The End

This is not the end.

I posted this short phrase to my Facebook feed while watching the results of the presidential election unfold. And I still mean it. This is not the end. Yes, it's the end of the presidential race, but there is tireless work left to be done concerning what to do about it. This post was originally a completely different tone, criticizing the opposition for their lack of empathy towards those who will inevitably become affected by this outcome. But I read through my last post again, took a bit of a heavy sigh and deleted most of what I had already written for this post you are reading now. I've seen far too much already of the sensationalism of both sides. I initially wrote out of passion directly inspired by what I saw spreading through social media, as I am sure we have all experienced by now. I, like many others, was frustrated, confused, disappointed, disheartened, you name it...I found myself asking how something like this could happen. The results were just the same as you would see on anyone else's Facebook feed: a political rant that divided more than it unified. We've all seen enough of that, right? In the spirit of this blog, I desired for something different. After having a full 24 hours to let the winds die down and the dust to settle, the question I now ask myself is made less out of emotion, and more based on rationalization.

When is the end?

Is it when the Trump presidency begins on the 20th of January in D.C.? The answer, I'm happy to say, is an enormous and resounding NO. Politics aside (and trust me, that's easier said than done at this point), recently a lot of hyperbole in reaction to what the future potentially holds for us as a nation has risen from the minority to the point where suicide is a suitable option. Let's pause right there, shall we? As someone who did not vote for Trump, I can't say I'm too thrilled at the idea of his presidential leadership like I mentioned before. This is besides the point though. Listen, suicide isn't a casual affair. No matter the circumstances, if you feel that death is the more appealing option than facing the potential danger...doesn't it seem like there's a larger issue at hand? I understand, there are very real implications behind this election. None that I can reasonably say are worth taking your own life over. But to turn a blind eye and say that those who fear for a Trump presidency have absolutely nothing to worry about? That's an equally foolish statement to make. I mentioned earlier America's tendency to sensationalize their end of the spectrum. Right now, the choices are either everything is totally fine, or everything is absolutely not fine. Now, what's that word I'm fetching for all the time? Oh yeah, that's it.

MODERATION.

Like I had experienced writing the post I eventually ended up deleting, many of us are acting purely out of instinct. Liberal or conservative, we are so quick to label either side to the fullest extent of their representation. Every Trump supporter is the embodiment of hate, every dissenting opinion is a whining traitor to their own country. When is the end? When can we lay our guard down and come to a compromise in our beliefs? If you thought it would happen after the election, it pains me to say that you are sadly mistaken. My anticipation is that this ordeal won't blow over anytime in the foreseeable future. But that duration is solely dependent on by how we choose to act in the coming days and onward. We can choose to take the lazier route of stereotyping the opposition as a whole and being angry in turn, or we can choose to approach a pivotal point in American history with a level playing field, open mind, and most importantly moderation. Let us not forget, Trump hasn't even stepped foot in the oval office yet. Until he does, none of us can predict his successes or failures, and I dare you to try. The likelihood is that it will remain a mystery until time takes its course, as it normally does. But we can only wait until then. So what should you do during that time? Whether you're a winner or a loser in this election, it would do us all some good to focus on a particular concept that I feel is what makes America the greatest country in the world:

Resilience.

This is the capacity to recover from hardship and difficulty. Your ability to bend, not break. What are you made of? These are the morals that are tested during hardship, like I said last post. Though the battle may be over, the war rages on among friends, family, and loved ones. It's a debate at the most fundamental level of equitable versus inequitable. Rather than fight with each other, why not fight for a cause together? Dare I say, the cause to make America great again? There's infinite definitions for that phrase right about now. Feel free to disagree with me (which is one reason in itself that America is great), but the level of disagreement and division in our country has reached levels of critical mass. Levels that prevent progress. A house divided against itself cannot stand. I feel the greatest objective as a country should be our focus on pulling together to tackle the real issues that have seldom been discussed over the course of argument. Many lament the fact they had to take part in a so-called pitiful election cycle, but objectively this is all something much bigger. A shot at history that will be told for the rest of our existence. I watched a beautiful autumn sunset this evening, and in that moment there was no time to fret about the catastrophe occurring in the world. There was only enough time to look forward to tomorrow's sunset. What will history say about this timeline's end? The end of all this hate? That's for us to inscribe on the face of history. Do not let an election tear your beloved relationships apart or revoke your sense of citizenship to a great nation, because tomorrow is a new day.

In the end, that's the greatest thing of all.