Our nation has been through a lot in it's young life. Yes, "young". There are nations on earth who have been established much longer and seen their fair share of conflict as well. With this as my perspective, I look out at the sea of celebration that's clashing with a sea of pain... misunderstandings and misplaced judgements on both sides. No doubt, our points of view are all over the map. What matters most to me may not even be on your radar... that's often what creates such divides, but it's also the very reason why we have multiple candidates in the first place. That's why presidents have terms. That's why there are amendments to the constitution. You see where I'm going with this. I, for one, am tired of this "lesser evil" mentality when it comes to our nation's LEADER. I want to see us bring candidates to the table that a majority believes in, but I know how hard that will be. Our country has an order to things, this means gravity will take it's course and we have 4 years to learn from this and stand up for what we believe in. If you are someone who is pleased with this president-elect, you have at least four years where you'll be able to submit to his leadership and create the change you wish to see. Get involved, help him reach his potential.
Instead of waiting for tomorrow, I'm going to focus on today. I am going to humbly acknowledge that we are young as a nation and have room to grow. Why are people rioting? Well, why does anyone act out? To feel seen, heard and acknowledged. Please, look past the demonstration... what are they SAYING? If we want to see the riots stop, we have to mature our listening. Listen with understanding, listen over and over. SHOW that we are safe, not just preaching it. People with bad intentions will always be out there, we'll handle them later. This is a time to listen. Taking the moral high ground while people are clearly hurting and confused is not going to create the unity we want. Down playing the fears and concerns people have will not make them go away... it will make things worse. If you aren't currently feeling a desire to riot, that means it's your turn to listen. I believe there are more good people in the world than bad. So show up. Represent. Be the solution. You aren't a Racist, Xenophobe, Homophobe, Intolerant person? Show up. You aren't burning flags, assaulting cops, inciting violence or "throwing a fit"? Show up. This is a growing pain for our nation... our young nation has plenty of room to grow, becoming stronger and more unified than ever. It requires team work... less finger pointing.
