around what we hold to be deeply held beliefs about the god given right for all humans to have agency.

Hurricane Irma and all of the hurricanes succeeding her. Its drastic impacts on nearly all of the Caribbean and the toll it has on its residents. The damage in Texas is especially daunting as it's always been a state I was curious about and drawn to.

Climate warming. Climate warming, decimation of bird populations, intensification of storms, rising sea levels, famine and draught, fires and hurricanes. It impacts me because it's not going to get better, and there may come a time when we no longer can protect ourselves or our environment. It depresses me when I think of shrinking habitat for animals and people, shrinking water supply.

The rally at Charlottesville, Virginia has demonstrated that our world is full of hate and our country is divided because of it. The overt expression of racism is becoming worse. As a woman, I also believe the resentment of the white male is also becoming more palpable.

The election of Donald Trump. I am embarrassed that he represents our country as he's a selfish, ignorant boor. And I'm infuriated at the stupid people who voted for him and still support him. It makes me feel helpless to think that he got to where he is and is now controlling the fate of our, my, country. My only hope is that there will be a progressive backlash against him and all he stands for.

Just the past few weeks there have been so many terrible natural disasters. It is like global warming is rearing its head to all the climate deniers. Harvey flooded Houston, Irma and Maria destroyed the Caribbean. Massive earthquake in Mexico, and flooding in other parts of the world. I am really scared about the future of our planet. I have created our 'go-bag' with emergency supplies for me, Sara, and Pippi. It no longer feels like a question of if, but when.

Trump becoming president. I MEAN HE SERIOUSLY SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!! HE'S A BAD PRESIDENT!!!!!!!

Ugh. I can't even say it outloud or write it down.. but the election of Cheese Turd Supreme to be the president has definitely increased my stress and despondency. It has gotten me somewhat more political, too - I am no longer a stranger to calling my elected representatives! I'm glad it's spurred me into some action. I wish I had the time and bandwidth to do more.

Trump got elected. I don't really know how it happened, but it made me a more cynical human. I think it has been a lot harder to look on the bright side and use my voice for good knowing that logic won't really solve this one. That too much passion can lead to burn out, and that the person with decision making power is a racist, chauvinist, homophobic jerk who could care less about the majority of the people he is "serving" and only about the people who can advance him. What this has reinforced for me is that America is a land of opportunity for people who are born privileged. white, male, cis-gendered, and Christian REGARDLESS of how hard individuals actually work. This is an angering reality to have reinforced everyday.

I think we're all affected by the election of a completely inexperienced garbage person to the office of President. As a feminist and, you know, THINKING woman/fellow human, it's dispiriting to see. It's hurting people in noisy and quiet ways both.

The election and inauguration of the current president has profoundly affected me and many other millions of Americans. It has shone a light on what many of my countrymen are thinking and feeling. These are mostly people I don't have much contact with so it is hard for me to understand their thoughts and actions.

Our current President. The day to day chaos that has been wrought in his name has been a truly awe-inspiring. I have seen friends torn asunder, and families. I have seen people rise to greatness, and incredible acts of bravery and kindness. I have seen people I thought I knew reveal truly vicious and cruel faces that I would never have suspected. Whatever happens, I don't think we as a nation will ever be the same.

The election of Donald Trump has been the most impactful world event I can ever imagine. It has shaped the way I think, react and respond to almost everything. It has created a fear in me that I did not know was possible.

I feel a little better as ISIS is getting defeated and at least it seems (no news) less humanitarian crisis in Syria or other countries like that. On the other side the mess that has been created over the years with mismanagement of previous administration with N. Korea and Iran continue to worry me about the future.

The presidential election has impacted nearly every facet of my life. I am in fear for my safety as a queer person, in fear of my children's safety. I worry we'll lose healthcare, that ny grandfather (a naturalized citizen) will be harassed. I worry for my black godchildren. I worry for my close Jewish friends. I worry we'll be in a nuclear war or extreme economic crisis.

There is not one event per se but on person at the center of all the events that have impacted me this year. I do not abide by anything that the current POTUS says, tweets, makes "law," or otherwise does. IMHO, he is an embarrassment, a disaster, and dangerous.

Trump was officially sworn in as president. Even though I'm Canadian and not American it still does and will continue to impact me. It led to me taking part in the Research-a-thon at my school to help mount a constitutional challenge against the 'Safe Third Country Agreement' because, clearly, America is not a safe third country anymore. We might all be dead soon if Trump keeps playing with fire in regards to North Korea. Only time will tell.

Uh, the Trump presidency. It's unbelievable, and I wake up in shock still to this day. It feels like I'm in a dystopian novel. I hope it ends without nuclear holocaust.

This year, DJT was somehow elected by the bigots, racists, homophobes, xenophobes, etc. This has negatively impacted my life immensely. People feel bold enough to say practically anything to anyone’s face no matter how offensive. As if there weren’t enough problems with this country .... he is an embarrassment to this country and a mockery of democracy.

Recovery. It's not so much an event as it is a movement. Seriously, humanity has learned to pick up, clean up and move on from tragedies (shootings, hurricanes, earthquakes) but for some reason we struggle with the personal tragedies so much harder. When it DIRECTLY affects us, it is way harder than, say, whatever happens across the world from where I am. I do recovery ministry where I am at, and that is the impact I want to make - a personal one. One individual at a time. When we hold a Large Group meeting, and few people come...but just one person stands up and says, "I really needed to be here tonight. I really needed to hear what was said and be with you all tonight." That says it all to me. Because, chances are, so did I.

Unequivocally the election of the President of the United States. Not so much because of who he is or his particular politics, but because the way our Country has been divided and horribly strained. I am so disheartened by the hatred and intolerance, and wonder if we’ll ever be able to repair our country.

Trump's presidency. It makes me ill to think that someone so unqualified is running our country and making us a laughingstock among the other nations.

The presidential election. It has impacted me in so many ways. It's brought me closer to my moderate Republican husband. Politics and the ramifications thereof have become a huge time sink, as I have become way more active and read the news a LOT more. I have attended the RAC's Consultation on Conscience and started a Tikkun Olam (Social Justice) group at my temple.

I am still suffering greatly from Trump s election. The constant messaging from Washington in manners that I find stressful are so hard on all of our nervous systems. I feel better living so far away in CA, amoungst likeminded people -- very different from how I suffered while living in St. Louis during the Bush junior years.

Ugh, Trump. Just, ugh.

The election this year has drudged up a new level of incivility, and that makes me sad. There is irrational propaganda coming from all sides, and also irrational moral equivalency veiled as justice and even sometimes veiled as religious principle. I refuse to believe that this is what we are doomed to endure from each other for the rest of our lives. The divisiveness in the White House and on Capitol Hill is a very saddening prophecy; I remain hopeful that our world can still be saved from becoming some horrific version of a post-apocalyptic 20th century novel.

I am sure there has been a world event that has impacted me, but I really can't think of any.

Donald Trump becoming president. I prayed that it would never happen, and yet it has, and completely divided our country. His despicable actions, fear mongering and cowardice make me sick. I pray that something changes to put this country back on the right track, away from racism, sexism, and all of the other prejudiced behavior.

I used to live in London and have been really sorry to see all the tragedy in London this year; the Grenfell tower and the terror attacks. I am sorry that a lot of the freedoms I enjoyed in London have been curtailed.

Definitely the rise of the Resistance to discriminatory conservatism has affected me this past year, as this is where I put my attention and energy for my time on media, social media, and conversation. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and attacked on all fronts. Thank Gd it is also easy to find allies and support, even for my own niche view of the world and the situation. The Resistance groups can be just as crazy as the Real World, but the Real World of personal connections, even with its complexities, can be a respite from social media.

Trump winning the election. It reminded me that the rest of the world doesn't think like me in a very confronting way. It also damaged my relationship further with some students

Hilary Clinton loosing the election to Donald Trump. It impacted me in the context that it highlighted how much more work women have to do in closing the gender gap. Women have come far in history and western women have many rights and privileges that do not exist in other countries but in the United States we are still paid less and statistically have a low percent of females in managerial positions. I am thankful for the progress we have made but am cognizant of how much work there is to do.

I wish I could say my answer to this from last year was ironically humorous, given the outcome of the election, but it's just sad. For the past year I've seen my country and the people in it become almost unrecognizable from a moral and ethical standpoint. There is so much injustice and so much vitriol that it's painful sometimes to think about. I force myself to, because it makes me feel inspired to do what I can about it, but also because now more than ever it is crucial for people who believe in equality and justice not to turn their heads, not to give up hope, not to release control. If a fight is what it will take to set things right, it's a fight they'll get. I'll continue surrounding myself with people who believe in a future for all people in this country, and I will try to fight, and to educate. Sometimes it all feels too much, but I won't fall.

Our new president (I call him #45) has seemingly been the impetus for increased ignorance and violence. Across the world increased intolerance and hate. The world is upside down and it feels like the majority is accepting it as the new norm. Nothing feels normal, comfortable or right.

Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. I listened to a lot of podcasts about the election all year from before the primaries all the way through until the Inauguration: the Five Thirty-Eight elections podcast and The Ringer's "Keepin' it 1600". It was entertaining as they made fun of Trump and the fucked up Republican Party - until Trump actually won. So many elections have gone against me recently. I feel like I'm always on the losing side. We've also stopped listening to the news in the morning on Radio 4, so I don't really know what's going on in the world anymore. I don't like listening to the 6 o'clock news on Radio 4 because it depresses me on the way home from work; and I prefer to listen to podcasts in the car. I always feel like these things don't really change my life that much. Sometimes they just feel like interesting stories that you can get really involved in but they never actually change your way of life - except that they depress and exasperate you.

Trump. There is no precedent for this -- for the feelings in the country that made it possible. For the very real, very awful things that he will do. The only sane response is to fight it, every day, tooth and nail. Not doing a good job of that, at least not yet. But we have three and a half more years. I can grow into a more activist role.

This past year Donald Trump was elected President. I continue to be shocked and disgusted that this could happen. Our country has gone from a leader who not only talked about, but showed, equality and kindness in everything he did to a man who is selfish, racist, homophobic, and just all around awful. Citizens who share his beliefs are feeling empowered to spread fear and hate around this country at a rate we haven't seen in YEARS. I am truly sad for America and just hoping that our country can make it through his Presidency intact, because he also has NO tact when it comes to international policy.

The 2016 presidential election> The actions and words from #45 makes me physically ill and embarrassed. the Resistance has given me hope and motivated me to move forward, however difficult it seems to be.

I am a proud Mexican-American, and with the rent event of Trump reversing DACA, it hurts. Although I am not personally effected by this, it hurts to know fellow Mexican-Americans, and other ethnicities, are being hurt by this. These innocent people are here to better themselves and provide for their families, yet are being labeled as rapists, and terrorists. I know individuals who have benefited from DACA, and these individuals are not rapists and/or terrorists. These people are some of the hardest working people I know. Myself being an American citizen, I am not taking advantage of the opportunities I have here, yet I'm seeing people who are not even from this country and are becoming far more successful. My point being is that trump reversing DACA is a TERRIBLE decision. These people have work visas, which gives them the opportunities to have a job and help improve our economy. "America, the land of the free"? don't think so if we are turning away HUMAN BEINGS and depriving them of basic human rights.

The amount of struggling, desperate refugees walking, running,cabing, to Canada from Trump's ridiculous travel ban. We can't feed or house all of them immediately and I want their first year or so in Canada to be safe and they can finally let their guard down a little in regards to safety, schools for their children, being a girl, etc. It's overwhelming.

Trump getting elected president has impacted me, my community, the larger world. It has been devastating to see what the country is actually life. I cried so much and sometimes still feel in fog about how to live, resist, and move forward in ways that serve my country.

Trump. no description necessary.

The 45th President was elected, and Trump has turned the light on in our country. We had lived under the impression that we were further along, and that people were not so racist. That people were not so afraid of giving up their privilege. But we cannot ignore the fact that this world and our country is far from being the place we thought it, and to move it there is going to be hard and uglier than we could imagine.

Trump became president and my world has changed so much. I feel like the America I grew up in has changed forever. in a very bad way. I am sad every day, and I will be until he is no longer any part of our government. I love seeing people standing up and fighting back, but it's so hard to wake up every day knowing he's still doing harm to my country.

Trump becoming president...the hurricanes that have been happening around me....it is crazy what is going on, and it is clear that many people are confused of the status of the world today.

Trump's presidency has impacted me this year. It has really led me to question government and society in the United States. It has also challenged me to examine my values and beliefs.

This year, we did not elect our 1st female president. Instead, fear and patriarchy prevailed. Hate and xenophobia have found allies in our highest levels of government. The days after Trump became president were really rough. I cried a lot. My husband and I could not understand how so many could actively vote and support this disgusting person that was not even remotely as qualified as Hillary Clinton...even if she wasn't your first pick, how could he be seen as an equivalent or better candidate? But through it all it has pushed me to be more vocal, to call my representatives, to take an active role in educating my daughter about respect and kindness. I walked in my first protest march in DC alongside my sister and brother in law while my husband watched our 4 year old that weekend. This has been a tough year but I am trying to keep pushing forward and in solidarity with love.

The election. It has forced me to be courageous, to stand up and stand with all those who are marginalized. The turning point was when a friend and colleague posted on Facebook how terrified she was for her safety as a transgender Latina woman minister who often speaks at public events. I could not pledge to stand with her and for her until I was sure I could follow through. It did not take me long to be sure, even though it scared me terribly and I still shake at the thought of it.

Trump was elected. My world will never be the same. I didn't know how much hate there was in the world. I still want to believe that he represents a minority, but I fear he would get elected again if the same election were tomorrow. On a more personal note, I don't know how to process a relationship with a friend who I care about very much but who seems to be unconcerned (at best) regarding the condoning and promoting of hate speech. My travel to Nepal was shortly after the election and I still can't believe how much safer I felt being there.

When I looked over Darinka's shoulder at the computer screen and saw how many states were red and it hit me that Donald Trump would win the presidency. Up until that moment I hadn't thought it possible. I was stunned. I went cold inside. I went to bed without waiting for the results. I woke up to the awfulness of this new reality and was instantly depressed. I remained depressed for quite some time afterward. I still can't call him 'president', it just is not real. I believe it is a pendulum swing after having for 8 years an intelligent, articulate black man as our President. The angry, ignorant racists couldn't wait to get theirs back. The Russians helped. Anyway . . . KAMALA HARRIS 2020!

I don't think anything has impacted me too harshly, but maybe if anything it would be the terrorist attacks going on more and more -- despite being used to hearing about it from Israel -- of course it's horrible but I think one thing it does make you do is not take your life for granted :) and want to make the most out of it-- because the world has so much to offer and it's horrible that some see terrorism as a reasonable choice

Still Trump. I have a friend who is conservative and constitutionalist and trump strains our relationship. This friend tends to believe stories that are wildly untrue. I listen patiently but I hate when he brings up politics. He is so pushy and brooks no arguments. Yet after each conversation I check on his stories and find great flaws and untruths. I love him and value him, but this one issue causes me much consternation.

Anti semitism again. How because í am jewish, why because.

I wasn't affected directly, but this year was plagued by terror attacks on the one hand, and by a poor handling of migratory flows on the other. Many people suffered in different ways, also very close to me geographically. In some occasions I felt very involved emotionally, as if I should really be doing something to help. But the feeling doesn't last much and I'm easily taken back in my daily life. I think I would like to have a more definite position and maybe some possible solutions, but I'm not there yet.

The fucking election. Brexit. AfD. Hurricanes. Hatred and fear. It's brought groups together - against each other. Spent another year feeling hopeless. I've joined a couple of new facebook groups which are slowly sort of empowering me.

President Trunp beating Hillary Clinton was a huge disappointment that contributed to my cynicism. I have been very sad about all the war-caused human suffering that's been happening in Syria.

Sigh. Again this loss of hillary, the exposure of misogyny and hatred on the left has been crushing. I expected it from the rught sadly. Antisemitism has brought me closer to my judiasm. Seeing her again has been inspuring calming and empowering. Her loss via cheating snd the lack of support from supposed friends affected me bc i have been there. Most women hsve. It empowered me to fight on and i have made female friends this past year thru this tragedy who will be forever my sisters.

Having a baby this year I have felt both less and more connected to world events. Less, because I'm so absorbed and distracted by him that I don't keep up with the news the way I used to. More, because news stories about children or the dire state of our world resonate with me more now that I have a child. One event that stands out is Donald Trump getting elected. I followed his rise to power and subsequent presidency with fear and disbelief during my pregnancy and since my baby was born. I remember seeing his speech on TV the day he won the election, and having tears in my eyes - heavily pregnant, realising my child would be born into a world where a man so idiotic and openly offensive to so many people could be elected President of the free world.

the 2016 election. It touches all of us every day. Now i am a person who calls my senators while having morning coffee

Trump has impacted us all. Between his attempts to take away health care (which directly impacts me the most), to trying to destroy the environment, he is impacting us all. With the health issues I have had this year, and no longer having insurance through work, I am terrified that I won’t have any insurance or health care at all. He is still trying, now through executive order, to take health care away from all of us.

The Women's March movement gave me hope that the next generation has the tools to activate. Being with two of my nieces and my mom and sister-in-law plus three of their friends to take to the streets of Los Angeles, it was such an emotional high point. I was SOOO sick that day but getting out of bed and making that a priority has given me a lasting sense of hope for the future.

The election. I was peoudnly sad after the election. The world is not what I thought it was and my place in it completely shifted. There is so much work to be done. It's made me question everything- all of my choices. The personal is political now. I want my mom to see a woman president. And my future children to as well. This representation is really important to me.

The Solar Eclipse my entire energy shifted, everything around me looked brand new, bigger and brighter. I got a sort of natural high! I don't know why but that just changed a whole lot of things.

damn it the world gets worse all I can say is stop making money it brakes family's,friends,and lives I know I sound like a heart attack add but really come on world. I know people can do better than this but it could take a thousand years but I have hope!

The unfortunate election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. This scares me for so many reasons, on so many levels, but the most immediate response I had to this unfortunate event was not political but a deeply emotional, moral one. As Jews we are taught about what it is to be a Mensch. That being a Mensch is fundamentally how we should live our lives. To be a kind, compassionate person who is conscious and sensitive of another's situation in order to be sympathetic and empathetic. To strive to live a life of integrity. And I believe that our current president is not only incapable of those qualities but consciously and actively defies them and in turn his "followers" follow suit. I'm very scared and saddened for the moral fate of mankind because of this, yet will eternally have faith that GOOD will win out, it has to.

Definitely a new President. I was struggling terribly with the Obamacare and it was bankrupting me. I have hope this will get resolved with the new President

Donald Trump becoming president of the United States. I will never forget waking up the day after the election and physically feeling hungover. I could not, and still cannot, fathom that this is reality. It has brought out so much evil in people. Even as a Canadian I feel scared and helpless. I'm trying my best to constantly educate myself and help where I can, but it's such a mess I feel like I'm drowning. Being happy for yourself almost feels innapropriate and selfish. It's been hard for me to really deal with all of the change going on in my own life this year because it didn't feel appropriate to care so much about myself. The balance of perosnal care and social justice feels more difficult than ever. I pride myself on being a moderately well-educated person politically, but this whole situation as woke me the fuck up. It's forced me to care more about politics and be outraged at the overall lack of equality in North America. I am upset that this is what it took, but I am more inspired than ever to get involved. Next year I am determined to make space in my life to give back and help advance positive change.

There is not enough room in that vault, for the answers this year

Donald Trump was elected President. I find that so disgusting - He is rude- selfish scary and has no interest in anything or anyone but himself. It has impacted me because I am a citizen of the world and want a world that works for everyone and I want to live

Trump. Scares the crap out of me... My son's future is in Jeopardy.

How do you even choose? THIS year? Trump is the event. This president. It's impacted almost everything politically, socially. Yet oddly it hasn't had a direct impact on my life. The way it has impacted me is psychologically. It's cast a pall over everything. So for me the big lesson this year has been how to react, or not react, to events that are out of my control. My mindset is up to me. And I am determined not to be affected by Trump/

I fell so deeply in love. Everything about her suits everything about me. We met at work, she was in a different department. I flirted my way around until i convinced her to go out with me. The rest was history. We would sneak our way around work and go out at night. We would spend nights in cuddling and she fit perfectly in my arms. Watching movies while she fell asleep on my chest. I was in love. I decided a month ago i was going to ask her to marry me soon. This winter, perhaps. I was so thankful to God for giving me someone so amazing. So caring, smart, beautiful. Inside and out. Well then i moved. I got an incredible job offer, and i wanted her to come. I was going to be making a ton of money. I didnt care so much about the money as i did the idea of us having a house together, which i could now afford. She stayed behind. I promised her we would make it work. I would buy a house up there after i saved up and just get into real estate. Or something. It just needed to work. I came up to visit her. She was so distant. Didnt want to touch me. Wouldnt cuddle during the movie. Wouldn't take time off work for me. Wouldn't talk to me. What was it? Did i do something? Was there someone else? She wanted to grow closer to God, in her words. She has a lot going on (which i knew and i concur) but she needed space and alone time. She doesn't want to be with me. I was and am devestated. I love her so much. And, yes, i want to grow to be better for her, too. But now I'm lost and i can only pray that God guides us back to eachother. It has been a growing experience. I used to thank God for her every day but now i just miss her every day. She was my rock and i lost everything when i lost her. I am just trusting the Lord... and God please bless and keep her safe while im away. I wish i never moved sometimes. But i know that wasnt his will.

Well, Donald Trump getting elected president this year has really thrown me for a loop. I'm really disappointed in the US people and really surprised how much racism, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and general hatred there is still. I guess as a cisgendered white male living in the liberal Northeast, I haven't really been exposed to this kind of ignorance and nonsense so I suppose I let myself believe that we as a society were a lot further along than we really are.

An event that impacted me this year was the election of Donald Trump -- it made me realize that before this election I wasn't really sure where I stood on a lot of major issues and I never really felt qualified to voice my opinions, because I didn't have any that were very strong. My family is traditional and conservative, but I think since graduating college my views are a lot more liberal. In grad school everyone has very strong liberal ideas -- I agree with a lot of them, but I want to always make sure I'm following the news and forming my own opinions even if they're different than what those around me think

A man has come to power in my country and he is destroying all that is good and holy. He has unleased fascism in the United States and allowed the Nazis to walk free among us. He is destroying the very institutions of our democracy. I wonder what it will take for the GOP to stand up to their Frankenstein.

When I went to Japan with my Dad, there was a large earthquake at 2:00 in the morning. I felt really scared.

Ooof. I think we all know the answer to that. The damn 'orange turd' as my mom calls him got elected our President. This has rattled us all deep inside, and has left me feeling helpless, angry, sad, and more alive and engaged than ever, all at the same time. What a fucking asshole. I hope a year from now this idiot is in the past.

Trump! Fucking Trump! I still can't believe he was elected President. And he's been just as horrible as everyone suspected he would be. How we can elect such a racist, sexist, asshole of a man is beyond me. I blame social media!

The President is Donald Trump and I got to witness the Broadway concert that Dana took me to and also Ron running for California General Assembly and then the NFL player took a knee during the Star Spangled Banner a couple of days after I sang that at Sleep No More and I realized that my story is also political. Also my February set about Julia and Donald Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4vcqNkPEk0

The election of Donald Trump. It has made me afraid for my country. The fact that we are only, what, 9 months into the presidential term? and the horrible things that have happened already. I'm frightened for my country, very frightened. I've even considered emigrating. Maybe this sounds a little naive, but to see the US take this kind of a path makes me mourn for my country.

Like probably most other people here, Trump. He's his own Category 5 hurricane. Watching my country - and others around the world - devolve into xenophobia and distrust of the other: that's difficult enough to watch and live in a generally homogenous environment, but in the US, which is a giant stew of cultures and races and backgrounds, the fractures become more apparent. It's also troubling to see the disregard for Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The underlying racism toward brown-skinned US citizens who can be ignored because they live on an island and speak another language - it's very disturbing to me to watch and to feel what's going on underneath in the no/slow response.

A event from the world was that three hurricanes hit the coast. I wasn't a part of the disaster but I know the people are fighting the pain of losing their homes.

I can't believe I have to say it but the election of Donald Tr*mp to the white house has been the single most ludicrous and horrific world event that I have seen this year. Not to mention the countless smaller scale but just as meaningful acts of violence and hate that have occurred around America. Police brutality, justification of sexual assault and discrimination, deportation of undocumented immigrants. How can we see ourselves as great when we are not sending help to Puerto Rico post hurricane with the same urgency or funding that we gave to Texas and Florida? On a personal level, the street harassment I have faced has only gotten worse and I am more scared about my health (especially reproductive) than I have ever been before.

The Presidential Election has forever changed my life. I believe there has always been a battle within our world between light and dark. The difference now, is the acceptance and encouragement of hate and oppression. I believe nastiness has always lingered, but now more than ever, and with a leader who openly mocks the disadvantaged, our Nation is socially accepting and tolerant of blatant sexism, racism, and discrimination.

donald trump is eevil and will start world war three!!!

Skylar, my hamster died.

When i got in to a new school year with new kids and new friends and got to know people more after the summer and make more jokes and laugh together.

Fuck. Trump. And. His. Base.

My family was killed in a fire. It was a horrible experience. Harambe was burnt to a crisp.. Gabe was smited. My Apple Pen© was crisped. my Rice crispies were blowing up everywhere... It was SHEXUALL!!!! #3sad5me

An event in the world that has impacted me is the hurricane in Puerto Rico. The devastation of that "country"! It's shocking. And that none of the grown ups where I work have said anything. Weren't they running to me about the Nepali earthquake! But Puerto Rico? Someone wanted to fund raise for Haiti after that earthquake, but nothing for PR. I think it's fucking racist. Even when Wendy told me she thought that Hector looked scary. I mean, he's this sweet, daddy long legs teenager with his acned cheeks and fluff of badly dyed hair. How does he look scary?! So fucking racist! And the things I hear ENL teachers say about Puerto Rican students! I really feel for my students with family in PR who haven't heard from them. Imagine not being able to contact a family member!? And the poor parents whose siblings and parents are over there and cant' contact them!

The election of Donald Trump was a miracle. I thought our country was lost. I'm so thankful it went the way it went and I feel it was divine intervention.

The election of Donald Trump - as a feminist and humanitarian, especially, it's been so difficult. Watching the rights of people I love disappear (not to mention myself). Watching blatant disregard for people struggling during tragedy, in favor of supporting the uberwealthy. It's terrible. Even worse, my life is such that the responsibilities on me personally make also rising to the occasion to participate in fixing this situation seem absolutely impossible. There is no balance, and I hate it.

Wow - the London Bombings scared the shit out of me. It made me fearful every time Martyn got on the tube to go to work. I don't think too much of it now, but terrorism plays a role in all of our lives. Yesterday when I was in town, I thought to myself, "ok - you are here with Leah and this is a touristy area. Be vigilant." I hope that next year will be easier on all of us. Oh, also, we elected a clown to the white house.

Major climate change

The election of President Trump. The bible teaches us to honor the leader, but this guy makes it soooooo difficult to do that. He's such a tool & makes it unreasonably hard to follow his lead. I truly believe the Russians cheated.

No question, this has to be the 2016 election. Put simply: hate won that day. Seeing how many people have so much hate for their fellow man - based on color, country of origin, gender, sexual orientation, etc - has been horribly disillusioning and upsetting. I want to think that I've always wanted to teach my kids to treat other people well, but right now that instinct is in hyper-drive. It is so important to denounce hatred and bigotry, and I tell the boys all the time how important it is for THEM to stick up for anyone in need. My boys are strong and they are good. God willing, with people like they and their friends growing to maturity, the rest of our country and our world will follow.

Trump winning the election. Charlottesville. It made me realize how far we will still need to go in helping each other out, coming together as a community and eradicating hate.

Hilary losing the election to Donald Trump was the single most depressing and devastating historical event I have lived through. That evil hearted person has been president for almost a year now and has awoken and created space for racist, hateful, neo-nazi white supremacist, sexual predators to thrive...

Donald Trump's election. Made me really depressed. Now am kind of in a weird place because I don't have the time or energy to truly protest.

Hilary Clinton's presidential campaign almost aroused the feminist in me. At the time it seemed that the only reason she was so unpopular was that she was a woman. But then again, it was a slap in the face for the liberal elite. I like being part of the liberal elite and I think it's the right place to aspire to be. I can't solve the problem of people's jobs being replaced by automation - but somebody must be working on it?!?

Bleck, the Trump presidency. Who hasn't been impacted by this train wreck of an administration? Our country is a laughing stock, we give legitimacy to racists and bigots, and the citizens of this country are completely divided. It's an ugly time to be an American. America certainly doesn't feel like it's been made great again.

God, is everyone going to say the election and presidency of Donald J. Trump? Beyond the obvious fear of nuclear war and horror at blatant racism and transphobia and misogyny, this year in politics has made me feel more removed from reality than ever before. Last week, a territory in our country was *ruined* by a hurricane. American are dead and displaced and in danger. And our president is tweeting obscenities about a football player who doesn't even play football anymore. Seriously. This is real life. And sometimes I feel like I'm being hyperbolic. Sometimes I think I must being dramatic. And then he does something *so* outrageous, because of course he does, because *we elected a reality TV star who brags about sexual assault.* And people I know and love voted for him. They did this. And for what? To prevent Hillary Clinton from sending emails? For real? That's why you've inflicted this man on us? I've been having a hard time understanding, to the point where I constantly feel like I'm going to wake up and it's going to be November 8th, 2016, and this whole year was going to be a bizarre dream. And then I'll be able to tell everyone I meet that I had a dream that Donald fucking Trump was elected president. I'll tell them how funny it is that Disney World put him in the hall of presidents. And that he called a football player a son of a bitch on twitter. And banned travel from countries while people from those countries were *in the air* so they got detained at airports. I'll tell them how scary it was when he called a nuclear armed Kim Jong-Un "Rocket Man" *at the United Nations.* Typing all this out really, really doesn't feel real. And I think that might be the scariest part.

My god. How does one answer this question? Trump became president. Racists, nazis and white supremacists became leaders. Their voices became heard in the mainstream. And they're only growing. WTF?! It's fucking bizarre and absurd. There's no other way to describe it. For the first time, I realized that people around the world hate me because I'm Jewish. Still, in 2017. I realized I need to step up to support the black community, the hispanic community, the immigrant community, the people who have been left behind in this country. I am afraid to even imagine what state the world will be in by this time in 2018. Hopefully I read this and breathe a sigh of relief that things finally shifted. Honestly, I don't think that will be the case. I think I'm only going to get more horrified.

Donald Trump was elected president, and the reactions and aftermath have been scary but also fascinating and not quite as bad as I dared to fear. It's laid open a lot of realities about our country for all of us to confront.

On the third day of Elul, the leader of my country issued a directive that people like me, transgender, are not welcomed to serve our country in a military capacity. It was the first time since his election that I truly felt like I personally was being attacked. I had read the papers and watched the news but until then, I felt invisible, like I was too small for anyone to take notice of me and actually care. I was wrong.

trump how do we raise strong creative women in such terrible misogny? how do we support all these communities and people under attack how do we not go crazy? how do we sustain joy and love and beauty in the face of such hate filled leadership?

Election of Drumpf. It's been so sad to see what he's done to democracy. The only sliver lining is mobilizing people to come together for good.

The election of Trump has been wearing on my soul and spirit. I am sickened by the racism, homophobia, sexism and fascism that it has propelled forward. I am ashamed to be white, angry to be oppressed as part of the LBGTQI community and sick of white male privilege and the patriarchy. It oppressed me every day as well as oppressing the people I love.

The economic and business climate. It is becoming much harder to be a successful white person at this time. It is depressing because being good at what you do is not the focus anymore. It leaves me feeling despondent and it is harder to get passionate about my job. I am restless and want to move on to my next challenge and move on to helping to make a difference and add value to this space I occupy.

hahahahhahahahahahah lololololololololollollfdakllaadfnkdlavlkd fuck it got worse it got worse i can't even with this i'd like to hope next year will be better but it really probably will not be and that is horrifying

Hurricane Harvey hit my family in SE Texas. Although they didn't suffer any permanent damage, my sister's master bath got flooded (from the sideways rain) and my daughter was without sewer for almost 2 weeks. Port Arthur, TX, where I was raised, is still under water. Very sad indeed.

Donald Trump becoming President has really changed the landscape of our country a d the world. The Jewish co.munity as a whole is concerned for Israel even though he seems to have some form of amiable relationship with Netayahu. There is so much violence and hatred. The neo Nazi march in Charlottesville CA and the dramatic rise in antisemitism is extremely disturbing. I think the antisemitism has always been there but this President seems to have given these groups a form of permission to spread their hatred publicly.

Donald Trump took over the US Presidency this year. I have never been so disgusted with a political climate. This man offends me on so many levels: as a woman, as an American, and as a human being. I haven't lost hope in our Democracy, but I fear that I will not see "the good of the Lord in the land of the living." I realize that despite all our efforts, we have yet to "arrive." And...likely never will. I am truly post-post modern. Human culture is perhaps destined for destruction. Dystopia is upon us.

FUCKING TRUMP. FUCK. THAT. FUCKER. SO MUCH. JUST. FUCK HIM. I have never felt so bleak and bitter about the future of the country I live in. I hope he does not last the full 4 years of his "elected" term, but I'm just as scared about what fills his place after he goes. At least I've seen and felt more solidarity from peers--the women's march the day after the inauguration was amazing--but the flip side of the coin has been difficult to witness and manage. It makes me sick to my stomach.

I certainly think that Trump winning the election and the subsequent events since he has taken office have been impactful this year. Besides the sometimes hilarious parodies it has provided, it's really a scary affair. From empowering Neo-Nazis and encouraging excessive force from police officers to misusing national funds, fuck this guy. I am not like Eva Mozes Kor, I won't be forgiving him for his treason, rampant abuse of power and lack of empathy or care for all the people of his nation. In terms of silver linings, things like the women's marches around the world and the strength of Indigenous people facing Standing Rock, give me hope that good and strong and fair people exist and can fight.

US presidential election. Gave me confidence that anyone can rise if they focus on persuasion and defined areas of focus.

The USA's presidential election. It's been incredibly stressful and terrifying. I've changed my behavior to fight what I feel is the takeover of our democracy by highly undemocratic forces, and this really is the biggest threat to our world and to the lives of my family and friends. And it's also changed even some of my closest relationships for the worse. That's a strange result, I know, but we're either in the foxhole together or not, and if you're unconsciously enabling the other side, then I cannot be friends with you. This really is a matter of life and death.

This year so many catastrophic events around the world suffocated my very soul. Hurricanes, earthquakes, talk of eminent nuclear war and to top the list disrespecting the national anthem and the flag by the NFL was the icing on the cake. I love my country, the flag and our national anthem mean everything to me. I travel the world and when I come home, I am so thankful for the USA. I am a push over, I know, I fly a flag in the front yard and I cry when I hear that anthem sung, even on the radio. And if it's Whitney Houston's version of the anthem...I'm done!!! Kleenex please...

24 media coverage of anything and everything that may or may not actually be news. So many bad, unfair, and downright evil things happen that my only way to be able to function is to ignore them. I have come to the point that I am okay with being detached. I have learned some of my limitations the hard way, and I do what I have to do.

The rise of fascism in America. Bringing out the activist in me, came together with likeminded people, and focused my energy on laying groundwork for my family to survive the fall of the USA. Why? The idiocracy in the White House.

hmm I guess the presidency (although technically it started last year) I feel like it's brought out the worst parts of American culture from a lot of people. I see a lot of hateful people that have a new gateway for their hate. I also see a lot of people that judge someone based on their labels. I consider myself a democrat and I can't believe the attitude a lot of liberals have towards conservatives or trump supporters (and vis versa) and the snap judgements that are made about someone based on one political act. I think people are scared, and angry, and most of all they feel like they're misjudged, outcast, looked down upon from their opposing political party. I see a lot of misinformation, and a lot of it being used as ammunition angrily. mostly this makes me sort of sad. I don't like this feeling of a nation with two groups pushing against each other. I feel like the election has brought out this anger and spite in people on both sides. I'm trying to find my people, and find solace with them, but it seems impossible to talk about politics without being labeled or judged. My only solace is my personal observation that a lot of people do feel like me. Some of my friends share my opinions.I think the internet amplifies negativity and shows us the opinions of people more extreme than most. Most of all I feel as though the election has made me remove myself from any political involvement. And it's actually been pretty nice to take a break for my own mental health.

What hasn't impacted me? The world feels really bleak right now. So much awful shit is happening between our President threatening nuclear war on Twitter with North Korea to one devastating hurricane after another to wildfires raining ash. Fucking Nazism is making a comeback, which is truly terrifying. Are we really headed down the road of America becoming an authoritarian state run by Nazis? That this seems like a plausible outcome in 2017 is truly horrifying. I can barely wrap my mind around it.

It has to be Trump! Since then the dawning realisation has come that so many people in the world think things which I would regard as abhorrent. I don't know what to do about this, or what even can be done, but I know that something must be done and I need to find those opportunities.

The 2016 election affected my family greatly. My wife and I saw protections for LGBT families be pulled away for us. I also saw protections for women's health care pulled back in Iowa and nationwide.

Trump's election. It has made me angry and nervous. I keep worrying about my partner's healthcare. I saw a hate crime at my synagogue. I'm seeing all these hurricanes and fires caused by global warming, which will get worse under Trump. As I said to earlier Q, I volunteered for Bernie & Hillary & contacted my congresswoman & senators. And I participated in three anti-hate rallies in my city.

Donald Trump. I feel like every day is a new low, and the farce that is his presidency has enabled so much hatred that I no longer want anything to do with America. Of course, there are great Americans. But all I seem to be able to focus on is my frustration around the ones who elected such a poor and vile leader.

The presidency of Donald Trump weighs heavily on me. I wonder if after I go onto Medicare that I will have adequate coverage to meet my health needs after they get through with it. I worry that Social Security will likewise be downgraded. I worry more and more about his pandering to the worst impulses in American society, and will his mouth or his keyboard will lead us into war or other disasters. I fear for the world my children and prospective grandchildren will face because of him.

The election of an incompetent, racist, narcissistic, ignorant President of the United States has caused me to question what has happened to our citizenry and their reasoning. For the first time in my life I am afraid for our country and for the our citizens. The hate that has been revealed and is prevalent in some many actions around the globe is frightening. This planet may not have as long of life as it should.

The Presidential election and the responses of the winner's opponents. It saddened me to see their abject hatred towards a man who got elected by disaffected people for whom the left has contempt.

The presidency. It has become a joke and mockery of the American people. Where do we go and what do we do next.

The 2016 Presidential Election has torn me and many of my family and friends apart. We have greater division. Tolerance is evaporating. Fear is rising. It is surreal.

The election of Donald trump and all the insanity that's followed. I'll highlight one specifically- the Charlottesville riots. Hearing someone talk about Jews in that way really shook me. I live such a sheltered life, and haven't had to deal with hatred towards Jews in that way before. But it's real, and even worse for communities of color and Muslims. It solidifies my commitment to be a part of fighting against that hate.

Donald Trump became president of the United States of America. A dark day. I remember as the counts were coming in, seeing that he really might become president, and going to bed before the final states came in, because I knew I needed to sleep and that if Trump became president, I wouldn't be able to. I woke up and checked. The majority of the states had turned red. Trump was the president. It felt like waking up into a nightmare. It was so terrible to me because my fellow citizens had chosen this racist man who did and said terrible things that denigrated women and minorities to represent them. It has made me realize that the safeness and stability I generally feel (not perfectly) as a Jewish women in America, was not as stable as it seemed. That America had not changed as much as I had thought. I know this was less of a shock to my friends of color as it was to me. That is also hard for me to swallow. I too am blinded by my privilege. I am part of the problem. It was another dark day when large numbers of white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, chanting "Blood and soil" and "Jews will not replace us!" A counter protester was killed and many people, including President Trump were not ready to place blame. It has made a lot of people I know, who do not have legal status here, very afraid. The atmosphere of the country is divisive and alienating. We are moving in the wrong direction.

All the negativity surrounding the new President Donald Trump and his agenda/administration. The poor man can do nothing that isn't seen as a negative.

Just answered these! Two earthquakes in Mexico City . I lived there for three years and watching all the posts on FB made me feel like I should be there or do something but I didn't know/don't know what.

The 2016 election started a series of events which have persisted throughout 2017, and which have left the past year with the sensation of a lost weekend. The television and internet have brought us all images of emboldened white supremacists dragging the collective decency of the populace into the gutters by virtue of volume and magnitude. But it's not necessary forsometime living in the South to rely on the media for news of wretched, racist behavior. No, I see this shit everyday. The piles of garbage who legitimately felt repressed by political correctness are now celebrating their perceived freedom to tell it like they see it. Sometimes it's hard to know if you're sane, when the interpretation of the world shared by nearly everyone in the community directly contradicts every facet of your own perception.

Donald Trump winning the---I never though I would hear myself saying this--presidency and the Republican Conservative control of the House and Senate. Not just because he is a narcissistic idiot but of who he has empowered, both literally (by putting them in his Cabinet or in the White House) or metaphorically (i.e. all the racists, anti-semites, mysogynists, gay-bashers that now feel the license to express their hatred).

I have been horrified at the election of Donald Trump as president. I was especially stunned, saddened. horrified to find out that my son and DIL voted for him, as did My ex-husband. I have felt that 3/4 of this country are assholes - the 1/4 that voted for him and the 1/2 that didn’t vote. I’m so disillusioned. I really felt that people were more intelligent than that. I think 34 is going to undue 50 years of progress this country had made. I’m terrified that his appointment will affect this country negatively for generations to come.

hillary losing and trump winning...was that just this past year? it feels like so long ago, it feels like a nightmare still all the terrifying natural disasters, I think mother earth is trying to tell us how much we have hurt her. I have been slowly purchasing and amassing the earthquake and emergency supplies so those are mostly all here in the house now. at this point I need to take a weekend and just pack all the backpacks so we can be ready. it is only a matter of time also the airport protests the antisemitism, racism, and hatred towards those who are different i feel scared sometimes now that the end of things as we know them will come in my lifetime, which i never feared before is this the new normal?

Probably trump being elected and everyone going on about ad nauseum and really letting it affect their moods. So much anger that's so nasty like even my boyfriend is often a Debbie downer and that's annoying.

The election. Last year I felt so positive about seeing Clinton nominated. I still can't fully comprehend my own grief at her loss. In the election and its aftermath, I lost my faith in my country, my sense of myself as an American, and my confidence that women could eventually succeed on strength and persistence. This has been a year of grief.

President Donald Trump -- So scary what this means and could mean for the country and the world.

Charlottesville. I realized that I'm not on the same level as my white Christian friends but I'm regarded as different because I'm a Jew, and that hurts. I was miraculously sheltered my whole life and I have had good friends, but brewing underneath there are people who sincerely want me gone because of my faith. But I will only strengthen, not break.

Trump's election has just blown my mind and continues to do so on an almost everyday basis. I've NEVER EVER EVER cared that much about politics, didn't hang onto the President's every word, had but a vague interest in some world events...and now, I read the NY Times headlines and devour the Sunday Times (so many negative stories about Trump), I get into heated discussions with other Trump opposers, and tremble with fear and disgust at the realization that he represents the United States to the rest of the world. I've never cared until America elected a president that cares nothing about the things I care about, as a citizen of this country and as a concerned human being.

The event of donald trump in office has shown me the differances of man .and given me an insight on how much we realy need god in our lives people realy dont know whats going on .and that scares me .more than i can express.

I worry for Texas... but mostly Mexico and Puerto Rico. I want to be there. I want to do something. And I don't know what it is that I could do. I didn't used to be so clueless about these things. Which reminds me that I need to get back to DOING something to make a change in the world.

The election of Donald Trump as POTUS~ I was shocked when the Lord showed me he had his hand on him for President. But then a week after he entered... the Lord had me praying that as the media speaks bad about Trump... his numbers would rise... i was shocked when that really happened.. was amazing to be used by teh Lord in such a way. ( He has shown me who the last, now 3, Presidents were going to be praise GOD....

Trump winning the presidency. I feel like it just divided everyone. People who could meet in the middle before and find common ground find it harder now. It's like this one thing can make or break life-long friendships. Not for me necessarily - I would never turn away my friends or family over political reasons. Politics are so fleeting. But it sparked a lot of controversy with people, and the entire country, and the world, so it's hard NOT to be impacted. However, I think this was the truest test of my ability to set aside my personal opinions and emotions and really dig deeper into the "others'" perspectives. Once I could empathize with them and see the world form their experience, it makes it so much easier to relate and maintain, and even improve, relationships.

Probably the most significant event in everyone's lives was Donald Trump's election. It is disgusting how his actions seep into my and everyone's lives every day; I get so frustrated but also amused with the shit that he does. It really makes me wonder how fucking stupid a significant portion of the country is. I hope when I'm reading this in the future, we didn't go to nuclear war, healthcare is fixed, and the Democrats win a lot of seats in the Senate and House and eventually get the White House again.

Trump winning the election. It's made me more political aware (the positive) but also more scared. Sacred that I could loose healthcare, scared we could go to war in my lifetime - and not just fighting a far off war, like a war that would be fought in our own communities. Scared about the racism and antisemtism that has become more mainstream and even more scared to realize it was always there, just hidden under the surface or behind closed doors.

There are so many things that come to mind. First, Donald Trump winning as President will have a long-lasting impact on me and the world. He is terrible. When I look back a year from now it will be interesting to see how the world has changed. In the meantime, people are taking a knee at NFL games to acknowledge the racist issues in our country. This is going hand and hand with a solar eclipse in August and a series of hurricanes that destroyed small islands and left South Florida and Puerto Rico is a state of ruin. Our world is falling apart and simultaneously, there are people rising up in new ways. We shall see what happens.

The election. I don't know anyone who wasn't impacted. My principal lesson from this event was that I utterly live in a bubble. My goal is to get outside of the bubble and understand my fellow citizens.

The 2016 US Presidential Election. I listen to the news too often but I can't seem to look away. I need to find a way to become more involved and put my skills and passion to good use. The environment is truly toxic and somewhat scary. Each and every day is some new revelation that leaves me reeling and in disbelief. The world is so divided and it's scary.

The Women's March. I marched in Oakland and something snapped in me. Being surrounded by those woman and their stories and strength is somethingI have never experienced. I never felt solidarity with other women before. I feel woke. I feel angry. I feel misled. I see now so much in my past that was ridiculously unfair and idiotic. I look ahead and I think The Future Is Female! And I KNOW its' true.

Hands down the candidacy and election of Donald Trump. Every other world event has been caused, influenced or tainted by the rise and election of this bike man and his racist, ignorant supporters. I as a woman no longer feel safe amongst all of my neighbors in the somewhat rural, very white area I live in. As a sexual assault survivor and an advocate for people of color I feel frightened. As an American I feel sickened and ashamed...

Election of Trump. The beginning of depression and despair - as a woman I am horrified and disgusted by what has happened since. As a person of conscience I am terrified by what may be coming.

Well, this one is easy since Im writing it on a hamock in mexico, after 2 massive earthquick here . This is the first thing in regard to the world that is coming to mind. And when I think why it had imoactwd me the first thing that I think of is not the actual feeling of fear when I felt my cabana s almost flying and shaking, it is more the process I had with mom and her worry and maybe then also other people, but mostly mom. The thing that I was disconnected somehow in both of this eaethquiacks made her so worry in one hand, and me choosing to react to it in mostly empathy and contain her.. and yes, I feel I choose to react in this way deliberatly despite me also knowing and feeling some anger of stop being so... stressy and let me be nit connected and bla bla bla.. and I know that it just qouldnt help to contra her with this qnd empathy first is the best way for connection. And this is what she need now. Yes. I think in this traveling I also somehow more feeling I am reaching out for her and containing her. I actually when thinking about it feeling happy and blessed we arw in this balancing procesa of out mother- daoughter relationahip. As well, I feel it is a process of mine of practicing a bit less ego centered approach to really seeing the other. Kinda also with mom, and in general, it is choosing your battels or your strategies.. Any way... In the earthquaick I also felt appretiated by all thw friend that reaxhed out for me asking me if I am ok. It is jnteresring how I was suprise from how many people reaxhed out. I felt blessed from the amount of people that surrounding me with ao much love and care:) And also, jn the actual event, yes that was i teresting. I disnt know if I am halusonating or what... I disnt realized that the actual ground is moving... Isnt it one of thouae things we think s so atable but actually nit. There is a constant movement... but when I think about it now with buddhist terms it is our miaconseption that things are ao stable. It made doubt, open the dots jn all thoae things that we thjnk is so sure and stable. If the ground can move, the ground (!!!), so things are not that sure..we should doubt... or just keep in mind that things can chamge. And are in constant movent. There was also another thing, after the first earthquiaxk in all the after movements jn san criatobal, first the alarm all the time, and the aomwtime actual small movement after that, reminding that the earth can move! And the small moments of "what is going to happen??", knowing now that a lot CAN happen, and this moment in the square after the alarm, as I was sitting next to a mom and her 2 young girls, and the ailwnce we shared, the missing of a heaetbit from concern, fear, just nit kniwing , the look in the eyes of a shared understanding of a moment in life that might be the last, or a opening to a big experience, the smiles exchange with the young girls of trying to calm them tranaforming through it streangh, everything will e ok. And I think maybe it was just 2 min. 2 very long min of anticpation for the unknown of us,of the people jn that square in that momemnt, and I felt it is interestimg how a moment like that, of respect to nature, of someing bigger then us, can bring people together, have the power to create shared realities. And it had something really beautiful and touching thia moment. And it is even before the beauty of all the volunteers aroind the country coming offering their support, or even how ither countries send aid. So thank you mother earth. For bringing us together. For stepping us out from ourselves to support the other and to remember to doubt. To be open to the uncertanties of life and the practice to live in peace with it. Wow. Apperantly it was really meaningful for me. I like that this question is still fresh experience to reflect on.

Do you think every. single. person. wrote about the election of that orange maniac in some way? It's changed my worldview, my faith in my fellow Americans and my sense of security. The world is less safe thanks to him and those he's emboldened. What hasn't changed is my commitment to being a good person and to raise mensches. Whatever I can do in my professional and personal lives to foster more menschlekheit (sp?), I will do. We can't change him or his foul cronies, but we can make sure they don't change us.

I don't feel like I've been impacted by anything in the world this year, only because I've been so involved in my own little world I think I've missed out on everything else happening in places around me

The recent antisemitic graffiti on Temple Sinai in Oakland on Rosh Hashana reminded me that antisemitism is very real in this moment. I have never experienced antisemitism directly and tend to feel that my white privilege supersedes any religious discrimination I might experience. This recent incident reminded me that other Jews in the liberal Bay Area bubble have difference experiences than me.

This year my answers are all about one thing, basically that Donald J Trump is a NARCISSIST , and not a very smart one at that. In my mind, he is the worst and most divisive pres we've ever had. I have many black friends, including a black goddaughter, and Trump is really distorting the reason that players (starting with the brave Kapernik) took a knee or sat ont he bench for the National Anthem. And now he tries to bully the owners to fire the players who take a knee or sit. That is insane, and he shoudlnt' have the jurisdiction to make about all players should not take a knee, which is part of the freedom of speech

Oh man, is the election too obvious an answer?? The fact that the people of the United States elected a bigoted, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, antisemite to office is still beyond me. It has exposed so much of things that are wrong with this country for so many people. It has made me lose some faith in humanity but it has also made me proud of the people of this country for standing up and fighting for what is right.

The impending war involving North Korea and the US. It hasn't happened, but launching missiles over Japan is a pretty bad sign. I'll be genuinely relieved if this de-escalates in the next year.

America voted to throw the human race in the trash can. Some of us regret that decision, but 40% are more-or-less certain we did the right thing. There’s no greater recipe for complacency and fatalism in my case than to live in an enclave wherein my representatives in congress do everything I want them to do but they are unable to penetrate the insurmountable wall of partisanship blocking the way to sound federal governance. The best I can do is to try to help make improvements at the local level.

Just reading this question makes me cry. Trump's election was probably the worst political moment of my life, but that feels silly to say, since it is both not unique and also minimizes how terrible this year has been for the world. I think about sitting on the floor of a convention room in Denver at a Hillary victory party, heaving sobs as I realized Trump would be elected. It is a moment I will never forget. And it all turned out worse than anyone could have imagined--from the Travel Ban to the Russian collusion to the pardoning of Arpaio to DACA's attack to Charlottesville to the repeated assaults on health care and now the devastation of hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico, the latter of which goes ignored. To say it's been a hard year is an understatement. It's a year that caused me to question our entire political system, and our country's values. It terrifies me to think where we will be in another year, yet it also strangely gives me hope. Will Trump be President? Be alive? Will Jared be in prison? Will we finally have a country in which we can trust that the person next to us doesn't secretly hate us? A year ago it would have been unimaginable that I would be fearful of Nazis going into the new year. A year from now, I pray it will all have felt like a bad dream.

I want to say Charlottesville, because it impacted me in the moment. It should currently affect me. Seeing the footage shook me, I began to cry, but I don't know how long these aftershocks are shaking me. I feel a tense apathy. The election is affecting everyone. I feel removed from the world a lot.

Oy! Donald Trump won the electoral vote in November and became president of the United States in January. This has had a deleterious effect on me and all of my friends. I loathe reality shows. Imagine my frustration at living within one, without any ability to stop and get off! I feel that the public tone of discourse (and lack of civility) this man has set has allowed the ugly underbelly of American society to come to the fore. All the antis have been stirred up: anti-Muslim, anti-black and person of color, anti-immigrant, anti-semitic, anti-women, anti-LGBTQ... I am incredulous at the idiotic tweets he is staying up at night typing out, his inability to speak coherently, his playing chicken with the equally ego-maniacal and narcissistic leader of North Korea and fear the reality of a nuclear war. I am angry at the constant game of whack-a-mole this president is playing, his prestidigital maneuvers, and his total lack of empathy of concern for anyone but himself. This man has been successful in selling his image as a "shit-kicker" and "voice of the disenfranchised" and has flammed the divide between two (or more) very different United States.

Donald Trump was elected president, and I've been in a bit of a daze ever since. He's the sort of person that we teach our children not to be, and I fear for the country and the world. At the same time, if we survive this, we may come out stronger. It's a rude awakening of sorts and a chance to come together to renew our values.

Election of Trump And the Republican majority Congress. Made me much more active politically and appalled that he's still in office 250 days later. Terrified for the US- Both domestically and internationally , the climate, Civil rights, civil liberties, the rule of Law, etc.

The United States Presidential Inauguration. I feel a sense of uneasiness with the future and stability of our country and the rest of the world as we proceed forward in trying to live in one beautiful planet together. Respect, love, and peace. World Peace.

My answer to this question in 2016 pertained to the political race between Clinton and Trump. This year I can say that Trump's election has majorly impacted me. I have never been more ashamed to call myself an American. It is so hard to watch someone in power treat their own citizens poorly. It is also hard to witness the invasive and deep seated division that has grown and spread through even the tightest knit communities across the country since the election.

Charlottesville, VA. I honestly can't even remember where I was, I just know I was slightly disconnected and it took me a couple days to come to terms with this horrific display of white supremacy. It was a complete shock to my entire existence that this hatred could be so unashamedly out in the open, that people could watch young white men beat young black men or a car drive through a crowd of protestors killing a woman, and still, STILL find anything redeeming about these civil war-era demagogues who are a disgrace to the history of America. I'm sick just thinking about it again. Nothing made me want to flee the country more than this, I can't bear to watch it and putting as much distance between myself and this new reality feels like the only thing I can do to save whatever hope I have left for our country.

Nothing. I don't know. Today is grand final day, and I'm realizing exactly how many people care about it, but I also learnt that last year and forgot.... That's it.

The election of Donald J. Trump as US President has increased the level of uncertainty among everyone who is not of the multimillionaire elite, in terms of jobs, access to healthcare, affordability of healthcare, and the potential for armed violence both here and abroad.

Every one will say "Trump" I will say something deeper, a feeling of unease that something hidden and secret and evil has started.

I have really been troubled by the issues of race that are happening at the moment. I find it so hard to see and also feel somehow like I should speak up or do something but I don't think there is so much to do. Museums are making amazing exhibitions about the subject and these initiatives have been a highlight for me. The success of the national African American museum in Washington DC is really inspiring and I'm excited to see how i can get involved. I still am surprised that I notice race more than in my childhood. I shouldn't be ashamed of noticing it... maybe it's more about teaching people about the majesty of African roots that will help us all be proud of this. And maybe creating new terms that are filled with pride and positivity rather than the negative past.

Ugh. Don’t want to say “Trump” but feel I must. Has unleashed and emboldened so many ugly impulses in so many. Hoping it will truly galvanise the good in opposition. More personally it has impacted me in that it has intensified my obsession with politics. I probably spend too much time focused on the minutiae of daily developments and do wonder what I’m not doing by dedicating so much time and headspace to this.

I'm overwhelmed by this question. The loss of Hillary, the "victory" of Trump, the fact that 63 million people in this country said, "I'm okay with racism and sexual assault if it's going to cut my taxes or get me a job." The fact that many people didn't KNOW that's what they were saying with those votes. The fact that many people did. Now, what is my role? Asking myself that question is the impact this world event has had this year. We are all being tested. The stakes are different. Who will I be? Am I too engulfed in the minutiae of my day to day life? Should I be dropping everything to act, to create change? Will I create that change through my kids? I don't know the answer. The landscape moves so quickly and I don't know where to look--press freedom, kleptocratic tax policy , calling white supremacists "fine people," the Supreme Court, the attempts to strip people of healthcare, the erosion of truth. I'm overwhelmed by this question.

Trump happened. Though it's really more than just him. For years I've been centrist and watching from the sidelines, but this last year has shown just how bad the situation is. We now can't talk to each other about anything without screaming and passing judgement that those who think differently are evil and not worth our time. It's only leading to more and more divisiveness, and in the mean time, the vulnerable people in our communities suffer while the left and the right righteously point fingers at each other.

Trump...and I fear it will never be the same again, certainly as far as civility, graciousness and manners are concerned...and respect for the law, tradition, dignity, cultural institutions, decency, corruption, nepotism, honesty, communication, yep, pretty much we're fucked.

This one is unfortunately easy this year: the election. I had all of the negative feelings and didn't know what to do about them or Trump being the American president. Even though I have liberal and social justice oriented values and conversations, and I didn't really see myself as an activist. I'm still not sure if that term adequately describes me, but this process led me to a new experience this year that I'm very grateful for. One important outcome and new commitment in my life has been supporting a refugee family from Syria. I joined my Jewish community's local Refugee welcome team and have been visiting, supporting, and advocating for this family since December. I'm actually helping them move to a new apartment next week that I think will actually feel like home for them, and I'm so glad I can be part of a community that's giving them this gift. This experience gave me new insight and understanding of what it means to move to this country, especially the struggles of not knowing English and building a life from scratch. It taught me how to build relationships slowly over time where language can't be used as the medium to express thoughts and emotions. It taught me that it's important to me to live out my social justice values in action.

The US presidential election was the largest for me. There have been countless floods, fires, ethnic cleansings, natural disasters. I have been very attuned to how politics affects all of those. It decides who gets aid, what we do about climate change, and how we align ourselves with which parties. I am cautiously optimistic.

Trump is president. It's hard even just to write. The world has shifted. Society is loud, closed-minded, noisy, chaotic. I completely disagree with him, but I still think his haters hate is not helping. I think we need to work together to get through this, not keep fighting each other. Fight him, but try to understand him and his people to work through it. We're all people, after all. Humans. Who need love and want to be understood. We have to remember that and find a way through this.

Donald Trump was elected president in this most recent year. His election and many moments of his presidency have shocked me to the core. As a political scientist, as a woman, as a survivor of assault, as a Jew, I have questioned my place in America more in this last year than I ever have before. I went to Philly to mobilize voters for Hillary Clinton and believed that she would win. The difficulty of her loss was compounded by Trump's win and the aftermath: KKK march in Charlottesville, the attempt to repeal healthcare, the public comments about women and people of color from the highest office in our country, and the current crisis resulting from post-hurricane Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. But with this difficult political moment, we have also seen moments of united action. From the Women's March in DC to protests against white supremacy and neo-Nazis, I have asserted my place in this country's public even as I have questioned.

Trump Why is lying OK? Should I let it effect me?

Floods on the West Island, floods in Texas, hurricanes in Cuba and the Caribbean, landslides in Asia, earthquake in Mexico. It feels like the earth's balance has been badly damaged

The election of Trump. It made me sad. It made me feel that there are so many hatefilled people. And that so many people are willing to eat lies.

The election of Donald Trump has been an incredibly significant experience for me. For the first time, I feel genuinely scared of the world that I am living in. And yes, I am incredibly resentful. This presidency and the increased attention/rise of white supremacy, bigotry, and misogyny honestly makes me feel pretty powerless. I can only imagine how groups that are more marginalized than myself must feel.

The election. Too obvious? Saying it "President Trump," oof. The words still feel quite surreal. I feel like I learned an important lesson - if someone has been nominated for president by a major party, we must at least consider the possibility that person could become president. It sounds so painfully obvious, but I don't think friends and colleagues really thought the result that did happen could happen. I've struggled a lot with the idea of not my president and anti-normalization (to use one of our terms) of the administration. While I think the behavior of this administration is anything but normal, I'm at a loss to know if un-claiming the president is wise. I suppose I have discovered that say you are my elected official and you must be accountable to me and all Americans is more powerful. I hope I'm right. My expectations are not high for this administration, however I've learned much already about how I see my own citizenship for the better.

The election of President Donald Trump has affected me at work and in my personal life. I've never seen so many different people on edge, stressed, scared, and put through the ringer on the emotional roller coaster he creates when he posts a tweet or says something ignorant. I wish I could say politics and government were improving or making lives better, unfortunately, they are not. Donald Trump's influence on the world has caused stress and sadness to those around me and I worry that our future, the future of our generation and the one's that follow, will continue to struggle indefinitely.

I suspect that I am not alone in this answer: The election of Donald Trump to the White House deeply impacted me this year. Trump represents everything I loathe about ego, white male privilege, and toxic masculinity. He is uneducated, coarse, crass, clueless, cruel-hearted, and generally despicable. I thought we, as a country, were better than this. I thought I was imminently to witness the swearing-in of the first female President of the United States, the shattering of the ultimate glass ceiling. I thought we, as Americans, would take this opportunity to stand together and say, "We have standards. You don't get to pander to racists and anti-Semites and win the White House. You don't get to talk about walking in on naked teenage girls and grabbing unsuspected women by the pussy and be rewarded with the presidency. You don't get to show up, a newbie and a know-nothing, and get to be in charge just because you are white and male and famous and possibly rich (although I doubt this last adjective very much)." I was wrong. As a sexual abuse survivor, I feel invalidated. Not only will we fail to hold abusers accountable -- a message and a pattern we play out over and over and over -- we will put one in charge. As a woman with post-graduate degrees in law and public administration who has worked diligently to understand the workings of the American government and our founding documents, I feel dismissed. Not only will be continue our cultural backlash against the educated -- a recipe for a return to the stone age -- we will celebrate ignorance with an Inauguration Day parade. As a mother and a sister and a daughter and a granddaughter and a friend and colleague of people with health and mental health issues, a person for whom compassion and care are core values, the election of Donald Trump feels like the crushing of a part of my soul. We are Americans -- and apparently, we are willing to reward politicians who "dream about" taking health care away from the poor and the sick. We are Americans -- and apparently we willing to reward an attitude of "I got mine, fuck the rest of you poor mother fuckers." This year, we, as a country, gave the reins to our government to a man who embodies every last bit of our dark, our despair, our bias, our legacy of bigotry, our fear, and our collective Id -- and it broke my heart.

I have (finally begun to take a serious interest in climate change. I have a BOOK even and another on the way. The book is by Xiuhtexcatl Martinez who is very young (17) and lives in Boulder , Colorado. He describes so many wonderful environmental initiatives I never heard of. And many by youth. (Well I was young once too). Like I read about Da'esh I think reading about climate change will get it into my HEAD rather than my FEARS Took part in several Women Wage Peace demonstrations - great fun. Feel I am young again. Feel involved.

In 2016, I wrote this: \\Thr US Presidential election has had such a profound effect on me. I'm so incredibly frightened for our country, our world. Bernie Sanders woke us up to the insidious corruption that infuses our government. Now it's impossible to go back to any kind of ignorance about it.// This year, things are exponentially worse. At least I can read journalists like Caitlyn Johnstone and retain some semblance of perspective. And in my free time, I'm developing a tool for engaging other voters. Because we must.

The election and everything that followed. I don't have any faith left.

The ongoing travesty that is the Trump presidency. It's affected the entire world in many horrible ways. For me personally, it's sucked up lots of time in protesting, calling representatives, and trying to combat it. It has completely depleted my emotional energy for politics. It's caused guilt when I don't feel up to participating.

The way so many people in my life voted in the election, and the way they continue to defend their bigotry and hatred has impacted and isolated me greatly this year. I was unaware of the actual level of hypocrisy surrounding me.

The Women's March affected me more than I thought it would. I have never been very march-y, or very activist-y. I always thought it was because growing up in DC made me sort of a-political. Now I realize that being a-political is a luxury granted me by my white, educated, Christian privilege. And I'm working to get out of my bubble, to take risks and speak the truth. Working to make change-- but still probably not working hard enough.

The inauguration of President Trump. I didn't vote for him and was willing to give him time to prove he could do the job. I may not have agreed with him on everything but that was okay - I haven't agreed with every president in the past my party or not. However, he has proven himself to be a hateful self centered person - he can't look past the end of his nose to see what he has caused in the world with the way he speaks to and about people. While I am not one to wish for bad things for people, I feel it will be in the best interest of the country to not have him as president.

Again I see events happening but I don't really do anything about them. My life here is peaceful. Trumps presidency concerned me but then I went back to normal life. I can take. Step to protect planned parent hood or immigrant rights.

This year has been marked by the extreme brutality of terrorist attacks using vehicles to ram into crowds and cause tremendous fatalties. It is just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for the victims. It is such a devastating thing for the victims and their families to be killed or maimed in a random attack. It really marks a decline in the values that hold civilization together.

Donald Trump becoming president. It is put in jeopardy my participation in the Affordable Health Care Act which has saved me so much in medical costs.

DT elected president, seems to make me more stessed; embarrassed by president; wary of other Civility lines were breached by our elected officials, seems to have given others permission to be less civil.

Two things, first, Trump won. I was so sad, it manifested physically in me. I kept waking in the middle of the night, and the next day, I felt like I had a hangover. It was so strange, but I was so sad. It made me remember the day when Bush won the re-election and Katie and I thought the world was gona end, and it didn’t. Its when I realized that’s how things work, 2 steps forward and one step back. Its gona suck, but its not going to be the end of the world. For many months I kept binging on Trump news, and it was so toxic, so I stopped looking at us news in general. The second has been the wave of uncovering of corruption scandals in Brazil. Its amazing to see all these crooks finally out in the open. I really hope this leads to a more equitable society, but who knows. The problem seems to be there is nobody clean left to govern and lead these changes.

trump. i feel like he has stifled progress and aided hate in the world.

The terrorists at the Temple Mount. This affected me because I was there just a month or so before and everything seemed peaceful.

I think roller derby trying to become a mainstream sport has impacted me. I know that I joined on the whim, and possibly while the rebel side of it was on the way out, but it seems to be more stressful. It was supposed to just be for fun. Even world class athletes are being "mocked" or shamed or just feeling like they aren't good enough. When roller derby was about women finding their place in the world, and creating the world they wanted, even with the derby boutfits and gimmicks, it felt more real. I think that the derby-verse trying to take it mainstream is removing the fun of it. I feel like if I'm going to be a bad-ass on roller skates, I should get to dress like a superhero, makeup and all. With it going mainstream, the face paint is going away, the amazing skate costumes are going away, and all that's left are uniforms, and dullness.

fucking Trump as president. He's a disgrace that has made racism, sexism and every other form of discrimination acceptable because of his horrible intolerant speech and views. Personally it's made me more accountable for my privilege and for how I need to help the world. I need to be doing more. It's also made me realize the truth about a lot of people.

By far the most significant event was the election of Donald Trump. It seems trite to even try to put into words how it feels like he is fundamentally changing the course of history to what might be a catastrophic future. The last 9 months have been so volatile and chaotic that I can’t even predict what it will be like to read this next year – so much will have happened! So, in general, this fills me with a sense of deep concern, bordering on dread, but I also try to keep an open and optimistic mind.

Trump was elected President. I never realized how politics could really truly make the distances between us wider until all the discussions around his election came up this year. It's made me feel bad that I don't understand my moral and political positions better. That I vacillate sometimes. Guilty about speaking and being quiet because I so deeply just want my friends and family to all get along.

Trump was elected president and it's rocked my faith in humanity. He's terrible. People that think he isn't terrible are terrible. We resist.

The presidential election of 2016 has left me feeling raw and angry since it happened. There is no reason a man like Donald Trump should be allowed to rule a country. His hateful, racist, sexist, xenophobic mindset is going to destroy the world as we know it. It feels like everything we hold dear--freedom and equality and compassion--has disappeared. Every day, people are fighting for their lives and we suddenly have a group of people at the very top who believe they should die and disappear. Protests and phone calls to electeds and civil discourse only goes so far. I fear that this is just the start of a new normal.

Well Trump is probably the biggest event and that is in a big basket of bad world events. How it has personally affected me is probably based on the rise of anti-semitism including crap that my father says/apparently believes. It's driving people crazy

Trump. He is a terrorist. We are all on edge. However it has brought some together like never before. Hopefully this nightmare will end soon. Then we pick up the pieces.

This year Donald Trump started his role as president. The election was about rebellion against the old guard and how here was an individual who know how to get things done and not associated with the old guard. I did not vote for him, I wanted Hilary Clinton. Mr. Trump has some awareness of how to move an audience, however he seems to have very little honor, humility or integrity. I feel he just works the media and caters to those who support him. I see his actions as grand standing, of just wanting to fulfill slogans and however that gets done, it’s a win, even if it hurts or scares people who live here. I can very little to agree with him and the people he has assigned to run our major departments. His positions on the media, on alternative facts, on tweeting, woman's rights, LGBT rights, Black Life Matters, Far Right activities, health care, our international standing, on climate warming, his policy with North Korea/Iran and Make America Great Again, I disagree with. I reminisce from my extensive travels that the United States has always been great. We have to figure out how to live within our means, stop trying to be the world’s police, and make sure we focus on creating the best atmosphere possible for Americans to thrive and contribute worldwide for ours and future generations. It seems so simple, yet so far away. What Mr. Trump has done is highlight the power of the executive office as well as the unproductive partisanship nature of congress. Maybe he has given importance to the individual vote. The fact that his antics dominate our news gives me clarity on how the media just drives more of this behavior. Thankfully, the media is there to report it, even if it feels like it’s all we see. I know next election, I will do everything I can to support and vote out Trump. For me, it will be very interesting to read this next year and see what my opinion is then as well as the status of our government.

Not a single event, but the hostility between right and left. No one is listening or trying to bridge the gap, and each assumes the other is incredibly stupid. Also, each group follows news that supports their views, never trying to explain or bridge the other viewpoint. It has made me very sad, and concerned for the future of the country.

Ugh. Presidential election. I was depressed for a month. I had a creeping feeling the whole time of what the outcome would be, and it made me so sad that it really came true.

We are hitting bottom as a nation. But we are also showing signs of rebirth. Many will learn from these dark days. Many joys and cares are still persisting under great duress. I am still trying to understand how to be at my best when things are at their worst.

Ugh. Trump's election, Trump's election, Trump's election. Not much to say here but it's been brutal. I was so traumatized last November, I think I was in shock. I didn't actually get my period for three months starting right at his inauguration. He is seriously the most evil narcissistic man on earth. Up there with Putin and Kim Jong Il. I compulsively scan the news for word that he is being impeached or indicted for colluding with Russia. There is no way this will end well. I only pray it doesn't have permanent bad consequences.

Election of Donald Trump. It upset my "apple cart." It impacts my life via assault on muchbI hold dear, e.g., the environment. A blow to "qualitybod thiufht," learning how to get along with others not like us, departure from what in thought was a hood directions m for the country to be headed. Has made me think about my opinions.

None this year. God brought me to a place where I now realize that my life is not my own, and my words are not my own. I must listen closely to what Heavenly Father is saying so that I can release it to His people.

The election of a person totally unqualified to be president. His decisions are impacting us financially and medically as we are limited income.

Oh jesus... Trump is president. He is an awful person who just sits on his ass Tweeting. Threatening/taunting N. Korea with bombs. We may all be dead this time next year. Ugh. He really is a horrible horrible HORRIBLE mistake our country made. Natural disasters have upped their game too... yeah tell me again how global climate change is not real. 2016 response: The election has been a hot mess. Bernie Sanders was likely more successful than the DNC allowed him to appear. Now it's Hillary and Donald and it's just awful. Hillary will keep the status quo and Donald will be a hell-storm. I am nervous and

Trump became president of the United States. Like really... In reality it doesnt affect me directly right now unless he does something stupid like get North Korea to drop bombs and Canada get's caught in the cross fire. If affected me more because it made me realize that people are innately evil. Like there are so many people in the states and the US who actually think that black people aren't humans and that they shouldn't have access to the same fundamental rights are they do. And that makes me angry and want to be out for blood. It made me want to go to law school so I could put people behind bars or at the very least speak about injustices and work to change laws and mindsets.

oh good god. trump. how? why? i don't need to chronicle those answers, here. they'll be in history books.

Fucking Trump destroying our fucking country. I'm scared all of the time now. Currently he's playing chicken with nuclear war worth North Korea and I'm just fucking terrified. For myself, more so for the people who this puts in immediate harms way, for my country, and for the entire planet.

This concern has remained stable, as I have been more me focused.

The Syrians continue to take my heart. Now with all the 2 hurricanes, I am just sad. Global warming does exist and we need to be taking measures to decrease our carbon foot print. My heart goest out to all the people impacted. It makes me realize how lucky I am. President Trump has happened, not just to me, to the US, but to the world. I've stopped thinking it can't get any worse and now write my Senator and Congressman o a regular basis. I pray he does not irrevocably diminish the role of the presidency.

One event that occurred in the world this last year was Brexit. I was in England during an 8 hour layover the day that Brexit was announced, and I was interviewed by a news reporter about my views on the event. I was so excited that I was able to put my current events knowledge that I had gained in Extemp class into practice, and I couldn't believe the lucky opportunity I had to voice my opinion to the public. I wouldn't necessarily say it impacted me that much on a very concrete level besides just generally making me feel somewhat special, but in retrospect I think it provided some valuable lessons. First is that I want to be a more active political participant and voice my opinions. I haven't done much of this, but it's a good reminder that everyone can have an effect, sometimes quite unexpectedly, on the outcome of policy or political thought, and it's important to remain woke. This day was also the first time that I ever traveled alone, and that was a very special thing. It was such a different feeling, and it was amazing to put something that I had heard so much about into a real context and see that the news is actually real events that effect people continuously and profoundly. In other words, it's very easy to become desensitized to the news, but there are two big ways to make it become more real in your mind: 1) travel and visit the places where the news originates from and 2) develop empathy for all other parts of the world, both known an unbeknownst to you. That day was just a reality shock for me on so many different levels

The 2016 Presidential election was devastating and every day since has been worse and worse. I still can't believe Donald Trump is our president. It's so sickening, infuriating and saddening.

As President Trump discovered that he had won the election, I saw that he didn't smile. Then I realized that he was completely humbled; not what I expected. Since then it has been confirmed, though not published, what he has given his life to Jesus Christ. He loves Israel!! and I have learned that every one of his 4 older children are either married to or dating Hebrews, and that he has 11 Jewish grandchildren! Only God would make certain we have a president that none of us believed could possibly win, for He is a jealous God and wants us to know it is HIM!! Trump is our Cyrus of the Old Testament! May God give him strength to endure through this time, and against those that do not have eyes to see!!

An event in the world. I always need to repeat that. This year I am terrified about the person who was elected as our President. I hate that he wants to run our country like a business. I think global warming is more of a concern than people really understand. Hurricane season has proved it this year.

The 2016 election Charlottesville, Virginia I worry about the rise antisemitism Will the Trump Presidency allow this hatred flow again. Will Trump's intemperate behavior bring the world to the brink or push us over the brink of a nuclear war. I feel that the US leadership including the Congress and the President don't have the nation's interests or people as their prime concern. This President does not deserve the position. His language and behavior are deplorable I am very worried

Three super hurricanes and two earthquakes in Mexico, as the more recent events; Donald Trump's election through fraudulent and treasonous tampering with our national election by the Russians, with help from American businesses-FACEBOOK and Trump's associates as example; Being part of the Women's March on Washington in January as the most confirming and positive experience I have had; It seems to me that we are running out of time as we know it to turn back the tides of global warming. Our populations have long begun moving away from rising waters and losing ancient lands, waters, species that sustained life and culture. Entitlement, nurtured by materialism at the expense of third world resources and their indigenous peoples has released a psychosis in the psyche of men and the women who cling to them. The expression of this is intolerance, bigotry, misogyny, and fascistic nationalism. We have not learned from man's history and even so we unleash an unprecedented new war to turn back the progress we have made for the emancipation of women--the very thing we need. Research tells us-through experiments in third world regions, that raising up women leads to stabilization, community, and sane enterprise that supports that community. And so in the end on the brink of hopeful promise for a better world, we have an unprecedented backlash on women's rights, which is human rights, which is the environment, the oceans, and other species rights to habitat.

The Election. How could this NOT be on everyone's list this year -- at least in the U.S. Our world has been turned upside down. I worry today about things I never worried about with any other president. Healthcare, Nuclear war, Economics and more. I really didn't believe he would win and yet, I'm shocked at the number of people who still defend him when he makes ridiculous statements.

One event that impacted me was when my grandad died. It was not such a big deal for me like it was for my dad but it reminded me to appreciate life as it comes.

The recent hurricanes. I usually avoid the news but kept up on the progress in those towns. Just felt such worry for those people trying to react and deal with something much bigger than any one.

Killing brown people.

Oh, this year... There have been so many world events that I can't pick one. In fact, that's what's impacted on me so much: the world wide spread of hatred and ignorance. I feel I'm fighting the things I was protesting as a teenager, 30 years ago, and this time they've got the internet to spread their message faster and with more fury. Please stop hurting each other, people. Just stop.

The presidential election. The Russia-tainted presidential election. An election stolen by a vulgar, narcissistic, immature, petulant bully - a man who, by his own boasting (note: not admission - boasting) is a serial sexual assaulter of women, a man who retweets fake videos of him assaulting his election opponent by hitting her head with a golf ball, who encourages bigots, who baits foreign nuclear powers by taunting their unstable leaders with unflattering nicknames, who...the list is too long, so I'll stop here. But I fear that he's going to get us all killed so that we won't be able to read these thoughts next year.

Trump's presidency has shaken me to my core. I have had to disengage from many forms of news and social media in order to cope with daily life. Adam comes home and updates me on current events and I sometimes have to stop him due to the anxiety it causes. I feel so helpless on one hand and on the other my "bubble" shows me all the time how much good there is in the world. I just can't believe how divided we are as a country. I fear for the future of democracy which I realize sounds dramatic but that's truly how it feels.

Trump. What a fucking travesty. For our people and for this Earth.

The most impactful event for me has been the death of Robbie. He has been the forefront of shark conservation and ocean awareness. I feel him in every great action. Trumps election has shaken the world and ensures that the good people will be heard and positive action will be taken over this orange nut case.

Oh, boy. This one's a doozy. So many things in the world have happened this year, many from my perspective for the worse. So many people fleeing conflict are dying for lack of supposedly moral nations helping. Have they learned lessons of history? My people were refugees, fleeing for their lives. These refugees deserve better. The government of Israel reneged on a deal to support egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall plaza, again showing that as a nation it does not have freedom of religion. They claim to be "my home" but show disdain for my practices. Why should I support that? And our country has seen more divisiveness and hatred than I can remember. The "other" is feared and violence wins. How do I explain this to my children?

The Manchester Arena bombing. Seeing my hometown in so much pain really broke my heart although I felt really connected to everyone back at home, which was beautiful. Everyone in Manchester knew of someone who was there or of one of the people that died and it made Manchester feel like such a community. It made me realise who it important to me and how much it means to me to be able to see my family when something like that happens. I am so sad for the families and so proud of my city

the unexpected presidential election results continue to impact me, and the world. who knows for how many years to come? i shall focus on a personal event from that night. It was the phone call i got from my 20 year old son, who was crying. he was so afraid, now, for his own physical safety! his skin is brown; he is gay; he's a Jew. he watched so much online evidence of danger, hatred, violence. Heartbreaking.

Trump is a huge fucking embarrassment. I don’t even know where to start in terms of describing his disgusting impact on my country and my world. I’m just so incredibly angry and sad. I have lost faith in our system.

like i'm sure many will say: trump's presidency. the most major impact this has had on me is that i pay a lot more attention to politics than before the election.

The election has definitely made me see things in a different light - especially in terms of relatives and how they react and respond to current events. And not for the better. It's caused some major disappointment - people I thought were highly educated and highly rational adults are misguided sheep who aren't able to think rationally for themselves. It's caused some isolation (us from the family) and we find ourselves picking and choosing which family functions we attend.

I already wrote about the Trump election. It has changed everything. I became fearful and depressed. I've had nightmares about persecution. I feel a level of anxiety in myself and most people. I also see more love and energy toward positive change than I ever have. So, it is a mix of despair and hope. I have been questioning what my work on this planet it. It feels frivolous to make beauty or absurdity through my art practice right now when there are so many immediate needs. At the same time, perhaps the spiritual nourishment through art is needed more than ever. However, I don't seem to be able to curb my anxiety and slow down enough to make the art. That is my challenge for the coming year - hold my ground and nurture my art practice in the midst of the hateful chaos.

Isis and the lack of respect for human life in Barcelona's attack and throughout the world it's tragic Hurricane Harvey in TX followed by Hurricane Irma here at home and Hurricane Maria in the islands and Puerto Rico, all along with Mexico's earthquake in a span of three weeks, has led us to be more mindful and grateful for the simple joys in everyday's life the nonsense that our UN-President spews is further pushing the American people into utmost disrespect toward the seat of the POTUS it's a crying shame I feel all we have left is prayer

Since my friend posted this about his toddler praying for peace as tensions escalated in North Korea, I have been aspiring to pray more like Eli. ——— This is about my child, prayer and foreign policy crisis. I have not talked to my 3-year-old about the disturbing threats currently being exchanged between the heads of state of the US and North Korea -- this conversation between him and me just happened. This is probably most appreciated by my friends who have a Christian/theistic approach to spirituality, but I hope it can be valued by any parent clumsily trying to raise their kid to be compassionate and grounded. During tonight's bedtime routine, Eli and I got to the usual part of the spoken prayers where I prayed for soldiers everywhere -- that they be safe, come home to their families, and be healed. It's Eli's favorite part of the prayer. ------------ Eli: [interrupting, as is typical and totally acceptable] Are there soldiers right now flying over the ocean? Me: I'm sure there are. Some might be leaving home and going to fight, some might be coming home to see their families. Eli: Will the war they are going to fight be the last one? Me: Oh, buddy, I wish it was. But the people who lead countries are always thinking about the next war they want to start. And they are the ones who decide that soldiers have to go to fight. Eli: ... Me: But maybe tonight we can pray for those leaders -- that they find other ways to solve their problems. We can spend an extra long quiet time sending them God's love. ------------ A few minutes pass with us holding hands in silence, as we tend to do every night. Previously, I've told him this is a time to feel God's love and courage in his heart and my heart. I think this is the first time I've ever told him that we can hold other people in that Love during the silence, too. ------------ Me: Amen. Eli: Wait, I'm still sending love all over the world. Me: Oh... ok.... ----------- A few minutes pass. He's pointedly holding my arm tightly to let me know he's not done. ----------- Me: Buddy, it's time for me to go. You can keep sending God's love over the world after I leave. You can actually do that any time you want to. --pause-- Eli: Ok, goodnight.

UGH. dshidhifihfv Fucking "President" Trump. I hate--and I do not often hate--but I hate him. He is using his position to increase racial hostility and economic inequality. Should hell exist I hope he finds a home there in the afterlife. And of course this impacts me. I'm a female racial and religious minority. He represents folks who think I should be "lucky" to live here, be born here. The geography of my birth is a testament to crimes committed against my ancestors. It is not luck or a privilege that I was born here, however, since it is a Fact, I am entitled to equal rights. That should not be a revolutionary statement but to the ill-willed it evidently is.

This year, it's seemed as though the entire world is just in a tailspin. Trump's election, Charlottesville, myriad natural disasters, the refugee crisis... I don't even know where to begin. But the impact of Trump's election and the ensuing events has been to allow me to continue my journey of reflection about our country and what needs to change.

Our so-called president is a horrible excuse of a leader. Ashamed to be an American, ashamed of what's happening in the UNITED States. Feeling very UN-United. Not happy; lots of unhappy people feeling the same way as me.

Trump's election has made me feel desperate for the world, that he will bumble us into war, nuclear war, unforgivable environmental crises and the ruiner of whatever progress we have made in every arena. He will further destroy social justice, and his election makes me not want to live in America. This isn't the America I hoped for.

The marches against President Donald Trump’s election in the beginning of 2017 seriously impacted me. As the shouts grew louder, I became more skeptical and hopeless. The chants of the people seemed hypocritical. How can people preaching unity and love be so hateful and dismissive of this with different viewpoints? When liberal politicians have more power in the government, these same people condemn the little resistance and protest organized by conservative citizens. When these power dynamics change, however, the masses march against fascism, racism, sexism, and things that are objectively evil. This broad approach personally impacts me, a person who enjoys debating others politely with the intention to understand, not to convert. These recent protests made it nearly impossible for me to do this, because the aim is to make opposing these movements impossible. Others condemn me as fascist for opposing a movement against fascism, but that approach is illogical. I become frustrated whenever I witness this divisive tactic being used. I lost a massive part of my personality with the silencing of my arguments. The idea of never gaining this piece of myself back terrifies me.

Donald Trump. I'm sure everyone's answer is some form of this. The election of that fuckweed has been the most tragic and horrifying thing that has happened to this country certainly in my lifetime and for sure in recent memory. His campaign brought out the worst parts of racist, xenophobic, islamophobic, anti-semetic, transphobic, homophobic, sexist, misogynist America that has been seen since Civil Rights. The level of overt bigotry and discrimination has been stunning. I feel like I have been a horrible ally for not seeing this but I also feel like nobody knew that overt bigotry would be tolerated again. The scariest part for me is that when we get our answers next year, we will most likely still be dealing with this.

Donald Trump’s stupid ass has impacted EVERY American and unfortunately we are stuck with him... for now.

Trump is president. The America I fell in love with and finally became patriotic about has been crushed. It is being dismantled every day. Hate is coming to the surface of this divided country and it is being encouraged by the people in charge. I know there are good people fighting the good fight, resisting, protesting, fighting within the system, opposing the many changes that are happening on a daily basis but that does not change the fact that my America is crumbling.

Fucking Trump. He is the epitome of terrible, unguided, misdirected, poor leadership. He's made it very difficult to be a good leader in my workspace and community. He's hurting so many good people in marginalised communities, reversing the hard work I've put into them. This is all happening exactly as I expected it would.

The hurricanes have been devastating, I feel sorry for the poor people effected.

Oh, that fucking Trump. Every time I think people can't be meaner and more small-minded, he surprises me. However, I am trying to have more twitter conversations wtih people who don't agree with me in a calm and loving way. It is hard the first time you think about white privilege. Puerto Rico and Mexico (earthquake, wall) feel like a time that our global agreements of goodwill have actually been broken. I'm so, so, sorry and angry about that. It could break things. If this is how the U.S. is playing the trust game, game theory, then I believe we could break the way that others play it, too. I hope not, I hope not. I trust in people, please let that be true. I wrote a poem about this that Chris and others shared on Facebook, which meant a whole hell of a lot.

The killing of Israeli arabs in Israel because it shocked me just how evil people can be, killing their fellow brethren

THE ELECTION OF DONALD J. TRUMP TO THE PRESIDENCY. Each day is a new anguish. “What did he do today?” has become a refrain in our household. Our Muslim, Black, poor, Hispanic, and otherwise minority friends and family live different lives. I’m just sick, every single day.

Donald Trump won the US Presidency. I've basically stopped talking about or interacting with national news and politics. I can't stand the drama that surrounds the short fingered vulgarian in the Oval Office.

Oh, hello, election again! I knew this would come up multiple times in this year's answers... Seriously, the election results, and 45's ability to foment new hatred every single day, is all-consuming. (The knitting obsession I talked about in Question 3 helps deal with anxiety, which is probably part of why I never want to stop knitting.) Last year, when 45 and his most right-wing supporters were saying and doing things that I had long assumed belonged to bygone days, I and many fellow progressives said, "That's not who we are." I wonder now, in the wake of the election, if maybe that IS who we are. It's at least a much bigger piece of our collective ethos than I had wanted to acknowledge. I've since learned more about privilege and intersectionality. I've learned that we as white Americans need to do a lot more listening. I've spoken up in, I hope, ways that help to bridge gaps rather than create them. I've gotten angry, for sure, and I'm sure I'll stay angry for awhile... And? I've tried to use that anger for good - being more community-minded, paying better attention to the source of any news story, communicating with my elected representatives, and giving money when I can to causes I believe in. This is a complicated country with a messy history, so - yes - that IS a part of who we are. And? I don't think it's too Pollyanna to simultaneously believe that we can (and will, and must) do better.

The election of Donald Trump, which seems odd as I'm not American and I don't live in the States. I have never stayed up late to see the final result of an election in Canada, let alone one in the States. But I couldn't stop watching! I guess it's impacted me because he is so crude and I feel he represents divisiveness, anger, hostility, protectionism and deceit. I cannot respect a man or woman with those qualities and to think that a man like that is the head of the most powerful nation on Earth is shameful. He represents everything I thought we as a species were trying to move away from. Hopefully, he's a One Term Mistake...

Trump became president. I can't even talk about it without getting upset. In a world so full of hate, he is the last person we need running our country.

Learning how fragile our rights and protections really are; how easily they can be lost or overturned; and how interconnected the global community needs to be if we are to survive and fix the damage we have done to the world has filled me with fear, and with renewed commitment. The reawakening of our country to the need to act on our beliefs - raise our voices, protest, contribute (time and money,) listen, and work together has been empowering.

Trump and multiple severe climate events -- I feel scared a lot!

As I mentioned the election of Donald Trump and the continued environmental challenges are frightening. There seems to be a march in the direction of right wing neo fascism all over Europe and the USA. From threatening immigrants to threatening health care for all butin particular women to deregulating environmental standards, the world is going to hell.

In response to who I've seen gain power in the world this year I offer this incantation: may all political dictators and their greedy corporate counterparts drop dead in the coming year. This is my curse upon them all. Join me in summoning the green serpentine miasma of their last breath, like the revenge of an Old Testament God, or the colder harvest of an even more ancient horrific bestial deity slumbering in ravenous hibernation until such time as we summon it. The time is now. Awake and eat.

Trump got elected. We all seem to be surviving relatively the same. Well, those of us that were not hit by hurricanes in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Outside of feeling a sense of empathy for those that have to rebuild, likely suffering in some way in the process, no world event has directly impacted me that I can tell.

Trump was elected president, which is insanity, but somehow we've all survived the year. Well, not everyone in the country, but everyone I know. The KKK rally in Charlottesville was a terrible mess. Trump's presidency hasn't really impacted me directly, per se, but I feel terrible for all the immigrants who are fearful for their very presence in the country. It's unnecessary. I don't even know what to make of this piece of American history. I just hope it's a true low moment, and that it doesn't go even lower.

More than anything, more than Trump’s election, it was the May election in the UK. It has seemed like a miraculous revival of hope, despite all of the huge problems that remain around the Labour Party. I felt – and I feel – such exultation over the humbling of the Conservative Party and their resulting irretrievable predicament, that it still nearly obliterates my huge concerns about the desperate state of the world. Well, not nearly, but still.

The election and first year of the Donald Trump presidency has affected me negatively. I was shocked, worried, scared. I had been pretty confident that Hilary Clinton would win. I am disappointed and somewhat horrified that so many Americans, including a couple of my family members (!), would vote for such a vile man. Furthermore the unfolding of his presidency, with his clear incompetence, narcissism, deep insecurity, racism and sexism, has just gotten worse and worse. In some ways he has already done and said so much that's been unprecedented, it's hard to say I'm surprised by his latest tweet or regressive policy. But I believe he is seriously damaging this country by his actions, and I don't know where we will end up. This worry and fear has definitely impacted my mental state.

I seem to struggle with these "one in the year" things! the big issues haven't had significant impact this year. I guess Brexit feels like a threat and a concern (and frustratingly, one with few actions I can take to counter it). The vote wasn't this year but article50 was, so perhaps I'd pick that, although at the time it was not a huge event, just one in a sequence of foolish government decisions. It feels like an advisory vote, poorly framed and advised, is now the focus of a series of decisions which will severely damage the UK. I imagine we are going back to a period like the 70s, of austerity in a very real sense, being 'the poor man of europe' - only without europe; business problems and job losses and expensive goods and services and deteriorating public services. This is grim and is affecting how I think about my work and household planning. I feel we should be saving and being cautious financially at home, and that I should be thinking about what work i should have in light of this coming time.

This year there is an event that has effected me - the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. Talk about a shocker. It's caused me some problems, because there are things I feel I need to speak about from the bimah, which have caused some tension in the congregation because I do have some Trump supporters in the congregation, and I do have some people who don't want to hear "political" messages from the bimah. The rise of the radical right and the increase in hate is scary, and I'm doing what I can to combat it.

Isis. The wars. Constant fear of terrorism. Death happening in everywhere and anywhere and being afraid of hopping on a plane and going in vacation. It looks like maybe nothing would happen to you but you never know. I have people I know that live in cities that are affected by these things and it really makes you think... The future is really uncertain and we don't know what could ever happen.

its more an event of my world. breaking up with my boy friend, my whole life got better after that. freedom, loose weight, he was a stone in my path.

The terrorist attacks in London, especially the one on Borough Market as this is closest to where I live and an area that I go to regularly. It made me think differently about the city but it also made me more resilient I think to hearing about this sort of news.

Trump is president. Do I really need to say anything else?

The election of President Donald Trump has impacted me, and the world, in a very negative way. I am shocked, dismayed, frightened and overwhelmed by the ignorance, disinterest, and narcissism of this man.

The election of Donald Trump. A disaster, affecting me and this country and the world in the worst ways possible. An unthinkable catastrophe.

Election. Family on different views. My Guy listening to far right views. media being so off in what they indicated would happen and everyone just listening to those who share the same thoughts and perceptions. Truths so muddled. Tensions rising so fast without hearing causing so much misunderstanding and hate. Causes me to watch what I say and not talk about my views which are split on all sides. Wish I could shed light as I live in a Midwest state however grew up in NY. I hear and see and understand why many have the views they do. But scared of consequences if I were to try to bridge the divides.

The election of our president as the noise around and the hatred I've seen has gotten much worse since that happened.

We have had some serious catastrophes, but the biggest natural event this year that was inspiring was the total eclipse crossing the country. To have the path of totality fall so close to where we live was pretty lucky and I'm so glad we made the hour trip outside of Portland in order to experience it. I have my dad to thank for that, because originally we weren't going to bother. I didn't realize that the 100% totality is really different from even a 99.9% eclipse. It was one of those truly cosmic experiences that we got by the side of a road in Independence Oregon, across from a hops orchard. At 10 in the morning it got dark like twilight and the sunset surrounded the entire horizon. The flares from the sun made spooky shadows like the ghosts of snakes. The birds got quiet but cheers rose from the fields around us like helium balloons. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and I jumped up and down like I was five again. It lasted less than 2 minutes and then we endured four hours of gridlock to get back home but it was worth every second, an event that impacted us in a positive way, that made me glad to be a human on this earth, that made us forget for a brief time all the insanity created and recreated every day this year, made us marvel at being small, at being spectators of something profound, that your body knows is profound, that runs circles around the straight lines of the mind.

The death of my mom. Dad died in 2009, so now they are both gone. Totally removed any semblage of being a child, of having a parent. Earth-shattering.

No question the election of Donald Trump as President--something that once seemed as unlikely as the Cubs winning the World Series (which they did a few weeks prior to the the election). Among the many effects has been the unleashing of hatreds and prejudice that in hindsight seem less eradicated than dormant, antisemitism prominent among them. On the other hand, it has inspired a resurgence of progressive activism that thus far has beaten back some (though far from all) the worst effects of the Trump Presidency.

Trump was elected and I am appalled on a daily basis by his actions and behavior. It is extremely distressing to me because he reminds me of my ex, which only brings up bad memories. In addition I feel the need to censure what I say in public/work because some people voted for him. Not only do I chafe at this, but to think people I relate to on a daily basis like him, bothers me; I feel like I can't trust them and don't know who they are.

The election of Donald Trump as president shocked me and has proved to be difficult to deal with on a daily basis. I am hoping that we all wake up and recognize that our vote counts and that we need to raise our voice.

I keep coming back to this awful event in Guatemala, where 41 girls were burnt alive in a state safe house for adolescents... It is a violent, terrible event that moved parts of me and continues to have an impact on me. It has made me think about the value of women in the world, of adolescents, of girls... of how governments react to the loss of life, to femicide; how we react as a society, and how our short term memory is simply horrible.

Today's shooting in Vegas. The deadliest mass shooting in US history. People want to politicize it but it isn't about politics. Trump winning the election. I disagree with some things he's done but I agree with most of them.

The election of Trump. It's sick how normalized it's become. I don't have any words any more for it. Every day I go online and hope I'll read the headline that it's all over. Or that we entered an alternative universe.

The United States bad relationship with North Korea is affecting all of us.

Last year's election. I was recovering from a bone marrow transplant and had no energy. I couldn't really deal with it when Drumpf won. I wasn't excited about Hillary, but I expected her to win and voted for her. For the first time ever I ignored the election results, watched some TV, and went to bed early. My phone blew up at 3am, waking me up. I saw the news and burst into tears. After that I just kind of shut down for a few weeks. I was depressed and just couldn't deal with it.

Well, DJ Trump is president. I know that's not directly a global thing. But, it may become one. When I hear him speak, uttering his ridiculous statements of ignorance, I honestly question the integrity of the human race. I'd like to build a wall around him. Like in The Sims, where he gets no food and dies. Then his gravestone appears in an awkward place and his ghost haunts my household. That would be so much better than his terrifyingly-real haunting of my country.

Trump election and all that has followed. Shaken basic foundations of pretty much everything. Caused real damage in such a broad range of arenas. A reminder that big and truly bad things actually happen.

The aftermath of the elections, the Cubs winning the World Series and general world events. The elections still impact us and the level of discourse on a daily basis. While not a Cubs fan them winning the World Series shows that anything is possible, miracles do happen and good things happen to those who wait.

The world went crazy this year. No one knows what is going on, there is so much data out there and everyone who has an opinion is selectively picking the data that supports their hypothesis.

Trump's Presidency, as awful as that sounds. Seeing the Country I used to have so much pride in going topsy-turvy, with someone so obviously against my moral code not only leading, but being blatant with his disregard for decency. I am, however, slightly proud of myself for maintaining some level of objectivism, as I catch myself equally unimpressed when leftists try to rail on Trump for things that are just obvious attempts to slander.

Living in Trump's America! I feel like I am constantly peeling back layers of horror and finding even more horror underneath.Its not just him - its my eyes being opened to so much fucking BULLSHIT. But its also him. Its exhausting, but also I thik maybe its really good for me. Social Work School in trumps america.

Oh man, there are a lot of things that happened in the world this year. It's hard to wrap my mind around how the abnormal has become normal, compared to all the previous years of my life. Donald Trump got elected. The day after the inauguration I attended the Women's March, the largest single day protest in history. The first week of the presidency Trump passed a ban on Muslims entering the country. Then he tried to repeal the ACA (well, Congress did, a bunch of times). He pulled out of the Paris Climate agreements, he hired and fired a bunch of people, he has tried to rescind DACA. He has made everyone anxious every day. The political climate has made many of my loved ones concerned and sad to the point of really deteriorating their mental health. It has impacted me because I want to stay energized and fighting, and I want to do more than post on social media, but sometimes the energy that that requires -- to really politically organize -- is more than I can handle when I am struggling to just finish grad school, as I was for the first half of 2017, and am trying to get settled in a new job, as I am now. On top of all that, in the past 2-3 weeks there have been three terrible earthquakes in Mexico, killing hundreds of people, and three large hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Florida, killing more. (Edit: yesterday, several days after I wrote this post, there was a mass shooting that killed 59 people in Nevada. It is the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.) It seems like the Earth is angry with humanity sometimes.

All the terrorist attacks seem to get closer and closer. Several times I had to fear for my friends wellbeing. These are difficult times. The other thing are the elections in my home country Germany. There were people that voted as a protest a fascist party. This is unacceptable and makes me feel ashamed of being German. I want to be proud of my country but when things like that happen it is not possible for me.

Picking up right where we left off last year. Although now I realize that when I wrote this last year we were deep into the campaign but the election was over a month away. So the EVENT would be the result of the election and the impact it has had on all of us, everywhere in the world. Trump. Healthcare. Hurricanes. Shootings. The way of the world these days is like being in a dystopian nightmare. How and why are self-evident.

You know, there are just too many. Mass shootings, celebrity deaths. I will say that Chris Cornell's death really hit me hard in the gut. I understood how it could happen and felt grateful that I am no longer drinking and/or taking lorazepam. I felt unspeakably sad for him in his last moments and for his family afterward.

When Obama did not have our UN representative stand up again the sanction of Israel. I remember the 6 day war. I know how hard Israel has to struggle to maintain its right to exist. I look at the map and see all the LARGE arab states and I think: “if the Arabs really cared about their own people their countries would get together and give up land for the Palestinians. Instead they just want to cut Israel into a smaller country than it ever should have been.” Any my president, for whom I campaigned and voted, did not stand up. I was shattered.

World events generally don't impact me directly, outside of increased taxes or other expenses. I have not been directly affected by the rise in anti-semitism. I know it's happening, I see it in the news in other places, it upsets me, but I'm very lucky that I haven't had first hand exposure. I don't know how I'll react when/if it's personal and/or local. I did freak a bit when I learned of the local KKK rally. That was a new experience for me. I'm still getting used to living in an area without a large Jewish population.

Having Donald Trump as President is even worse than having him as a presidential candidate. It's disheartening, it makes me viscerally disappointed in our country and in the American people. I'm also worried that I and those around me have become more complacent and I hope that that doesn't allow the xenophobia and ignorance to become deeper and more entrenched.

Oh my word, Trump's antics every day make me grateful that I'm still alive, safe, and happy. I have a greater appreciation for each day because when the tragedies of the headlines are too much to ignore, I appreciate things I never gave thought to. Let me take this space to express gratitude for my sense, my limbs, my brainpower, my family and friends.

2017 was a crazy year all around. So many natural disasters, mass shootings, hate. The vibration of hate has been the most difficult. It puts a layer of slime over everything.

Two things stand out here: the Cubs World Series win, and the solar eclipse. I'm not a Cubs fan. But nothing made me feel closer to the city of the Chicago - and more impressed by it - than getting to be here for the Cubs win. It was amazing to see a narrative so meaningful to so many people resolve itself like that firsthand. I feel lucky to have been a guest in this amazing part of the country for a few years. The solar eclipse, meanwhile, wasn't all that impressive at the moment. I saw the partial, of course, and I was honestly a little underwhelmed. But the mystique of the event was pretty amazing. It reminded me of Modern Cosmology, the way I thought critically (again) about myself as a component of the universe for the first time in a while. It sounds cheesy, and I guess it is. But there was something about viewing the eclipse while in such a beautifully remote (remotely beautiful?) place like Lost Man, with Mollie and my family, the summer before senior year, that made it all feel pretty special. Looking forward to when the next one passes directly over Dallas.

Trump got elected as President of the USA For me this seemed to trigger all the hidden hate and racism, anti Semitic feelings that still strongly exist here and the horribly long way the USA is from being a country that I can be proud to be part of

SO MANY!! Trump being president and the massacre in Los Vegas are the biggest in the moment. I am afraid for the world my children will grow old in...

deaths of my rock star friends. david bowie, lou reed, prince. i can't remember now who was 2016, who was 2017. now walter becker and tom petty. i can't even begin to describe how sickened and heartbroken i am that hillary lost to trump. he is destroying all of the beauty and progression barak obama created during his time as president. he is cultivating all that is hideous and evil in this country - and in this world. people are watching. i am so afraid.

The election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the country. The inauguration and onset of lies and events by his administration AND support from people around the country showed me just how many deep feelings of hate and exclusion exists in the country. On the flip side the women's march the day after inauguration showed me how united we can be when the enemy of my enemy becomes my friend. There is still a lot of work to do to get the country on track but I have drawn a line in the sand with who i can call friend and why. If you don't want me to survive and thrive as a human being and you have aligned yourself with others who feel that way, i cannot call you friend. My friendship is a privilege that I can no longer extend to everyone I come in contact with.

The Vegas shooting! I had a cousin there, and the type of concert it was is something i would have gone to with my friends.

President Trump feels like the only answer. I have never felt this way about my government, that it doesn't represent me, that I'm not proud of our stance in the world, and that people I love may have something to fear from people in power. I am immensely privileged in this way, and I didn't realize it all until this year. I have never been less engaged in the news as an adult- I find myself keeping up with the basics, but then taking a step back. I know this isn't good, and that I need to find a way to engage that allows me to still feel safe and happy. I also find myself caring less- and that doesn't feel good either. I know it's a defense mechanism but seeing it in myself is a way for me to understand how people become apathetic about politics. I hope I find a way to work around this in the coming year.

The election, of course, for every reason.

trump and pence. no need to explain.

The election of Trump has put everyone in a perpetual state of fear and sadness. It feels like the country is crumbling and changing into something much worse, and it makes me question whether I even want to live here anymore. Unfortunately, I don't feel like I have too much of a choice at the moment, but I'd love to someday live in another country again.

The election of Trump as president has had an impact on me in a variety of unexpected ways. I was sad and angry. And then as his policies started moving out, I got terrified. This included desperate fear of losing Medicare, ACA, Planned Parenthood, etc. and worse even, the fear of Neo-Nazi uprising.

Trump's election. Its been awful. Sickeningly awful. But its shown me who we are as a nation. I've seen disgust from people I wouldn't have expected it from. Its revealed a lot of broken things in our system. In some ways its brought certain elements of the US together. MOstly minorities but also men and women.

Donald Fucking Trump being elected. My God this has been terrible, embarrassing, horrifying, frustrating, stupid, and infuriating. Truly a nightmare come true. Unbelievable. Putting aside his awful thoughts and ideas, his delivery is just an assault on all human decency and common sense. I am so terribly embarrassed to be an American at this time in history. I didn't vote for him, but the fact that so many Americans did is shameful to me. And not representative of what I like to believe this country stand for. Gosh, it makes me sad. Especially because many of those Americans that voted for and even like the current president are my family members and even a friend or two. People I love and sometimes even respect (or used to). It's made it very difficult because everything in me wants to do everything possible to disassociate with these people, but I can't (and choose not to) because they are family/friends whom I otherwise love. But it still saddens and baffles me. I would say "pray for our nation", but I think American Christianity is a HUGE (to use one of the idiot's words) part of the problem. In other equally horrifying events, I live in Houston, and my city was devastated by flooding from Hurricane Harvey. That's been insane. I wasn't personally impacted all that much, but I know many who were. It's been about a month and in general, life in the city is somewhat returning to normal. Although we're yet to see the long-term effects. After I initially answered this question, but before the deadline to answer questions was over the Las Vegas shooting happened. Today, October 2, 2017. And Tom Petty died. Truly a sad day.

all the terror attacts all around the world, I don't feel not only safe being a jew, but also as a human being.

Election November 2016

Trump. how? why? Fuck that guy.

The rising global temperatures are showing that climate-change deniers are clearly wrong. Now that I understand more about how climate works it worries me that we can't do anything to stop this now.

Hillary Clinton losing the election. All of the amazing progress we made with Obama was halted in its tracks. Some of it would soon be reversed (or at least attempted to be, like health care). Some would be kept. Some would be dropped, not to be picked up again. And new terrible policies were then introduced, like the Muslim ban and the transgender ban in the armed forces. This year has been particularly stressful, frustrating, and anger-inducing. I feel so out of control and the only things I can do are donate money, raise awareness, and call my representatives. But it doesn't feel like I'm doing much at all. I feel powerless in this country, and I have an immense amount of privilege. I can't even begin to imagine what others are feeling who in much worse positions than me.

This past year Trump was elected. I think that is pretty damn self-explanatory. It is crazy to see how everyone around me has reacted. Mom hates to watch the news, Rachel is in a freshman seminar about it, and I follow the news and always have to talk Trump in debates. It is amazing how much of an impact he can have on our lives. I'm sad I haven't been to any protests yet but hopefully I will soon. Trump is truly a terrible, insane, person. Recently he reacted so poorly to hurricanes Harvey and Irma. I'll be curious to see what kind of progression (or not) he's made.

The U.S. election of 45. The emboldened acts of white supremacists. The denial by white conservatives and liberals alike that this election and the supporters of 45 made their decisions because of their relationship to power, privilege, and systemic inequality in this country and a desperate attempt to maintain that racist power imbalance. As a bi-racial person who has a Black and a White parent I find myself challenged in new ways to attempt to create a bridge for communication and understanding without feeling like everyone wants to set all the bridges on fire, while others deny there are bridge builders, or encourage the fire setting. I am also often perceived as Latino, Chicano, or Hispanic and the way people treat me based on my perceived immigration status + citizenship status has really been disheartening and saddening and has made me more committed to be in solidarity with my (self-identified) Latino, Chicano, Hispanic and Indigenous community members.

The election of Donald Trump has impacted everyone this year, generally in negative ways. For me, it's provided an opportunity to reflect on how I relate to the broader left and the even broader group that considers itself the resistance to the administration's agenda. When Bush was in office, I thought the world was in a state of emergency and was constantly out in the streets protesting and looking for some action to take. Time has passed and I'm not sure I accomplished anything, which hurts. I don't think I'm complacent--I don't even think I'm resigned. But I don't know what to do.

Trump is our 45th President. We all thought this would be the end of the world. It kind of is. On a positive note, thanks to Trump and our political chaos I think I have really evolved in the way I participate with politics. I pay attention to what is going on. I research my own facts. That research sometimes changes my opinions sometimes not. I am more open to people on the "other side of the isle". Yes there is a lot of bad that is happening because of the Trump administration but there is also some good.

Donald Trump was elected. How many thousands of the 10Q people will type those words for this question. It so changes the landscape of the country. National news is fraught with pain and angst and anger. I have become much more interested in the news, striving to monitor things that are not high in the headlines but destined to impact people's daily lives in a (IMHO) negative way. Is the man an idiot? Or cleverly distracting us from the important stuff? The sneaky changes. I fear for reproductive rights, for the environment, for justice for people of color, for voting rights/suppression, public education, for our scientific research, alternative energy R & D, for our relationships with our allies and our position in the world and for the financial future of the country. I have marched, will march, and will do what I can, but unfortunately, all my representatives on the Hill are liberal democrats. I don't need to change their minds, and none of the Republicans give a flying f*** what I want or need.

The Las Vegas massacre impacted me by reinforcing my desire not to attend large public gatherings where there is a possibility that the venue could become a target for a mass killing.

Donald Trump's presidency has been huge for me and our household. We are in constant disbelief and criticism of every step he has taken since January. The resulting xenophobia and antisemitism is disgusting and something I will continue to pray to stop. Hope by the time I read this next year- he has been impeached. We did 3 prayer services for Pulse night club victims, day before election service, and Charlotsville service.

Trump. I experience both shock and gratitude towards him. The shock at his antics are never-ending and he seems to continually out-do himself on pushing the envelope. The gratitude comes from the shock that this has provided our system, individually, as a country, as a society and world. What he's drudged up in people was always there -- he didn't create hate or racists, all existed in the shadows. The world feels more real now, truly ugly, but real, at least. We cannot grow without first being aware of what is. This is and will be challenging and hurtful, but what survives/thrives in this will be stronger.

Donald Trump became the U.S. president. The polarization is unbelievable and the way he handles things scares me. I think I was rather negative before this happened, but I am feeling more insecure and have a hard time seeing anything positive.

The election of our President - technically the year before, but sworn in this year - had made me sit up and pay more attention to politics. It's been a completely disheartening experience, and also I feel completely unempowered. It's hard to believe in the general goodness of fellow citizens after the purposeful divisiveness of this past year.

There has been a lot of shootings which doesn't exactly affect me but does because if makes my anxiety go crazy.

A reality TV celebrity/character has become president of the free world. It's like some alternate universe that just.can't.be.reality. But it is. I remember feeling so shocked the days after the election..and then again in January when it became official and ridiculousness ensued. The daily headlines, the constant tweeting, the protesters...is de-progressing a word? And what's even more bizarre, is the impact I feel within our families. Paul and I are the only ones who see things a bit differently..and it's become this invisible line drawn in the sand. Nobody talks about it. And it's changed how I see them all. Before, I knew that we had different values and viewpoints but during the election I believed that they would all see the ridiculousness of voting FOR a reality TV celebrity, a man who has zero experience, a man unabashedly is derogatory towards women and minorities--who makes fun of people...who LIES and Lies and Lies. But they didn't--and I just can't understand it. My natural inclination to find hope and possibility in everything--is hopeful that his disruption of the current system will serve to benefit us all.

EVERYTHING. IS. FUCKED. UP. hurricanes, earthquakes, shootings, TRUMP, climate change. things feel a bit hopeless.

On top of the drama with my sister, the election of Donald Trump as president was yet another serious blow. Back when he announced that he was going to run, I never thought in my wildest dreams that he would have a chance at winning. One of my answers last year talked about how I was looking forward to Hillary winning and becoming the first female president. Man, did that hurt to read. As a woman with a diverse group of friends, this was a serious blow to my faith in humanity. When Trump won, I remember feeling ill the day after. I was depressed and didn't want to go to work and face my office mate, Jon, who had voted for Trump. I was just so disgusted that even with the blatant "grabbing them by the pussy" video, the fact that this man was obviously a sexist, racist pig, people still didn't see that as a deal breaker. I felt like over half the population didn't respect me because of my gender, didn't think I had a right to not be violated by disgusting men like Trump, didn't think I had a right to bodily autonomy. I never really felt that way about my gender before, but this past year (and I'm trying to work on this), I've felt like slightly less of a person because I'm female. I'm not trans, but there are days when I wish I had been born a man just so I wouldn't have to directly face all the bullshit that women face in our society. I want to be treated like a person, an equal to men, and with respect, not like a vulnerable sex object to be exploited. Unfortunately, it seems like American culture is heading in a very bad direction these days. And just, the utter stupidity of the general population. I'm not saying Hillary was a good choice either, because she wasn't perfect, but I would say that most any moderate politician would be better than a wild card psycho like Trump. Haven't we learned from history? And the stupidity was on both sides, too. The people on the right that fell for Trump's lies, and the people on the left that didn't vote or voted third party. Those same people are now all crying about the current state of affairs. Well I did what I could to prevent this, what did they do?

The election of President Trump (which I'm sure many people used as their big impact) actually impacted me in a different way than I would have thought. One of my long-time friends basically stopped talking to me because she didn't support my decision in voting for who I wanted to vote for. I didn't realize that she wasn't really as good of a friend as I thought she was. Not allowing me to have my own opinions is not really the type of friend I want in my life but I wish it hadn't been a friend that I had known for so long. I still miss her sometimes too...

The election (and inauguration) of the living embodiment of toxic masculinity. I am completely messed up, all the time, and I don't think I will ever be truly ok again.

Oh god...where to begin. Well Donald Trump won the election by electoral college, not popular vote. Last year I wrote that this was really getting me down, but now that he's president it's just so much worse than many of us thought, including those voting for him! The rollback on rights of various groups, a move towards privatized education and medicine, and horrific human rights abuses of immigrants, plus a total disregard for Puerto Rico post-hurricane...it's just so bad. I've tried to keep my sanity by reading less about Trump and more about other current affairs, but it's impossible to escape reading about his latest blunder or offensive thing. I really hope that by next year he has resigned, but I doubt that. I hope the Republican party gets a spine and stands up to him more and more. Also next year it will be midterms so THANK GODDESS we can hopefully flip the house! I will definitely be working on that. EDIT: The Vegas shooting happened right after Yom Kippur, so not sure that counts, but I really hope that there is some significant policy change around gun buying and ownership. Something has to give.

Trump assuming the presidency. Every day it's something new, and it goes beyond the buffoonery. He is the POTUS, and that is something alternatively terrifying and so, so, tragic.

Just this week... mass shooting in Las Vegas. I'm becoming emotionally numb - just another shooting - and I realize it can happen anywhere - with anyone. Somehow, I don't let fear prevent me from doing the things I want to do, vigelence certainly becomes front and center. But we as a society/media are looking deeper and what causes this. On the surface it's gun control, but it's not the guns - it's the people who are choosing to use them this way. And I ask, what must have happened in this persons life (the shooter) for him to think this was an acceptable and desirable choice? Getting curious about that question and the answers discovered leads to clarity and eventually healing, forgiveness and peace.

Damn. The election. Last year I had written about Hillary. I was SURE she would win. I was so hopeful and eager. That election morning was devastating. I still can’t believe it. I don’t know if Trump is ruining our world but he’s not making it much of a better place. Oooh Hillary.

It feels like this year has been full of world events with awful, cascading consequences. I've been angry and worried a lot of the time: for myself, for my loved ones, and for those who I know are more vulnerable than me. It's a rough time to be an American, and looking ahead is not reassuring.

Trump's election and the ensuing shift in our culture toward violence, anger, male domination, and white supremacy.

Oh boy, the election of Donald J. Trump as 45th president of the U.S. impacted me. Working to understand the motivation of the electorate, to consider the risk of an unseasoned leader and to absorb the chaos that has ensued... it's all disturbing and mind boggling. What will this look note of dismay and horror look like a year from now? I wonder.

The election of Donald Trump has affected not only me but the entire world. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't have a conversation with someone--my husband, a colleague--that addresses something the President has done or said. I'm still proud to be an American, but deeply embarrassed that Trump is our representative on the world stage. Moreover, I am genuinely frightened at what his inexperience and impetuous personality may lead us to.

Trump taking office. He's everything I feared. We haven't gotten to nuclear war yet, but we're close. North Korea is threatening it, and we know they have nukes. He's removing civil liberties and many other aspects of a free society all for the power by disguising it as fear. I'm actually validly afraid for our future as a country. My husband and I have talked about actually leaving the country. Not because we want to abandon it, but to flee. Flee. Americans shouldn't have to worry about fleeing.

I want to say change and polarities. No matter where in the planet we point the scope, we can see how people are screaming for chance, truth, justice; and at the same time each micro-conflict has extreme sides. The more the people attack with hatred and violence, the more love, nonviolence, fearless, compassion, bravery, resilience, I see in those who oppose those acts of fear to change. It gives me hope, I think humanity isn't as bad as news pictures it.

Sadly, I've been disengaged from world events for most of the year -- I've mostly been stressed about my own future (selfishly?). Progress in machine learning has been interesting to follow, especially the ongoing conversation about bias in algorithms. I'd like to be a part of that but I don't know how.

I don't want to answer this because it will stress me out! The presidential elections. I am one of the hundreds of millions who has literally felt sick to my stomach way too often when I know what asinine crap 45 has done/is doing/continues to do. He is a fucking disgrace. He is inept, egotistical, narcissistic, incapable of getting out of his own way and out of self-focused admiration to take care of our country. I have gotten involved with several groups who break down the insanity every day to identify critical issues to speak up about and contact congress. I did a lot for a while, then got too stressed to keep up with everything every day. I will continue to make calls when I can. Okay, I guess I feel a little better now.

What the hell is going on in the World? There is so much violence, anger, and division. The United States is trapped by a maniac. Why do people think that he's great? He's cruel, mean-spirited, cold-hearted. Nothing is getting done? Our lives are getting worse. Insurance benefits are being reduced and Congress is trapped in the repeal of Obamacare. What the hell? There is more to governing than just repealing a single act and taking away a woman's right to choose and right to contraception. How are you makng my life better? They don't listen and they don't care. I have a pre-existing condition (actually multiple). If I should lose my job I will be either uninsurable or the monthly payments will be unaffordable. Without medication I'll be dead within a year. Is there hope?

Godawful Donald Trump. 1) made my employee unable to travel (she is from Iran). 2) everyone thinks they are normal. So when so many people voted for that asshole, I was shocked that I had such a skewed perspective of the US. But also ashamed that I hadn’t listened to POC who have said this forever.

I guess its all the natural weather disasters that has happened this year. It started in Spring with the flooding caused by the Meramec river. The communities affected and all the road closures near me. This is only 15 months since the last major flooding (100 year flood) happened on the same river and same communities. Then hurricane Harvey in Houston, hurricane Irma in the Caribbean and Florida then hurricane Josh and Maria in the Caribbean again . Wildfires in the West. Then a major earthquake in Mexico City. All within six months. This hasnt happened before in my lifetime like this. Climate isnt changing it has already. People who dont realize this are blind and aren't aware what's before them. The sad thing is that people are already getting used to these disasters. This is no big deal anymore. Which means more will follow. We will not have the customary four seasons anymore. Now we will be experiencing new type of seasons never before experienced. Should start renaming these seasons different names. Trying to figure what my role is in this world is right now. How do I participate and be part of society? I felt a part of society when I was working, but now, I dont. Right now I feel Im on the sidelines just watching. Which isnt right. Im having problems fitting in.

Again... where do I start?! Trump. His election was something I hoped would never happen, but against all odds it did. I felt heartbroken and am so concerned for the world. The terrorist attacks in Manchester, London and Barcelona. I am more fearful going back to Europe now. The world is going through a very tumultuous period and nobody is sure where we are going to end up.

The U.S. Presidential election has had a huge impact on me, and I believed eve throughout the world. I was so hopeful last year at this time and now I am just mortified. President Trump is such a bad example to the entire world. The tone he sets is not just embarrassing but dangerous. I am saddened by the outright hatred being expressed by so many U.S. citizens, the lack of empathy, and the attitude that we are so great all while so many of our neighbors and friends are terrorized. People have become so ugly to each other it is difficult to maintain a positive perspective. I find myself having to remind myself that there really are more good people than bad. I must remember not to get sucked into the ugliness. Stay positive.

Trump becoming president and the terribleness that has followed since. It's a mess, he's and his followers ate ruining this country. Nothing is getting better, only worse

fucking trump

Ugh. Trump was elected President of the United States. People are so polarized that there isn't any reasonable discussion. Politics on the internet is the worst. Just last week, there was a horrible mass shooting in Las Vegas. Almost 60 people died and hundreds were hurt. There was ONE shooter. And no one is talking about guns laws. Instead, everyone is talking about how no one is talking about gun laws. We are seriously talking about moving to Canada.

Still the election, this time the ramifications of. Ugh. Don't want to describe more. Too horrible.

Here we are at 65, and after 40 years of paying into social security and medicare, those idiots in DC are talking about wiping it all away. If I had a time machine, I would go back to the Constitutional convention, and tell those guys they need to add one more basic amendment to the Constitution, and make it mandatory that Congressmen and Senators also have to abide by the laws they make, just like everybody else. Same insurance. Same retirement deal. Same everything. Call it Amendment 1.5 and put it in the Bill of Rights.

Election of Tronald Dump. It has made me worried about national safety, and therefore local safety.

A world event that has impacted me this year would be the most recent shooting in Las Vegas my heart breaks and I really can’t find the right words to explain how I feel when I hear about horrendous acts of terror both domestically and abroad. We need to get rid of guns that shoot multiple rounds like the ones used in this attack. There is no reason that anyone should have that many powerful guns in their possession. It makes me sick and I hope as a country we can come together and echo the mantra that love is louder.

The thing that most affected me recently (but really not that much) is the increasing tensions in North Korea. All those missile launches over Japan, and nuclear weapons testing by the NK regime. This and the not so smart president Trump in the US is rather worrying about what might happen. So I am wondering if it is really safe to keep living here in Japan.

It's so scary that last year when I answered this I was getting nervous that terrorist attacks seemed to be slowly edging closer and closer. But I don't know if I really thought they'd ever reach home. Honestly when I think about the state the world is in now I am ashamed to say I feel a rising sense of lethargy. The first few terrorist attacks years ago caused this huge outpouring of shock, misery, then people rallying together. Now it's almost a dull ache and a sense of 'not another one'. It was almost like a horror film this year - England had the worst 3 months I've ever seen with about 3 terrorist attacks in one go, one after another. First Westminster, then Manchester, then London bridge, then finally (only a couple of weeks ago) Parsons Green. Parsons Green!! Right by where Sophie lives. It says something that I even had to google what order those came in. I honestly don't know what to do with the knowledge that this could happen anywhere, any place, any time. Where do we go from here?

There’s been no shortage of world events having an impact this year - we’ve got natural disasters aplenty, horrible mass shootings, the rise of white supremacy, the radical right taking over the UK and nearly Germany and Austria, nuclear war brewing in Asia, and much more. But the obvious answer here for me is the American political stage. Never before have I wanted to absorb every happening of American politics like I do now. My favorite podcasts are the ones that update me on the news of the US and what’s going on with the buffoon in the White House. I really hope that by next year, he’s not there.

Last year's answer stands, though I wrote it when I still believed Hillary Clinton would be my president. The election and everything leading up to it and coming after it. I'm angrier, more on edge, more cynical, more afraid. I'm also more activated and committed to resisting.

Donald Trump becoming POTUS. Yuck. He is so unbelievably unfit for the role that it just blows my mind. He has fueled fires of hate in our country and even worldwide. He is a disgrace to America and the racist, sexist, elitist people and ideologies he has emboldened is disgusting.

While I haven't looked at my answer to this question from years past, I believe the common refrain will be that, often enough, events from the world haven't impacted me all that much. I say this with full acknowledgement of the privilege inherent in the statement. I think there may be a difference in this year in one primary way. While my life, if I chose to ignore the rest of the world, would largely remain the same, being witness to the atrocities and the disasters and disdain of this last year has caused a change in my mind. I would like to participate more in shaping the world in the positive way. I admit I don't have a clue where to start, but the desire to do something is the impact.

all the natural disasters make me feel very unsure about the future of humanity!

The Trump election is probably a common event this year. I thought of one of my high school English texts, The Preface to Critical Reading, that talks about advertising and political speech. If that were commonly taught and understood, Trump would not have won. What is discouraging is that even with so much opposition, he still is uncompromising and powerful. So how to do we engage Trump's seemingly ignorant, racist, bigoted supporters? Rather than support a democratic backlash, we need to focus on the important issues and get the support for them. How do we, including me, focus on the important things in life with all this static and distraction around?

The clown that was elected president has scorched American discourse at every turn. It has revealed the vile interior of the uneducated class. Despicable despicable - Let's Hope we don't end up in a nuclear war with Korea. The list of incredulous shit is just Getting longer and dirtier. After the protests in Charlotteville, I realized there is no Hope until a political Savior comes along. We need a Kennedy or King, and so many of the promising politicians we had are Getting too old, and not many new on the horizon.

Donald Trump being elected has impacted me so deeply that I believe I still don't fully understand it. I felt betrayed by my country, afraid for our future, and distrustful of those around me. I think that I now pay attention more to the news and to world events, hoping that we can get back on track. Sometimes, I feel stunned into inaction by the things that Trump and nations abroad do. How can there be so much despair in the world and yet I can't even begin to imagine it? I want to help, but don't know how. I think these events make me feel helpless, and I hate feeling that way.

The election of Trump. I was shocked to learn that around one third of fellow Americans don't mind, even like, a bully. I'm afraid that the divisions in our country will lead to civil war, and fear that similar trends are occurring in Western Europe among our allies, and increasing in Russia, not to mention other countries around the world. These developments could lead to WWIII.

Hmmm Sanktuaree. A festival (event) by the name- Sanktuaree which was held in London. It inspired me to open my heart to more love, spontaneity, (extra)ordinary, magic, beauty.. Because- apart the from reasons that I'm incapable of expressing in words it invited people get out of their comfort zone, expanding their inner circle of self by random acts of kindness, connect, hold silence and dialogues and all of this while taking over the streets by love.

Donald Trump. He was elected in 2016, but he took over the white house Jan of 2017. The world, my understanding of the United States, how divided we are, culturally and (apparently) morally, and how we relate to and impact other nations, cultures, and our planet has impacted how i view my own life in NYC and how I would like to spend the rest of my life. It’s contributed / provoked questioning around what gives life meaning, how I can contribute something to the world around me and live an esteemable and fulfilling existence.

I honestly don't know where to begin with this one. Charlottesville. Syrian refugee crisis. Multiple huge earthquakes in Mexico. Hurricanes demolishing communities back to back. And setting the tone for all of it? TRUMP. I literally cannot believe he was elected and that it hasn't even been a year. It's made me feel so many different conflicting emotions-horror at the reality of so much bigotry and racism and self-preservation not only in our country but among people I know; some glimmer of hopefulness at the unequivocal and passionate resistance movement nationwide; reinvigorated with zeal and determination; overwhelmed with how much there is to do, support, commit to. The shooting in Las Vegas has probably hit me the hardest on top of all of these awful events. Gun control is one of my biggest issues. And the fact that this psycho scouted other music festival locations and even booked rooms at Lollapalooza makes me ill, since my daughter and husband were there. I cannot listen to other people say that nothing will ever change. We just have to keep fighting.

There are so many. Scandal and corruption. Hatred all around our own country. How do you cope? I hope it's better next year but looking at my answer last year, it's just so much worse. More mass shootings, more hate crimes, more attacks on citizens' rights, on women, people of color. There were so many terrorist attacks in London this year. Genocide, wars, starvation. How can we take care of each other when so many selfish people are in power?

the us election and the racism and fear that it has brought.

Donald Trump was elected President, and slowly, day by day, I feel this world sliding into anarchy. White supremacists are rising - confederate nazis embodied by an ideology of hatred. Hurricane Irma hitting Florida. That pull home I felt. That place is my home as much as anywhere on this planet and I hope in this new year I can go back, if even just for a visit.

Trump's election and the nastiness of his influence - he brings out the worst in people - the permission his presidency gives for other to be nasty and creepy outloud. The increased anxiety of my clients who are 90% African American.

Trump Ugh. What a hateful bastard. I’m so disgusted with this country electing such an awful person. Every thing he does is fueled by hatred and ego. I hope that the people can rise up and do better or our future is doomed. As a Jewish woman the rise in anti Semitism is particularly disturbing. I think about leaving the country, but where would I go? Where would it be safe to just be me?

Well, I'm not sure how any American could answer this question with anything but Trump. The 2016 election has shaken my faith in the bedrock institutions of my country, the ones I spent decades learning about and believing in, and to say I feel adrift is a massive understatement. I don't know how we let this happen and I have absolutely no idea how to impact any change; I feel utterly powerless and depressed. Every day I wake up, terrified at what news this day will bring or when one of his tweets will set off nuclear war. It is unsettling and heartbreaking.

Trump’s election and the way he is changing the presidency. I find it appealing and deeply disturbing. The lack of respect, the lack of caring about other human being is so shocking.

the election of trump has had a pretty significant impact on the US in general, i think. It's made me more aware of the inequalities, the hate, and the fear that still exist in the US today. I think before, I was pretty naive regarding attitudes towards race, sex, sexual orientation, class, etc. I thought we were a lot more progressive than we actually are. So in a way it's been good. i'm more conscientious of my actions and make much more of an effort to be inclusive and mindful regarding other people.

President Trump. Our country elected a reality TV star to hold one of the highest positions in the world. His entire presidency seems to be based on shock and awe, which is surprisingly still landing with people in our country. To list just a few: he’s nearly started a nuclear war with North Korea over twitter, in just 9 months his entire cabinet has almost turned over, he’s blocked certain countries from entering the country, and has shown compassion for the KKK that drove over and killed a woman in broad daylight. One of the most surprising aspects of this has been the divide that it created between everyone we knew. With our immediate families, the topic is something both sides stay away from. It’s hard to think that our parents are still proud to have backed somebody with such terrible values. It honestly makes it hard to respect people if they don’t denounce the things he does. That’s not saying that I’m not excited for some of his ideas to take shape (tax reform for one), but he’s not a person that I would ever want to stand behind as a leader that represents me.

Ugh. Me and everyone else--the presidential election. I am perhaps more irritated with the news, and slightly more involved with it too. Part of me too is able to take a step back and see the larger picture--it isn't just about the things happening on a day-to-day basis, but the direction our country and our society is moving as a whole. For instance, as a whole, people now believe health care is a right, not a privilege. And that marriage and families do not all look the same, but should all be respected. These are good things. So while it might feel like we are moving backwards sometimes, the important part is how much of the path has now been cleared ahead of us, and is waiting for us to step forward and then forge ahead again.

Um... we elected a fucking moronic con-man to run the country and now the troglodytes are rampaging and the trolls are out in the streets eating every goddam good thing in the world and ruining our democracy. Other than that, I'm kind of drawing a blank.

ahahahahaahaha THE 2016 ELECTION NEVER FUCKING ENDS. IT NEVER FUCKING ENDS. IT NEVER FUCKING ENDS. MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.MAKE IT STOP.

The election of Donald Trump to the Presidency has impacted me and everyone I know (and I suppose people all over the world) in ways I could not have imagined. Beginning with the shock of hearing the election results come in, the following denial and depression over the holidays, the anger and action after the Inauguration, outrage with Charleston, and now bafflement and resignation. I am grateful for events like The Women's March and particularly for Pope Francis' frequent remarks which offer the perspective of an Ultimate Horizon and Hope for today as well as tomorrow.

The total solar eclipse, really cool and exciting experience, had a great time going to see it with my parents

Las Vegas shooting, earthquake in Mexico, Irma and Harvey and the Puerto Rico one, All around the same time. Trump 16' It's been jarring I was not expecting them They seem to take on their own personality

Yeah, so.... Trump won, and the country's going down the toilet. Not really, but jeez I can't wait until we can get him impeached or something. Also, there was a KKK rally and then a big alt-right protest in Charlottesville that went south and a girl got killed. It's a scary time to live in this country =(

Oh boy, climate change. Otto hit the country last year. This year we had heavy monsoons, deadly earthquakes, we had Harvey, Irma, Jose, María and, most recently and more close to home, we just had Nate. It still didn't affect me or my day-to-day with other than a lot of rain. But the country's road infrastructure is demolished, a lot of people lost everything the had, their houses and their businesses. Over 100 thousand are in shelters and most them have nothing to go back to. Also Trump is now president of the US, and he is so unfit for the role. He's undoing everything the past administration accomplished seemingly just because he can and the open fact that he is clearly racist and anti-Obama. Sadly he never got out of the campaign face. I think the only thing he wants out of the presidency is to be "popular", to have people talk about him a lot everywhere, but he is wasting the chance to do anything more meaningful.

An event that really affected me emotionally happened during the Chicago Dyke March at the end of pride month. Three LGBT-identifying Jewish women were asked to leave the event because they were carrying pride flags with Jewish stars on them, which was seen as hurtful to the Arab/Palestinian community represented at the event. Later, the Chicago Dyke March issued an "apology" which read more as defensive excuse. My Jewish identity and place in the queer community are two of my most important identities, and to see them come into conflict like this really made me think. In my life, I'd always felt nothing but support from both of these communities, but since this I've begin to align myself a little more with my Jewish identity.

Donald Trump winning. I've been a feminist for some time, and I mentioned him in my answer last year, but actually seeing him win was something else. I cried when it happened. I was so shocked. How much men hate women really hit me, and I've followed so many more feminist blogs on instagram as a result.

This one really hit me. In 2016 I was confident Hillary Clinton would become our first woman president. Shows I'm not really a political expert because we are now saddled with the orange monster, Trumptler, Trumpty Dumpty or #asshatintheWH. This monster’s election shocked the world. No one could imagine in advance and it is worse than anyone could imagine. I am very afraid we are watching the end of American democracy and heading for a new dark ages with asshat in charge. And it's not just here. The worst in people is being played out in elections around the world. Everything that asshat wants to do is tear this country down and is being aided by the repupblicans in congress. They need to go! Hopefully this will also bring about the moral courage it takes to stop him before it is too late. I am also hopeful by this time next year he will be impeached.

Is there anyone who doesn’t say Trump’s presidency? There is too much to say, all of it self-explanatory. It’s difficult to maintain hope that things will get better.

I think the biggest world event that could possibly affect me was Brexit. With the UK exiting the EU, exchange rates to both the UK and anywhere in Europe may change for the worse for us Aussies, so travelling there could be not so good for us. I am unsure what other impact it will ave on me though.

the election fucking sucked. and it's going to be the downfall of the world. what the hell were people thinking?

The presidential election has devastated me, and so many in this country. The new leadership represents cruelty, weakness and lies. It's been a very tough year to try and process, make sense of and learn how to cope with the circumstance. I am still learning.

Besides Donald Trump becoming the President of the now defunct leader of the free world??? The natural disasters? Record hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes,? North Korea advancing their nuclear weapons capability? The world is shrinking. Too many humans losing their humanity. All this has given me a greater resolve to shine my own light. To be the good in the world. Granted, no good deed goes unpunished. And surely, pebbles do cause ripples in the water.

The election of 45 marks quite a memorable moment for me. It was the moment where the US showed who it really was. The ugly side of our racist and xenophobic history became palpable. And the folkx supporting 45 are the root of our issues. There existence marks our inability to be great. And their outdated and terrorist notions are the biggest threat we face. And the worst part is, they can look in the mirror and love what they see... an entity empty of love. It is both disgusting and repulsive. I hope that one day, when the illusion collapses, they can see the truly hideous nature of their being.

Again, the election of Donald Trump as President of the USA. This has added much more stress as I see so many more people suffering in his disregard for others. Also the weather changes that are destroying homes and lives around the world has been horrific. 4 hurricanes (Harvey, Irma, Maria, & Nate) have hit the US, Caribbean and has devastated Puerto Rico. I am grateful for living in the Midwest. I feel overwhelmed by the needs of so many people and not sure what to do.

I cannot think of a one. sorry..

It's not even one single event. It's the fact that since Trump became president, there has been such an outpouring of racism and hatred, that it makes me disgusted to be an American and live in such a hate-filled world. No one is born knowing how to hate. I thought that the human race was improving, but it turns out we're just going backwards. And the amount of stupidity that surrounds me is scary.

The mass shooting in Las Vegas. Another reminder that we go through the same steps in the US after a shooting and another reminder the impact of the NRA and how organisations with power and money can sway the opinions of so many people and congress so easily. Someone said that the debate over gun control was over after Sandy Hook because once we decided that murdering children was acceptable there was no way out. True and terrifying.

Donald Trump became President of the United States. I honestly hate how toxic and nasty our politics have become. I feel like Trump is going to get us into a war and he is a fucking idiot. I hope he somehow gets impeached, but that's not likely with the current Congress. I already feel the APUSH books of 2040 writing their "Donald Trump" chapter. I hope we can recover and rebuild from Trump because he is fucking this country over so hard.

Trump's election is still fucking up America so badly. And the populist directions people feel are even worse. I continue to be worried about America. And global warming... Despite multiple major storms hitting the US, there's still no political will to deal with it.