It’s been one hell of a year. The Warriors blew a 3-1 lead. The Indians blew a 3-1 lead. We elected a bigoted, racist, homophobic president to office.

All jokes aside, this is the new reality. Many are appalled. No one thought that Trump would win. But that’s our first problem. Despite all deductive reasoning and common sense, he did. I’ve heard comments like “we’re going backwards,” and “this is the end of America,” but maybe it’s not.

Realistically, this election proved how much we as U.S. citizens have been lying to ourselves. The climate of our country is not improving. We are as racist, greedy, and close-minded as ever. I’m not saying that I support a Trump presidency. I’ve never once endorsed him and I didn’t vote for him. But I didn’t support a Clinton presidency either.

This is a message to governments and countries everywhere. It’s time to stop pretending. We need to address the issues at the root of the problem. The problem is a biased media that blows everything out of proportion. The problem is a congressional body without term limits that encourages new and fresh ideas. The problem is an America ruled by white supremacy. The problem is two political parties that are so obsessed with being polarized that the issues become irrelevant.

I grew up in a predominantly affluent white town. I was raised in a conservative environment. Now, I know what I am. I’m not a liberal. I’m not a conservative. I’m not a moderate, a libertarian, or a tea partier. I am a human being. I am an individual who believes that we should love each and every single person equally—Black, White, Asian, Latino, LGBTQ+. I don’t care about political parties or loyalties or if we passed the school tax levy. We must stop pointing fingers and throwing blame. We voted, as a country, to elect Donald Trump as our next President. Now we, as a country, must deal with the outcome.

Take your time to be upset, to be angry, to express passion and pain and hatred. But do not harbor it. It will only tear us apart.

Clearly, something isn’t working. Something hasn’t been working for years. Now, we need to move forward. My friends, you DO matter. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. We are stronger together, not apart. We must come together and continue to push for change. Regulate yourselves. Monitor the media. Know the facts, not the fallacies. Educate those who are ignorant. Respect each and every individual and their ideals, and with this mutual respect, we will grow love. Only through this can we move forward.

America is a great country. We have our faults, but we’ve been through worse. We survived two World Wars, the Great Depression, 9/11, and countless other tragedies. We will get through this. And we will be stronger for it.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” –John 8:32