With the election of Donald Trump, the world has gone from an uncertain place to one where you have to question every truth that you think you know.

I have a very conservative mindset and I don’t deal well with having unanswered questions about how I am going to survive day to day. Financially, you have to question if you are making the right decisions and if you made the right decisions in the past. I tried to ensure that everything I have done will universally be applicable to any outcomes, but I have to reevaluate everything in the face of this new reality.

I wonder if other people are going through the same stresses at a basic level of the choices they’ve made. My family will persevere through whatever may come, but a part of our identity has become our ability to help others.

For instance, last night I had talked with a cashier at the local Food Lion we shop at. It turns out that he is in IT as well and hasn’t had any luck finding a job as a recent grad. I offered to help him and hope that I can give him resume advice, a mock interview or two, and also get him in contact with someone who is looking for his skill set at an entry level if applicable. I am hopeful that I can help.

This is a small thing that we can do, and is a step beyond donating money or trying to help our family when they are in need financially.

It feels like more than a quarter of the country is in desperate need right now of financial assistance. I fear that every project that supports a social cause I am interested in will be under attack shortly. It makes me regret trying to change paths in life as I could just funnel my salary towards those causes and still be in the same place financially. The little bit of good I get to do would be far eclipsed by giving money to those groups.

The groups that immediately come to mind as needing our money right now include:

• The EFF which defends our freedoms on the Internet and with technology
• The ACLU which defends our freedoms in general
• The NRDC which defends our planet
• Planned Parenthood which helps our society… Well, plan when they are ready for parenthood.
• WUNC which is my local NPR station since I need local news