Division Won't Solve Anything

As I watched the number of electoral votes climb in Donald Trump's favor last night, I thought I would cry tears of joy if he were to be the next President of the United States. (If you supported another candidate, stay with me.) When I woke up this morning and heard the news I was at first elated. However, my heart quickly sank to my stomach as I read the Facebook posts and tweets of my friends, peers, and acquaintances. Many are on board to "Make America Great Again", but also many are devastated. 

We currently stand divided as a nation. It was inevitable. Had the outcome favored Hillary Clinton, our country would still face a divide. 

Isn't that the nature of an election, though? We are going to disagree. And only one side will win. That is common knowledge. So, this morning I want to know, what happened to tolerance, respect, and kindness? 

I scroll through Facebook and see friendships ending over election results. Hate is being spewed. Illegitimate assumptions are being made about voters in all parties. It breaks my heart. While yes, it is our First Amendment Right to let our voice be heard, this hate speech and negativity is not the way. Have we never been taught the importance of both winning and losing with grace?   

I admire the Americans who voice their feelings of defeat or express their joy eloquently and respectfully. On the other hand, I wince at the sight of hate and judgement from both sides. We need to come together as a country and learn to be respectful of others again. When we lose respect and we lose grace, there is no true winner. 

The truth is, the president cannot magically fix all the issues this country has. Many of the issues come from us, the citizens and our attitudes towards each other. So much of social media is flooded with, "If you voted for Donald Trump, you must hate women, minorities, the LGBT community, etc." I promise you that is not true for the majority of his supporters. This election was about so much more than that. 

 Donald Trump said early this morning, "it is time for Americans to bind the wounds of division." But the president can only do so much to unite the country.  We have to look at ourselves; our attitudes, our beliefs, and our actions. Find the hatred or negativity that lies within and do something to fix it. 

We need to take the time to reflect, find the grace in this whole mess, and make an effort to treat each other with kindness and respect. And if you find it in your heart to pray, we need a lot of that too. 

If we continue to stand divided, we will see no change. 

Xo | Julia