January 20, 2017 is a day that was looked forward to by millions, though, many more were dreading this day to come. President Elect Donald Trump's Presidential Inauguration. Today we said goodbye to our former president of 8 years and said hello to a brand new, almost completely opposite from the last, president. I was one of the very few here in Jacksonville who was ready for this day.
First of all, no matter what, there is going to be some change.
We just transitioned from a democratic president, house of representatives, and senate to a republican majority. Even if we had transitioned to another democratic president, there still would have been change. I think that is what all the fuss is about. The fear of change is a very real emotion. Eight years of consistency allows us to become comfortable, which is probably the reason there is so much unrest over the decision. If we accept that change is good, that might help release some tension over the inauguration and maybe become less hostile to the forces that cause change, such as the presidential election.
I did not get to watch the full inauguration ceremony because of class times, but I did watch President Trump take his oath before a large crowd on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. from my TV as I got ready for class. I didn't realize at the time that I had just watched history being made. This election will go down in history as the most divisive, hostile, and messed up election America has seen. It was quite a sad year, as I did lose respect from some people over who I chose in the election. On Facebook, people who spent every post for the last year trashing Trump and his "misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, transphobic, homophobic" personality finally allowed words of love leave their keyboards. They reminded their fellows to fight for the values they believe in, learn to write to their senators when they oppose, and to be effective with their protests. It was an inspiration.
Some people didn't get the message.
Shortly after Donald Trump took his oath, mobs of protesters, angry, decided to run through the streets of Washington, D.C. destroying personal property of businesses. A Bank of America lost most of its windows, a defenseless McDonald's also got the boot, an ironically enough, they even took out the Starbucks. I have no words for this mess. I have never been able to understand exactly how these people have a brain. Were they mad that Hillary wasn't standing up there taking the oath, or were they angry at the establishment of government in general? I tend to think the latter since numerous were carrying flags with anarchist symbols on them. It really was sickening.
Even though the city was run amuck with unrest, there were still a great many enjoyable moments from the entire ceremony and celebration. The parade was full of scout troops, boys and girls alike, marching with pride to welcome Trump into office. There were bands galore, and, if you were lucky enough to catch it, the rendition of America the Beautiful sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was stirring and could fill anyone full with patriotism. One of the finest moments was seeing our neighbors, Talladega Band, strutting their stuff past the presidential box in the inaugural parade.
The day is now closing, and so shall my words on the inauguration. I would like to remind my peers and the rest of the United States that no one should be defined by who they voted for. Election Year has become a time where we all hate each other for three hundred and sixty-five days, and usually it goes back to normal after inauguration. This election has changed us. We claim that it has made people's true colors come to light, but those are disgusting assumptions. We are called the United States for a reason. We are supposed to be one people, one nation. Change is inevitable, but the direction we take is ours' to choose.
"Be kind to each other. It's really important."-Dr. David L. Walters
