A few days ago the world was shocked when it was announced that our next president would be Donald Trump. In no way did we really think that we would be saying President Trump. This election has been filled with ups and downs. I think that from the very beginning of the election season no one really took Donald Trump seriously and because of that everyone is shocked at the outcome. I’m not going to sit here and write about how I think that this is the end of the world or that Trump is going to “Make America Great Again.” What I want to address is how our society is handling the news.
Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator
In just the few short days that have passed since Trump was elected the new president we’ve seen a flurry of incidents happen all over America. These incidents are mainly happening in big cities or college towns. If the past couple of days has been an example of what we can expect for all of Trump’s presidency then I think as a society we have a right to be scared. It isn’t what America stands for when we discriminate against other cultures, races, or sexual orientations. As a country we stand for unity and all this hatred towards different groups within our own country doesn’t help us move forward.
No one should have to step outside of their house and feel scared to show the world who they really are. We shouldn’t see people talking about the fact that they’re too scared to wear a sacred piece of clothing to their religion because they fear for their lives. We shouldn’t have to live in a society that makes us fear each other. I have a friend who wears a hijab daily because of her religion. She happens to be one of the most devout people I know when it comes to religion. To hear her say that she won’t be wearing her hijab because she doesn’t want to put her safety even more at risk honestly breaks my heart. As an American born and raised in the US she has every right as anyone else yet she is the one cowering in fear and scared to represent who she really is because of others. It’s unacceptable and honestly quite sickening.
However, there is a silver lining in all of this. While there has been a lot of violence and hate in the past couple of days there has also been a lot of love and support. This whole situation has given people a reason to stand together and fight a common evil, whatever that may be in their eyes. It has created a sense of unity. Just the other day, in Eugene, there was a vigil for hope and support. It was open to everyone and it wasn’t about hate or Trump or the election. It was about being there for each other and showing one another that even if you feel alone know that there will always be someone there to support you. This vigil really gave me hope on to what we can do to make it through the hard times.
The support and love that I felt from people at that event the other day has honestly enlightened me and made me see the good in people. In this current situation of the best thing we can hope for is that people care for one another enough to put their differences aside and understand that we’re all human beings. No one is beneath another and no one is superior to someone else. We’re all equal and we should celebrate each other and our differences instead of pushing hatred on each other.
My fear about the election is that it’s going to separate us into two different groups so far that there won’t be anything left to salvage at the end. It scares me to think that a rift so large between two groups could separate a country built on unity. I can’t fathom what could happen to the acceptance that we’ve built over the years be torn down because of the hatred that we’ve allowed to come between us.
In the end, everyone is entitled to their own opinion on what they think is right and what they think isn’t. It isn’t about making your opinion better than others so that they believe it, but rather about letting each other know where you stand and respecting the fact that maybe it isn’t the same as yours. If we continue on this path of hatred towards each other, all it’s going to achieve is pushing the two sides apart far enough that they won’t be able to become united about a problem that concerns everyone. If you have a different opinion from someone, and they disagree don’t resort to violence to fix it respect the fact that they have different opinions and move on. Talk about the weather or find something that the both of you have in common and go from there. There is absolutely no need or room for unnecessary hatred or violence.
