I intended to write this article the day after the election while anger surged through my body and mind but I am glad that I resisted the urge to let my thoughts flow until now. Writing is a form of therapy for me, it's how I express my feelings and work through my anxieties while bringing closure to events and situations that may feel impossible at the time. The 9th of November was hard for me as I awoke in a panic to find that my worst nightmare had manifested; Donald Trump would become the 45th president of the United States of America. Terror raced through me as I thought of the minorities that would be threatened during the next four years. If I was feeling this much anxiety I couldn't imagine what Muslims, Gays, Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities were feeling. My initial response was anger, pure anger that brought tears to my eyes, spilling over and down my cheeks during my class mid-day on Wednesday. I found I was at a loss for words, for I wasn't bitter that my candidate had not won, I was sad for the violence and hatred that plagued our country, and the negativity that would be spread during these next four painful years. My anger forced me to scroll through Facebook, soaking up any irrational information that others had posted like a sponge. Their words were fueling the fire that raged inside me, but I could not stop reading. Their words were toxic and only added more negativity to the already negative election. As I did this, something clicked within me. It was as if I had found the missing puzzle piece to a situation that I thought had no beneficial outcome.

I felt silly and hypocritical that I had completely ignored the mantra that dictates my life daily, a mantra that helps me feel safe and secure during times of instability and helplessness; that everything happens for a reason. I've written about this concept before in a previous article that received over 500 shares and over 1,000 views, which leads me to believe that this idea resonates with people and allows others to feel safe in situations that may be uncomfortable. It is often the case that it is difficult to understand why some things happen for a reason, events that seem like there is no possible beneficial outcome for anyone. Donald Trump becoming president is an act that I wouldn't wish upon my least favorite country (if I had one), due to his ideals, policies, and outrageous sexism and racism. You're probably wondering what possible good could come to our country when of a man with zero political or military experience becomes our next president. I don't blame you for sitting their without a doubt that only the worst is soon to come in the next four years, but before you continue along with this negative way of thinking, let me instill upon you what I have considered over the past couple of days.

Everything happens for a reason. The sun rises everyday for a reason, the sun sets everyday for a reason, and you guessed it, we elected Donald Trump for a reason. Him being sworn into presidency in a couple of months will give our country the awakening it needs. Sexism and racism has been suppressed since before I was born, for it is a topic that many people rather not deal with because it it not our problem. But it is our problem and now we will be forced to fix it. In order to come to terms with our problem, in order to see our country improve, we must first acknowledge and fight for what it is that needs to be changed. This horrible mistake happened in order to learn how to fight for what is right. For my entire life I have only sat on the sidelines, staying silent when others were racist, only to later complain to my roommates in the private of my home. I never wanted to be targeted for being a loud mouth or outlandish, but now is the time for my timidness to recede into the deepest parts of my being while I stand up for what is right and help our country live up to it's name for being the land of the free and home of the brave.

My professor asked us a question in class yesterday; What do we do in the face of injustice that is out of our control? Someone answered that we persevere. This situation will only make us stronger as a country and will bring us together in ways that we can not yet understand, because hate clouds our vision. This is not forever. The fog will lift and we will see that love really does trump hate, if we can all stand up and fight for the equality that every human being deserves, for we are all human and we are all one. This happened so that as people we can look back on these next for years as the most important turning point in US history. We will tell our grandchildren that the hate and ignorance that Donald Trump brought to the forefront only fueled a fire that allowed the American people to abolish racism, sexism and other inequalities. We will get there in time, but for now be kind to your neighbors, friends, family and strangers. We are all fighting our own battles and now is the perfect time to spread love, be openminded, and remember that everything really does happen for a reason.