I am a woman. I stand with Republican values. I am a millennial. Most importantly, I am a Christian. When you read those statements, I'm sure a lot of stereotypes come to your mind. And that is fine. I'm not going to go into a huge political rant about my opinion on who was the better candidate in this article. Let's start off by saying I wasn't pleased with any of the candidates, but I voted for who I thought would help this country out most. One thing I do want to share my opinion about is my disgust in how we, as Americans, handled the election.

Politics is already known to be a divider. It can break up the greatest of friends and family. That's common knowledge. So why was it necessary for everyone to so loudly and obnoxiously tout their views this time around? I mean, it's fine to state your opinions and have calm, collected arguments, but disrespect went to a whole new level this time. I guess I'm sort of used to seeing crude humor on the internet, but seeing all the offensive memes picking on both candidates was very disrespectful. We, as a people, ask for a President who will respect us and our values, who will listen to us, and be open to our ideas. I think it's very hypocritical then, for us to go around disrespecting them, not listening to them, and not being open to their ideas. You see, Republican, Democrat, Independent, whatever you are- I think we can all agree that respect could get us a lot of places. It takes a lot of bravery to run for president, so if you can't find anything else to respect a candidate for, there's that. It's time for Americans to start acting mature; including the ones fighting for a chance to help run our country.

Now, after the election came a whole new wave of dis-respectfulness and hate. I know some of you are scared. I know some of you are super disappointed. I understand! This isn't the most ideal situation, and Trump isn't the most angelic guy on earth. With all that said- it doesn't make it right to burn the American flag. Disrespect like that only creates a bigger divide between both sides. Will burning the flag change our situation? Will Trump see people burning the flag and just immediately quit? There are better ways to deal with your emotions than burning the symbol of a place where all of us live. America is a great place with so much freedom that people in other countries don't have. Let's be thankful for what we have, and when we see problems, let's maturely work things out like the adults we're supposed to be. Here's a thought for both sides: Stop being so offensive and stop being so offended.

This is a problem with the whole world, to be honest. When we don't get what we want, we act like little children and throw tantrums. When we do get what we want, we flaunt it, brag about it, and let pride lead to even more destruction. I see all of these people talking about how we need to start loving again, but then they go post something hateful against people they dislike. Their mindset is that if someone doesn't love others, we shouldn't love that person. No! "Loving" is not about just loving the people we like, or the people who treat us well, or the people who share our same views. Loving should be choosing to love our enemies, and the people who we feel deserve the least love. Let's put all other agendas aside and focus on one: Love.