Election Day — the day that scares Americans more than any else — is upon us. Soon, we will have a new name to call “President” for the next four years. No matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat (or neither), conservative or liberal, no matter where you have cast your vote, or if you have at all, we all realize that much is at cost in this election. The 2016 U.S. Presidential Election has polarized our nation. Votes have been cast as much because of hatred for one candidate as because of support for the other.
So when the United States receives a new president this week, the crazy name-calling, scandal-revealing season of politics may not be over. The LA Times reports a survey of voters in California: vast majorities of both Clinton and Trump supporters want Congress to act as a check on the president if the candidate of their choice is not elected. The Washington Post predicts a tight race, and no matter which candidate wins, the close margin may cause either side to legally contest the outcome.
In other words, even when the election ends, the names of Trump and Hillary will still be all over the media, and the aftermath of November 8 may be just as divisive as the campaigns leading up to it. Even if the candidate you support wins, don’t think that the United States can relax back into its stupor.
This election has shone a flashlight into the dark corners and cobwebs of our country. Neither candidate will sweep up the mess we find ourselves in. It is for us to pick up the broom and dustpan.
So in the days and months and years following November 8, let’s remember that we bear as much responsibility for the United States as the person sitting in the Oval Office. Here are three things to remember:
1. We need to forgive our institutions and reform them, but getting rid of them altogether is just a glorified form of anarchy.
2. We need to value what is good over what is efficient. Vote according to your moral convictions. Let’s not find ourselves in a scenario again where one candidate is a misogynist and the other involved in governmental scandal.
3. We need to listen. Let’s not forget the importance of empathy, of giving space to other people’s concerns and pains. We all have our own perspectives and agendas, but unless we can approach politics with humility, knowing that our salvation is not found in it, we will continue to talk over each other and war against those we should love.
