This past week, we received a new president-elect, Donald Trump, as every person with a brain already knows. Now, there has been a lot of negative rhetoric in the news lately about the outcome of this election, as expected with any new candidate. Had it been Hillary Clinton chosen for office, we'd be seeing the same exact thing from the other half of the people who make up the American equation.
I was quite disturbed to wake up on Wednesday morning and learn that a Cheeto would soon be in charge of our government. I was utterly ashamed of and disappointed in my country when I saw this news. I have friends who were crying out of pure fear for what is to come in the next four years. It's not a laughing matter, nor is it ever, when an egomaniac who is alarmingly and openly racist, homophobic, bigoted, and hateful is given such a pristine title in this country.
I feel like a good portion of America right now is sick to their stomach. I feel like a good portion of the audience that this article will reach is devastated as well, knowing the people who read and share my articles generally. I feel like most people are sick right now, and although I am not a doctor, I think I know the medicine we all need: laughter.
I called my grandmother, a woman who was beyond disappointed with the turnout, the night after the election. After a long talk about everything happening in politics currently, the conversation got a little bit more lighthearted. We started looking at and discussing the happier, brighter side of things. She talked about how every year she has gone out to vote without fail and that it is something that she genuinely enjoys doing. We started talking about her state and how they elected people of whom she was not a fan.
"Everyone I voted for lost!" my grandmother chuckled out.
Laughter ensued. She then proceeded to tell me that she used to live in a town in Connecticut that was primarily Republican, so naturally her candidate lost the majority of the time.
"I'm used to it; it's just depressing!" she said when it comes to losing.
Depressing, sure, but has she lived through it? Yes. Just as we will with this one. These comments had the two of us laughing hysterically. We were not laughing at the result; no, rather we were laughing because we both knew that staying in a dark place right now isn't the answer. Continuing on with our lives is the right answer, not by ignoring what the future is to bring and shrugging it off like it is no big deal, but by recognizing that life can't stop because of a lost election.
What Donald Trump is and stands for is not okay at all; I am not defending him in any way whatsoever. I am merely saying that I was raised to always find happiness and smiles when all else may not be. In fact, I was taught a lot of things that I believe have helped me to start to get through this.
When I was a little kid, I was taught that bullying is not okay.
When I was a little kid, I was taught not to hate.
When I was a little kid, I was taught to embrace differences.
When I was a little kid, I was taught to treat others around me with respect, with kindness, and with love.
In essence, when I was a little kid, I was taught that everyone matters and should be treated with respect to the fullest sense of the word.
Going forward right now for a lot of people is probably going to be very difficult, especially for those who don't feel like they can with the idea that Sir Cheeto will be our president. It is our job, though, as the people who know right from wrong, to be sure to keep in mind the values and teachings that were instilled in us from childhood and preach them now more than ever.
Don't hate the man who will soon be in office, because if you do, you will be giving into his trap. While you may not like him, do not hate.
Do not hate.
Love trumps hate.
Let love always trump hate, now more than ever.
Be a positive, hope-filled breath of fresh air to those around you who can only find poison. We have to work together to preach, practice, and fight for all that we believe in. We have to do our part, while small, to keep love winning. You may feel irrelevant in the overall puzzle, but the big puzzles are only made by taking all of the pieces and putting them together. You are a puzzle piece; this puzzle cannot be solved without you. You are what is good in the world amidst what seems to be only hell. It is only by bringing together all of that good that we shall overcome the bad. We can't lose faith as an American people, we have to stay strong in order to thrive and survive.
We will all come out of this election okay, so long as we stick together. I promise you that.
How can I make such a promise? Because America, we are stronger together.
