It is no surprise these last two weeks on social media have been full of political posts in regards to the recent election. Political posts that are giving reasons why our nation should be pro or against the candidate we as a nation elected in. Regardless of the outcome and our views, we all have one thing in common: we are all human. What ideology suggests that, based on whom we elect into office and their views on people, we should carry those views too? Regardless of our nation’s leader, we all have the choice to lead in love.

The ignorance of hate and separation is the last thing our country needs.

Who we voted in has no power over how we act. To create fear is a waste of our energy that we could be using to truly come together and build this nation to be great again. Every human being has the power to model his or her lives in love. That is your human right, the right that cannot be wavered. Whether you choose to act in love is up to you. Choosing one political side over the other should never be a war on what groups of people you will accept and not accept, political parties exist to be a greater good for our nation as a whole, why do we let it separate us? At one time or another in our lives, we have all put our hand over our heart and rehearsed “One Nation Under God,” and that is what I plan on holding onto, regardless of who gives the inaugural speech.

I know individuals from all backgrounds who have voted for either party, individuals that adore, individuals I have laughed with, cried with, and grown with. You can stick to your views. You can believe the candidate we voted in is the best thing to happen to this nation or you can believe that they are the worst, but at the end of the day I hope you realize you have the unwavering right to be a human being, to be compassionate, loving, and courageous. To have the ability to look at people for you they genuinely are, not for whom they love, what they look like, or whom they worship.

So many beautiful people I have encountered in my lifetime come from different views than me, but just for those reasons now have to walk down the street in fear that they may be harmed, doesn’t the ignorance seem silly? It is not who was elected that is causing these fears; it is the other individuals on the street acting out in these fears. It is the ideology of individuals who fear others who are different than them. There was never a speech or declaration given to the public to hurt one another, no the public did it themselves and that is what scares me most. The fact that we as Americans have the power to come together and treat our neighbors with respect but do not because their skin does not match yours, or their religion has different beliefs, or their marriage does not model after traditional ideas, is devastating.

You get to choose who you are at the end of the day. I choose to be an American who loves, loves the next person in line regardless of views, race, religion, or sexuality because I know we all came here with something beautiful to offer. Regardless of who our nation’s leader is, we as Americans have our natural right to always lead in love. To love people for who they are, not where they come from. To love people not only to better ourselves but to better our nation. Our nation’s success starts with us, it does not start with the President, and that is evident in even the fact that we had the power to elect them in. We choose how we act and treat others; we choose how strong we are as neighbors, communities, states, and a nation. I should not have to tell my homosexual friend how much I love them as a person and that I will always fight for them and their freedom to love. I should not have to make sure that my friend of a different color feels welcome everywhere we go. I should not have to ensure that my friend with a different religious background feels safe to enter a building.

We chose this nation live freely, to be accepted, it’s about time we start acting like it.