This election was certainly one to remember.
I never would have believed that the first election I was able to vote in would be so incredibly insane. During the campaigns, standing in the booth to vote, and watching the results roll in, I sometimes felt overwhelmed with emotion. I thought I had a clear vision for our country but I turned was wrong. And now I want to challenge our new President to accomplish this task again:
Prove me wrong.
As my favorite literary character and perhaps greatest leader to ever exist, King Arthur, says in The Once and Future King:
“Might does not make right! Right makes right!”
Mr. Trump, I have heard the hateful, demoralizing and disgusting words you have used against women, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, veterans, disabled people and more. I have seen the violence some of your supporters have inflicted in your name. But I will not let you put that hate in my heart. I want to see you become a fair and just president, who believes in the unalienable rights of our Declaration of Independence. You cannot govern the American people with hatred might, you must lead us with justice and compassion. I am entirely willing to give you the chance you deserve as President of the United States. So in four years some now, I pray that I can say, I was wrong about you.
To all those dismayed by the election outcomes, feeling sorry for Secretary Clinton and the Democrats, I give you this piece of advice from J.K Rowling:
“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love.”
Clinton’s campaign may have lost this fight but do not feel bad for these people, for they fought the good fight and went down respectably. Rather, look at those devoid of love, like Stephen and Scott Leader who maliciously assaulted Guillermo Rodriguez in Boston in Trump’s name, saying illegals like him need to be deported. Pity people like new vice-president Mike Pence who believes in conversion therapy, who said marriage equality would ruin society. Pray for people that defend Mr. Trump’s inappropriate actions and comments. I do not mean to say that all Trump supporters are like this, but please acknowledge their presence and power in our country. Hope that they find love.
To those deeply concerned that this election will result in a loss of your rights, now is your time. Listen to poet Dylan Thomas when he says “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” This is not the time to give up, but rather the time to unite. Your cause is important too, don’t be discouraged and don’t stop fighting.
To Secretary Clinton, who ran a brave campaign and gave it her all, I’d like to channel my favorite coach of “Friday Night Lights”, when the honorable Coach Eric Taylor preached to his team, “Every man at some point in his life is gonna lose a battle. He's gonna fight and he's gonna lose. But what makes him a man, is that in the midst of that battle, he does not lose himself.” Thank you, for your efforts in fighting to shatter the glass ceiling. Thank you, for trying to your hardest to continue to make Americans feel like this is their country, but above all, thank you for acting so graciously. Thank you for conceding this race peacefully and honoring our constitutional tradition. I believe it is in times like these we see our truest characters.
To two men we will say goodbye to as leaders of our country come January, I first want to say thank you. In times of pain and distress, I have felt loved, protected and proud to be an American. Thank to your selfless leadership. President Obama and Vice-President Biden, despite what others might say, you have worked to make this country an America for everyone, for which I am grateful. And when January comes and you bow out of office, I hope you do not bow out of leading and inspiring, because as poet Robert Browning says, “Ah, but a man’s reach must exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”
Finally, please don’t think this is intended to hurt anyone. Simply put, I want to thank some and challenge others: to prove me wrong
