I believe that it is safe to say that this election season is going to be remembered by all of us as being a rather controversial one. It’s easy to be lost by all of the headlines of mudslinging back and forth, insult after insult, lie after lie. Some say, and are correct, that this is politics as usual. But there’s much more to be an optimist about.

Every person I meet feels some form of strong emotion about the trajectory of our nation, and they certainly think that if their candidate of choice isn’t elected, it’ll be “the end of America,” or the “beginning of the apocalypse.” I cannot keep track of the amount of people that have said they would move to Canada or Great Britain. Are any of these things American’s actually do or say? America is known for facing its problems head on, fixing them, and coming out stronger. Never in our nation’s have we ever quit. American-Exceptionalism is not under attack, but will continue in the coming centuries.

Despite whatever our emotions are, we are deeply and fully American. We live in the greatest nation on earth. A nation that has survived the Civil War, won both World Wars, lived through the hardest economic conditions, created the most wealth, and we are the leader of the world because of our vitality. Our world is safer, more stable, and better functioning because of us. We are the big brother to every nation, and this will only continue in the future. Only in America can we say all of these things, and let us not forget this.

Let us not fall into the trap of our own uneducated minds, and uhpnthis question ring in our heads: What should our nation be? Not what it was, not what it is. Let us not fall into the trap of militant and apocalyptic reactions, but rather principled and meaningful ideas about our future as a nation.

Regardless of the beliefs of those around us, and the fear we all face because of this election, we are American. Let this be our unifying force that will never be forgotten. As we move into the darkness of the abyss that is the future, the people around us are all we have, and I am thankful that I have Americans on my side. And for this, I am ever grateful.