The election is over. The inauguration is Friday. What is done is done.

Let me repeat, what is done is done.

I'll say it again, what is done is done.

Often whenever we are trying to comfort someone who is upset about something that happened such as a bad test grade or an embarrassing moment, we use the phrase “what is done is done” and accompany it by saying that we cannot change what happened in the past, we can only move forward and use it to create a better future.

I pose that advice to everyone in America right now.

We cannot go back in time and fix whatever we may view as the reason for the outcome of this election. We cannot change the outcome but we can change how the outcome affects America.

I think everyone can agree that the biggest problem in America right now is a divide. As a country with “United” in its name, we are ironically very far from that.

We need to come together and truly be “indivisible with liberty and justice for all” for once in our nation’s history.

I am not saying that it is going to be easy. I am not saying that we need to all fall in love with our President to be, Donald Trump. I am not saying that we need to stop fighting for what we believe is right. I am saying that we need to accept the things we cannot change and change the things we can. We need to accept that Donald Trump is going to be our President and that we cannot change that. We need to focus on coming together as a country, regardless of your race and help President Trump be the best President that he can be.

In order to accomplish this, I would like us to each take a look at ourselves and how we have reacted to the election and to Donald Trump.

We like to teach children that by showing respect to someone, you will also get back respect. We have not shown even the smallest bit of respect to Trump, in fact ever since the election he has been shown almost nothing but disrespect. How do we as a nation expect to get respect from a man who we have done nothing but attack since day one? How do we honestly believe that he will be willing to listen to our fears, concerns, and needs if we are not willing to listen to what he wants to do about them before we begin attacking him again? How is this 1 productive or 2 a good example for the children who are watching this all unfold? The same children we claim we are worried about now that Trump is in office? Can you honestly say you are any better if you are judging him?

Who gives you the right to judge another human being, no matter who they are? For those of you who are Christians, Matthew 7 says “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you”. Nearly every book in the New Testament discusses mortal humans’ inability to judge one another. For those of you who are not Christian, how do you feel as though it is unfair for other people to judge or label you based on your gender(or lack of it..?), sexuality, religious affiliations, hair color, etc. but you are perfectly within your right to judge and label a man as the devil. Unless you're a satanist, you don't even believe in the devil. If you are a satanist then the Devil is your King so that's a compliment to anyone you call the devil.

The solution is simple, if we start showing Trump some respect instead of mocking him at every possible opportunity, we will be cultivating an even bigger problem of disrespect in this country than just from Trump alone.

The best thing we can do for our country is to enter these next four years with an open mind. Let's clear the slate and see what Trump does with it. Any president elected to office through the democratic system we the people have set up ourselves that allows for every region in America to have a say and not be overshadowed by the populous areas such as California, New York, and Florida, deserves at least that much. Even once Trump does begin making actual policy decisions and actions, please try and keep all of this in mind. Allow your voice to be heard and stand up for what you believe is right but do not turn it into personal attacks or an opportunity to shame people with opposing views from you.

That is not the country that we want for ourselves. We are better than that and it is time for us to prove it.

Let’s finally be a nation. One that fights for what they believe is right but does not judge or shame others because their opinions and experiences differ. That is precisely what makes America so great but we have turned that into what divides us. We cannot change the results of the election, mocking and complaining will do nothing but divide us even more; the only thing we can do, the best thing for our nation, is to come together and be the bigger people as we try to make the most out of these next four years.

It is up to us.

We decide what we make of whatever happens in the next four years.