The dawn has broken after another presidential election. Half of Americans are celebrating their presidential nominee winning, while the other is mourning the loss of theirs. We find ourselves either relieved or outraged by the turn of events in our nation’s history. We will not be able to say a woman has rose above and beyond the glass ceiling and taken hold of the most powerful position our country has to offer. We will be able to say though, a man with no military experience, a man with no political or government practice will now reside as our commander in chief. What worries me the most though isn’t who is sitting in the Oval office come January, it’s the way our people of the United States have been divided.

It doesn’t matter who you voted for in the grand scheme of things. It matters that you voted for a president that you thought would help and protect our country. What is horrible though, is the fact that you attacked the other side through insults, threats of violence and sheer cruelty. I’ve witnessed numerous cases when one party would tell another party member to kill themselves. That they were delusional bigots and ignorant fascists. You can’t walk down the street or through a grocery store without hearing slurs and condescending remarks about who you voted for. We, as a nation, want the people of the world to see how beautiful our country is, but that’s not what we’re showing any of them.

So, as we peek out this morning, either celebrating or mourning, look at your neighbor, mother, uncle, whomever it was that disagreed with your opinion and apologize to them. A year ago they were your loved one and friend. Together we can change the way our America is. We can accept each other and value our differences. We can come together as the Melting Pot culture that this nation was built upon once again. Because remember, Together we stand, divided we fall.