Are you feelin' the Bern? Or are you #TeamHillary? Maybe you’re into Ted Cruz, or you’re in the mood to “Make America Great Again.” Well wherever you identify in the realm of politics, that’s great! I’m glad you care about the future of this country. But that isn't what I want to talk about.
Today I want to talk about the fact that the 2016 Presidential election is looming in the not so distant future, and instead of being excited to vote for the very first time… I’m terrified. Not terrified of the prospect of voting, or even the outcome of the election, but more than anything, I’m terrified of my fellow civilians.
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Emotions are high on every side of the playing field, and instead of sticking to the politics, we’re getting personal. And not just personal, we’re getting nasty.
Everywhere I go, hostility is in the air, and this emotionally charged atmosphere is influencing the actions of everyone around me. We are no longer simply talking about Democrats versus Republicans. Politics has pushed us to acts of violence and vandalism, with my very own peers violating each other's personal property and sacred spaces. We are jumping to conclusions about each other, labeling, finger pointing, and blame placing; trying to decide whose pain is worse, and punish those who we feel have it too easy; confusing getting even for getting equality.
The disrespect has reached new levels and on top of it all, I feel like there are no trustworthy sources of information left. I don't know what to believe, who to support, or where to turn for the facts because everyone is biased and angry, and so many are hurting.
But there is one thing that I do know, and it is that we are all humans. And thatis what should come first, not our political affiliations.
The Reality
Don't get me wrong, I am not blind to the injustices happening in our world, even here on my school’s campus, nor do I think that those of us being discriminated against should just lay down and accept defeat. I want us to fight, I want to fight for myself and for everyone else getting less than they deserve. But even in the midst of this fight, I refuse to make anyone else feel unsafe or unvalued, simply because I do. I am all for demanding for our rights and pushing for change, but there has to be a better way than how we are going about things now.
Contrary to popular belief, I believe this fight can be won without fists. We have to learn how to communicate even if we are on opposing sides because right now the fight has gotten so heated that we are simply screaming at each other. How long will it take for us to realize that neither side is being heard? (Or that one side is being silenced.)
We have to learn to coexist. We have to be able to accept that difference exists; whether it is racial, gender, economic, religious, so why are we denouncing the validity and value of each other, simply because we cannot agree? We cannot panic over the Trump bumper sticker and call it a hate crime, any more than someone else can vandalize the rainbow flag hanging in your window.
Words in Action
I recognize that looking past a person's political affiliations is much easier said than done, especially if their lifestyle stands in glaring opposition to your core beliefs, and I'm not proposing that we abandon our convictions and conform to the majority, or give up our fights just because they are getting hard; the opposite actually. I respect anyone who is willing to fight for what they believe in, even if they're standing alone. But I draw the line at senseless hate, irrational intolerance, and willful ignorance. The political and the personal are so deeply intertwined, and we all have a right to try and make this country a place where we are comfortable living, but we do not have the right to intentionally make it unlivable for someone else.
I think one of the biggest issues we have in this country is the willingness to allow our differences to divide rather than strengthen us. So many feel that in order for us to finally have equality, we have to make up for past injustices; we have to make someone else pay.
But I believe that "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind," and I'm simply saying that we cannot be so quick to declare someone different our "enemy." Before ripping each other to shreds in our pursuits for equality, and justice, and even political representation, we should take a moment to pause and remember the humanity of our opposition.
You can call me wide-eyed, and you can call me naive, but I call it optimism, and I'll call you a cynic. I believe in the power of love and the human capability for goodness. I call it faith, and I believe that peace is possible.
