I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say, or if I even wanted to say anything about the events that took place this last week. My timeline has been filled with enough of the “proof” of why someone should or shouldn’t be president of this great nation we all live in.

Something I have always been taught is that no two people are alike. Regardless of the differences that are present, the same level of respect should be given to all. The problem that I have most with this past week is everyone seems to have forgotten that. I’m not talking about one specific political party. I’m talking about everyone.

I can honestly say that I don’t think either candidate was the perfect person for the job, but somebody has to do it, and they were the two we were left with. From conversations I’ve overheard on campus, as well as my own thoughts, I’ve gathered that most people voted for one candidate to simply vote against the other, or they agreed with one stance on an issue the candidate had. It’s sad that that’s what it came down to, but that’s the reality of it. It’s over now, and it’s been finalized. Donald Trump is our president-elect. If I were to say that I’m scared of what America is becoming, it wouldn’t be because of any past, current, or future president.

We’ve forgotten how to be kind to one another.

Treat others how you wish to be treated. There’s enough tragedy and natural disasters out there that make life hard. We struggle enough without hate being added.

We’ve forgotten how to have discussions rather than feeling personally attacked when we have different opinions than others.

Have discussions that open up doors for communication and allow for different points of view to be brought to the table with an open mind.

We’ve forgotten that one man or woman isn’t the only person children look up to.

Be a positive role model for the future children of America. Children learn how to act in their home and at school, not at the white house. Don’t let the president dictate how your child is raised. You get to teach them right from wrong, no one else.

We’ve forgotten how to win and lose gracefully.

Winning is a privilege, not a right. If you’re dedicated and passionate about it, it’ll happen eventually. Not all who show up to the game deserve a medal. If you win, don’t gloat. If you lose, don’t cry. Life isn’t always fair.

We’ve forgotten that these are all things we have control of.

We decide how we act and how we treat others. We don’t get to talk about treating others with dignity and respect and it occur without us actually doing it. We don’t get to blame all of our problems on one person.

Whether you were for Donald Trump or you were for Hillary Clinton shouldn’t matter now. The only thing that matters now is how we come together. Hoping Trump fails is not the smartest idea. We all should be praying, hoping, or what ever you do that he succeeds and is a good president for all Americans, from the privileged to the most vulnerable. We’ve had good presidents and bad presidents before and gotten through it. We just need to make sure we are doing our parts and let the rest fall into place.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”