November 9th, I woke up like any normal school day. Grabbing my phone to turn my alarm off, I looked in awe to see an abundance of notifications I hardly ever receive. After my alarm was off, I went to see what all the madness was. When I saw it, I laughed, because this must be a joke. It couldn’t be real. Donald Trump was elected president. My stomach knotted, my face grew pale, and before I could stop myself I ran out of my room. It was on the news so it couldn’t be a joke. Looking at my mom, tears started to form through both of our eyes. We hugged for what seemed to be an eternity, and eventually I had to get ready for school. Going into school, living in the very small conservative community, I knew it would be hard. Every Friday, about 20 people wear Trump shirts to school chanting “Make America Great Again.” November 9th was one of the most challenging days just to go somewhere I want to learn. Hats with that awful slogan, t-shirts with Trump’s name in big letters worn by people I never expected to see wear, and a kid walking around in between classes, a Trump sign held above his head, repeatedly saying “What a great day to be alive.” A great day to be alive? Never have I felt so ashamed to live where I live, and so appalled by the outcome of an election. That feeling of helplessness just grew all day. While everyone for the most part seemed so happy, when I on the other hand was all day on the verge of bawling. These people who made me feel this way, wearing hats and shirts, I don’t hate them but rather I love them. They deserve way more love than anyone who shares the same liberal values as I do. Understanding the voter statistics and reason, to surrounding those who differ, and arguing peacefully with those having differing opinions are some of the ways I am gradually letting the love into my heart.

Approximately 90 million registered voters didn’t vote during the 2016 election, according to the website Heavy on January 28th, 2017. Reasons vary although a majority didn’t like either option put on the ballot. Another article written by the Washington Post on November 23, 2016 lists the reasons 28 people voted for Trump. Only a small portion of these were white males, and several of the 28 were from different ethnic background. Despite the hateful undertones in a few of the voters’ reasons, the message was mostly honest. Xenophobia, an intense or irrational fear of people from other countries, is often a stereotype associated with Trump voters. This is definitely the case for some, but not all. A few voters just could not let another Clinton in the White House. Also on January 26, 2017, the website Hot Air released a story from several women Trump supporters. One of them named Caitlin B, openly stated that she could not vote for Hillary because of her brand of feminism. She also felt that her closest family, even friends would make fun of her for voting for Trump. Sharing her private information with the world must have taken a lot of bravery. For this act of courage and standing up for what she believes in, I love Caitlin. The main reason people automatically eliminate the thought of becoming friends with someone with differing political values is at the moment, this country is so split down the middle.

After elections results were up an abundance of people fled into the streets. Carrying signs stating Trump is “not my president” or simply shouting “resist”, stated from an article by the media source NBC News. Though it is very powerful and amazing that thousands of people joined the demonstrations in 28 major US cities, some did turn to violence. On the news cars were seen engulfed in flames, and police taking protesters into custody. Violence is not the answer. Do I think that Mr. Trump is fit for such a major job in representing this country? Not even in the slightest. If anything, these thoughts of disgust and anger make me want to surround myself with people who thought he would be fit even more. Several steps can be taken to open our minds to different opinions if we open ourselves to them. People wearing Trump shirts at my school included one of my best friends. My friend leans more on the conservative side, while I identify as more liberal. Just because our political views differ doesn’t mean we aren’t friends. I love her, despite our views, because we enjoy a multitude of other activities together. Anything ranging from music taste, to swimming, to cheesy puns we see on our social media feeds. One thing we do agree on is we can be friends despite our different political views. Like my friend and I, democrats and republicans are more in common than we may think.

Diffen, a site that does comparisons, released in October of 2016 a comparison of democrats and republicans. Though a majority of topics are on opposing sides such as; immigration, military spending, reproductive rights, gay marriage, and taxes, there are still things that the comparison states that both can come to a consensus on. A point where there is not a set yes or no for either side is the death penalty. In the comparison it shows that both parties support it in certain circumstances, and mixed views make this more of a personal preference, rather than followers speaking for there certain party. Despite what is usually seen, NPR, a well known Minnesota radio station, stated on February 28th, 2016, that more people than ever are identifying with an independent party. Left feeling as though stuck in the middle, 39% of americans are undecided on what party to be associated with. This showcases that many Americans have different ideas on how the country should be wrong, making it all the easier to get along with one another. Reaching out to one another for help and support to compromise should now more than ever be more of a realistic goal, yet still the struggle exists.

During the month of March, a person wishing to remain anonymous, going by the pseudonym “Bleeding Heart,” sent in an issue to a Boston News radio station. “I love my parents but I hate their politics. My home doesn’t feel like a friendly place to live anymore.” Our parents have a strong influence on us, affecting our values and political views as we grow older. An article, written by Erika Patterson from the Atlantic in 2014, shows that when pushy political parents force their own personal views onto their children, it only makes the children disagree with those thoughts as adults. For these reasons, it makes it very difficult for adults like Bleeding Heart to come back home and deal with the angered responses from their parents. Good Therapy, an organization working with family relationships, states that screaming at someone only escalates the situation even more than it was before. Forcefully yelling or using a harsh tone often heightens the fear or anger of the person on the receiving end. Telling whomever we may be talking to that we need a minute to regroup, or stating that we need some time to calm down, is great way to reduce not only our stress levels, but also the high level tension that could ensue from a loud vicious war of words. Politely listen, even if we may disagree in every single way possible. Trying to understand why someone believes the things they do is a major way to open our minds and hearts to those we disagree with. Incorporating this into our daily lives is one way to eventually become more open minded.

November 9th, 2016 will never be something I forget. Daily I sit by students who wore those hats and shirts. Definitely I do not agree with their stances on politics, or human rights, but many of them are still my good friends. Participating in sports with me, an abundance of extra curriculars, and occasionally even sitting by me in the cafeteria. Hardly ever do I strike up a conversation about my political values unless it is with someone who agrees with me. Now realizing that this hate will not do anything, when or if someone with those “Make America great again” hats wants to talk to me, I will calmly listen to what they have to say and politely state my opinion back. This election from what I have seen in my life, is a very poor example of how people should talk to one another. Squawking as though they were birds, both candidates never listened openly to what the other had to say. This display has put it into Americans heads to be like this, especially our adult community. Slowly allowing ourselves, with an abundance of patience and a positive attitude, we can turn this nonsense around. If the teen population can learn to embrace each other, and value our peers’ opinion, a small amount of peace will hazily set over this chaotic world.