It's incredible how chaotic the beginning of President Donald J. Trump's time in office has been. I never thought that I would live in a world that was so drastically divided by such a simple thing as ideology. Understanding one another and respecting each other's views is a key ingredient in making the world a better place. How can we keep moving forward if our fights only push us back? As Trump famously repeated, and will keep repeating, "Let's make America great again!"
1. Unite to march
A nearly perfect example of how we should unite to fight for the causes we believe in was the recent Woman's March. It was a spectacular thing to see and an even more spectacular thing to be a part of. The way that Americans and foreigners were able to unite and march the streets of several big cities to get their voices heard was truly unique. Marches like those are inspiring and a great way to become vocal. The only thing wrong with that march was how Trump was so strongly targeted throughout it. Sure, Trump has made several disgusting comments about women and their place in the world, but this mentality has been around much longer than trump has been. The fight for woman's rights has been around longer than most of us have been alive. Instead of targeting Trump, target everyone with this mentality. Make it a worldwide thing, not something solely directed at the president. Let's make sure the message is heard by everyone, and make it a peaceful message. We don't want to catalyze hate when trying to make a peaceful point. As citizens of the United States, we also don't want to become violent during these marches. Once we become violent, the peaceful message is forgotten about. The only thing people will focus on is how the march got out of hand. Keep marching, peacefully marching.
2. Live and let live.
When I was in middle school my school had someone come in and speak to us. I usually forget the details of these long lectures, but this one time there was this little saying that just stuck: live and let live. It is one of the greatest rules of life. I understand that 300 million-plus people (or 7 billion if we're speaking on a global scale) won't be able to get along 24/7, but recently it has become absolutely absurd how we cannot coexist peacefully for less than a minute. Let others speak their mind and move on. If you want to respond, feel free, but there is no need to get into riots over it. Sometimes it's better to not listen and keep walking. Don't let what one person says upset you when there are 7 billion people on this planet. One person isn't worth it.
3. Be positive.
Recently, people against the Trump reign have been burning American flags in public to protest. It's truly a blessing that we live in a country where we can burn our own flag without any repercussions. I personally encourage you to express yourself publicly and privately, but do remember that there are people around you who might get greatly offended by this. This flag stands for much more than one president. It stands for the history of this country, the people fighting for our lives, and the freedoms we are given. Don't target the symbol of our country as rebellion, instead go out and make an actual positive difference. I understand we all have the freedom of speech, the freedom to assemble, the freedom of expression and so on, but sometimes it's not about what you can do it's about what you should do. Just remember that. Stay positive. Things turn out much better when they are civil. You gain more respect when you fight with your words and win rather than your fists. Martin Luther King fulfilled his dream not through violence, but through words. It's time we rise up and continue MLK's peaceful fight for progress.
Let's all stand together, not apart.
