On January 20th, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as President of the United States. That is a fact based on the election system put in place by our Founding Fathers. There are some in this country that are outraged that Trump won the Electoral College but still had less popular votes than his opponent, Hillary Clinton. Celebrities’ cries for a majority rule President made headlines in commercials and on social media sites. Rosie O’Donnell has even requested Martial Law to delay the inauguration. Is that really what we’ve come to as Americans? To fuel hysteria based on nothing more than disapproval?
There are people all over the country, some that I even know, who are so certain that the next four years are going to be the closest thing to Armageddon we can get. They talk about it as if it’s an obvious outcome. But there are some, including myself, with a burning question we’re too afraid to ask: What if you’re wrong?
I’m 22 years old and have only seen the full-term of two Presidents, Bush and Obama. I don’t remember the 2000 election, but I definitely remember 2008. When Barack Obama won the election, I’ll admit, I was nervous. That was because all I had known at that time was a Republican President, and things were pretty good. But I remember a teacher saying to my class during his inauguration, “Just give him a chance.” I was only 14 at the time, and I knew that no one could fail or succeed without being given the opportunity first.
People have been rioting in the streets since Donald Trump was elected. California citizens have even proposed to secede. It’s absolute chaos, and he hasn’t even entered office yet! This is similar to a young child knowing for certain that a shot at the doctor's office is going to hurt like the dickens. So they whine about it up until the doctor puts in the needle. And nine times out of ten, it wasn’t even close to being as bad as they thought.
Of course, hardheaded folks are quick to ask, “What if I’m not wrong?” Well, then I’ll sit back and take the “I told you so” like a man. But if you are in fact wrong, and our country begins to heal from the wounds of the past few years, then I’ll give you a lollipop and ask, “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”