If you, like me, find yourself even the slightest bit disappointed or distressed by the recent outcome of our presidential election. It may be hard to find some sort of positive light to shed on things before the harsh reality of the situation at hand comes into focus. Whether you were a Bernie supporter, a Hillary supporter, or even a Trump supporter, the end of an election cycle can often be just as exhausting as the previous years we spent leading up to the end. Unfortunately, many of us will cease to actively involve ourselves and put time and effort into creating social change in the off years that don't specifically involve the election of a new presidential candidate, but that doesn't mean that this is a time where we can't begin to do so, especially if you are distressed by the result. Losing is fun for nobody, and when our lifestyle is at hand, our personal stake in things becomes much more emotionally charged.

Going through past elections I could not have voted in (as this was my first), there isn't really a trend of leaning towards either side; I tend to look at candidates from an objective point of view and decide whether or not I believe one candidates' platform is best tailored to solve the problems our country currently is or was facing. I think, contrary to the premise of bi-partisanship, there is a correct way to solve a problem, and that solution doesn't always follow the same moral code.

Given the outcome and controversy surrounding it, it's pretty difficult for those (like myself) who abhor the idea of having a person so brash as the president-elect representing and directing our country for the next 4 years, to find some sort of hope to guide yourself through the shock that may come with it. Hope, in fleeting moments of mania and shock, is difficult to come by when our brain is so focused on the immediate reactive stages of grief

To be entirely honest, I'm not too shocked. We as a collective have become a country that acts and rules itself on a moral code that, more often than not, aligns with whatever we are most comfortable with, and often what is easiest on the same footing that validates what we believe to be right or wrong. Though that landscape is changing, it's important to recognize that many of us act on our immediate, knee-jerk reaction of trying to solve a problem in a way that makes us comfortable and secure. That isn't necessarily something that follows the same thought process or ideology for everyone. Some of us find comfort and security in labeling others or making others the focus or cause of a problem; on a different hand, many of us also find comfort in uniting and creating movements that aim to solve a problem by objective means, rather than scapegoating any particular group of people.

While either way of going about things may be faulty depending on who you are, the important thing is that you can create change and movements with or without people who disagree. There will always be those who either disrespect or outright ignore your opinion, but that halts no progress or ability to change something; in fact, it can be your fuel.

I've seen countless new groups spring up out of the ashes of the sociopolitical hope our country had during the campaigns of both Republican and Democratic (and, to a degree, Libertarian and Green Party). From #LoveTrumpsHate to #NotMyPresident (each created of a valid sentiment), many people have begun to make their voices heard when they did not yet engage in such levels of social discussion before. The election of Donald Trump to the position of the most powerful man in the world, and the past election cycle in general, has created an uprising in the millennial generation that is beginning to be our own Civil Rights Movement, Black Lives Matter could very well be the forefront of our generations big social movement.

Thinking on the current state of our country, there are a lot of issues that we as an American people face. Though social issues exist in one way, because we make them so, we as a country have begun to lose scope of our greatest asset and mantra: The American Dream. Though some might automatically say that this problem or that problem is "not an issue" or relabel it into a label that makes them the victim and not the culprit, there are plenty of issues that we as a country are facing: from income inequality (though not as simplistic and as bridged as it seems), to police brutality, to religious intolerance, we have a long way to go before America becomes "America."

But even though there are prejudices I am subjected to because of mental difference (I do not use the word disability), prejudices loved ones are subjected to, and friends I have lost to violence and hatred, I still have hope. At the end of the day, though the grim reality of the situation is that we as a country have somehow managed to create a system that nominated the less popular democratic candidate and elected the less popular presidential candidate, there is still hope.

If there is any country that can collectively reverse itself from such a mind-blowingly horrifying decision, it is our country. Greatness is not total; if we judged ourselves on minor infractions of our own morality, then we would think much much less of who we are than we deserve to. As a country, we have always had one fault or another; as has anything that has ever existed, perfection isn't a realistic goal for anyone or anything. So if we say "America was never great," we plant the smallest seed of doubt in our minds against the truth that we really can do this, that we really can change, and that we as a country, when united, can change or accomplish anything. America is the greatest country in the world, and although we are riddled with hatred, prejudice, greed, and intellectual hemophilia, there is no problem we cannot solve, when we work together.

To conclude, hope may be the hardest thing to find when it hits the fan, but there is no better weapon to equip yourself with, or idea to spread, to prepare for a tough battle ahead. These systems of oppression or inconsistencies will not disappear overnight; we have a long process ahead of us, and nothing unites people more than a common goal combined with hope and love. Though, like many, after Trumps presidential nomination, I was absolutely crushed, I have and have held on to dear life with the hope I carry. That, in the end, I believe is what will help me survive.