This week, America was forever altered by the outcome of an election we dreaded as a country. We stood, a nation divided, and watched as our fears became the unfortunate reality we spoke of endlessly for months. Millions of people sat in crowded bars, empty living rooms, and thankless jobs and prepared for the end, because it was an election filled with such passion on each side. I thought I would feel better when it was finally over, no matter which way it went, because we would no longer be able to quibble over an unknown undertaking. But I was wrong. It has only just begun.

I refuse to sit here and tell you why America did or did not make the right choice (I could, but I won't). We cast our votes, as is our right given to us by this country, and democracy spoke. This is the way the system works, no matter how broken, and we are still privileged to live here when there is so much sorrow and pain in other parts of the world. We still have voices, the freedom to speak our concerns without fear of punishment. And until that changes, we have something to be thankful for.

I sat with my friends the night after the election and we ranted, drank wine, and mourned the events of the past few months and the unknown future. And after a solid 24 hours of emptiness in my soul, the void was filled by the simple act of being able to voice my opinion without someone screaming at me or diminishing me. So to me, the saddest thing about all of this is that so many other people do not have that because of the magnitude of division among loved ones.

We are not the color of our skin. We are not the sum of our reproductive organs, or the ways in which we choose to love. We are all Americans. We are all human. And we should stand as one. I grew up in a country where people knew their neighbors and cared about others. I grew up with children who found ways to play outside together on lazy summer nights with no inkling of their family's earning salary or diverse backgrounds. That is the America I want. That is the America we all need.

Before you make the choice to shove your negativity down someone else's throat, or turn your back on someone you otherwise love, just stop. Hatred and fear will only drag you into the darkness, and no one needs to be there. Go into the light. We are all Americans. We are all human. And we are one.