When I was in kindergarten, I watched a horrific event occur that brought my country together. That event was tragic, cost many families a price that no one should ever have to pay, and rocked this nation to its absolute core. At the time, we could've fallen away from each other to grieve.
But instead, we came together. We realized that despite our differences, we had something in common. We loved our country, and we would not see it fall. We would fight to build our country back up, and in order to do so, we would sacrifice always getting our way and always being right.
When I woke up on November 9th, I was afraid to look at my phone. I was afraid to see what my friends and family were saying to the world. I was ashamed of what they were saying to each other.
Because in the wake of Donald Trump getting elected President of the United States, my country seems to have thrown its arms up in defeat. My peers talk about leaving the country, and they rant about the fact that their candidate didn't win.
To be clear, I don't believe that Donald Trump should've won the presidency. I don't believe that he will do the best job. But the time for politics and hateful op-eds is in the past. Now, we have to come together.
Because you know who would run away from their home when things got tough? Donald Trump. You know who would take to Facebook or Twitter to bash someone they hate? Donal Trump. Do you know who would throw a fit over not getting what they wanted? Donald Trump.
I understand the reasoning behind all of these things, and I understand that "not getting what we wanted" here is a much greater failure than I may be implying, and I can't tell you that I haven't had those same thoughts because for everyone who isn't an ignorant rich white man with no connections to anyone who feels unsafe because of Donald Trump's policies, this is a scary day.
But that doesn't excuse us becoming Trump. Do not let the politics of the last year cloud your love for this country. Don't let the fact that the candidate who you believe cares less about all kinds of Americans was elected get the best of you.
Because, for all that Donald Trump is, he is soon going to be our President. And as frightening as that is, we're lying to ourselves if we think that voting for Hillary on November 8th or posting on Facebook about how scared and outraged we are excuses us from some of the fault.
We are Americans, and it is our duty to make this country as great as we want it to be for our children. We are Americans, and this is our America, and the fact that Donald Trump got elected could speak for how far we've fallen, but it can say nothing about what we can choose to do next.
What happened to the people preaching about voting and responsibility to our country? What happened to the people who were so concerned about the state of our nation and about those they love who will now be under Donald Trump's fire? Those people were here just a moment ago. I could still find the skins they shed, leaving them as relics to the passion this election incited.
You may say that you're ashamed to be an American, but understand something. You are an American. And by that logic, you're part of the country that elected Donald Trump. Not voting for him does not allow you to now give up and become passive.
Because if we showed just a tiny spark of the flames that marked our fear and our empathy and our outrage, things that separated us from Donald Trump not long ago, then we could make a difference. It won't be easy, but it is absolutely worth it.
We can't change the past, but we can mold a better future.
We can spread love and intelligence and acceptance, and we can teach our children and our friends and those who look up and down to us that we will not stoop to Donald Trump's level. We will stand up and act like Americans, like the men and women who have lived and fought and died before us, for causes that we take for granted now.
We can be those people who made a difference and forced this country to change, and to see what is and what has always been so great about America. We can be the ones who make love and acceptance and equality for all people a given. And a law.
But we're not going to do it by spewing hate. So whether we choose to impeach him or work with him to make him see that he is wrong, and that we will not stand for it, we must not give up on America.
No matter who you are or where you're from, being an American citizen binds us. It's something we should take great pride in, and for that reason, it is something that we have to take seriously.
This country, provided that we love and nurture it and each other to become what we should be, will bend to our will. It will become what we envision it to be, but only if we refuse to give up and go back, and only if we understand that nothing worth doing has ever been easy.
We choose now whether to be passive or whether to fight for a country that generations to come will honor and serve because of what we and everyone before us and after us did and will do.
