Thanksgiving has passed and the holiday season is in full swing. Tensions ripple the country under the new president-elect. And for some reason, people are upset and afraid, even though gay rights will remain the same and their taxes will be lowered. But this isn't about politics. This is about respect. If we all came together and treated each other with respect, living out the golden rule, we'd be able to unite as a nation. People need to lift labels from their little brains and grow up. If you treat everyone with kindness, those same people will most likely treat you the same way. Pretty much every religion believes in some form of the golden rule.

I think one of the main problems in this country is everyone separating themselves and others into labels, dividing us more than ever before. We're all American, human, have hearts and souls--and we all live here for some reason. Why would we be here if we didn't? The election is OVER, the decision has been made, and there's nothing to protest that will change the outcome. I do believe that we should voice our values and beliefs to Donald Trump, our senators, our representatives, our councilmen, and have them actually represent THE PEOPLE. We all need to all stop being afraid of our differences and stop labeling others based on who they voted for.

I have to admit, I grew up in a county that was dominated by "white" people, with the stereotype of "Johnson County white girl". If you were anything but white, that meant trouble. As I got older, especially in college, I realized that it really didn't matter what your skin color was. I stopped describing people as "the black guy at work" and removed the color of skin from my vocabulary. It still bothers me that my parents use those descriptions about people, and in such a nasty context: "they're hispanic"; "it was a black guy". I've come to realize that now I just see people as people, and don't use color labels around my parents. It saddens me.

No matter who they are, each person has an intrinsic value that should be recognized and respected by you. When you ignore someone's value as a human being, you basically erase their humanity and any respect that they should be allowed. To treat each person with intrinsic value is a step towards eradicating terrible treatment of others. It is important to remember that each individual has as much worth as you do, and that you should treat each person with the same respect that you yourself would like to be treated. If we all treated every freaking person with respect, especially as Christians, we could actually begin to fight the sin nature creeping into our country.