The election is over. Donald Trump won. Log into any social media platform and you'll see that everyone has an opinion. You'll hear from the Trump supporters, celebrating his win (and his promise to make America great again). You'll hear from Clinton supporters, saddened by the loss (they were with her). You'll hear from those still wishing Sanders hadn't lost in the primary (because maybe then we'd have woken up to President Sanders). Stil,l others that voted independent, or green party. Some who didn't vote at all.
In 1768 John Dickinson wrote "The Liberty Song". The fourth verse says "By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall". If you go on social media today or in the coming days, if you've been on it in recent months, you'll see that this election has divided us more than elections in the past. I've watched friendships end over this election. It's sad and disheartening.
United we stand. Regardless of who you voted for, as a nation, we need to come together. We need to remember that although we may not agree with who won, we are still one nation. One nation that has been through so much already. If nothing else, this election has shown us that we need change. We need to stand together, though, whether we agree or disagree.
Divided we fall. What happens if we fall apart now? What happens if we allow this election to divide us? Can you honestly say that you're ready for those repercussions? We may not ever bounce back from that. America absolutely has the potential to be great again, or to continue being great, depending on your point of view. But, that won't be possible if we are divided.
Those that are excited, don't throw it in faces of those who aren't. Those that are angry, don't take it out on someone excited. We live in a country where we have the right to free speech, the right to our own opinions. There's no reason to be horrible to one another, though. You can voice your opinions without attacking another, without destroying relationships.
Donald Trump won. That is our reality for the next four years. What scares me more than anything, however, is what this election has done to this country. What scares me is how divided we've become because of this election. Good or bad, we have to live with President Trump for the foreseeable future, but we don't need to let it tear us apart.
I'm not asking that you be ok with the outcome of the election. I'm not asking you to believe that he will make the country great again. I'm asking you to remember that we will fall if we are divided. I'm asking you to remember that we need to stand united.
"Then join in, hand in hand, brave Americans all. By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall." - John Dickinson, 1768
It has served us well to this point to remember that, let's remember it now.
