Editor,
“Write about hope, we all need hope,” one of my best friends, Melissia, sent to me in a message while I was contemplating the premise of this essay. It echoed the words that our other best friend, Melissa, had written just hours before.
We do need hope. After so much hate and destruction of this beautiful fascinating world we live in, every single one of us needs hope. We are seeing posts about fear and anger. Attacks on every creed, color, sexuality. What has become of us? When did we become our own aggressors?
The honest rationale is that we always have been. This country has always been at odds with itself. We have always disagreed. The few times we have come together in solidarity were always against a common enemy, the Nazi’s, Al Qaeda, communism. Even within those times we have had dissenters.
It’s what makes America what we are. We, as Americans, are a strong, fighting, proud people. We fought for our independence from our oppressors, those that enslaved us and controlled us.
We have the freedom to stand up and shout that our beliefs are right. That not just the majority, but the minority can speak their peace. There are conditions, of course, for example: That it can not contain language to incite violence. That is one of the many benefits to being an American citizen. We have rights and the power to make change.
If we truly want change, we, as a whole, need to get off of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, even WordPress, and start running for our local offices. We need to take a stand in the ways that we have the rights to do. Are some of us disappointed, and even afraid, of the current election? Yes. That has been the resounding answer.
This election came about because a candidate spoke to the large majority who felt their rights were being obstructed by the minority. It doesn’t matter at this point who was right or wrong. What we need to do is take charge in our communities. A protest won’t change the election results, but getting out in your city, county, village and taking a stand within your local government will. Attend those city council meetings. Watch CSPAN. Get informed.
Quit relying on bloggers and your Facebook friends to give you accurate, non-biased, responses. Be the change. Smile at your neighbor, hold open a door. Form a protective ring around those in prayer, as we’ve seen done in the Middle East. Quit this American-on-American crime.
If you want to “Make America Great Again,” you need to be the one to be great first. You need to be a solid example of good, positive leadership.
Secretary Clinton’s campaign slogan, “Stronger Together,” is accurate, even if she isn’t to become our next president. We as Americans are stronger together. We are brothers, sisters, neighbors, lovers, friends. I don’t know every person in the world, but the Bible calls us to love them. So, that is what I will do. I will love the Muslim woman down the hall, the gardener of my apartment building from Mexico, the refugees who have nowhere to go, the millions of Americans who happen to love the same gender. I will love even you, reader. I can love someone and not agree with them.
Only we, as Americans, can be the change in America. Only we, as Americans, can make this country greater than it has ever been. Only we, as human beings, can love one another completely and totally.
Do we have to like and allow terrorism? No. But we can love the terrorist, the aggressor. We need to teach through example.
Yes, they should be punished, but we need to dig for the empathy and question why they are doing these things. We as humans can do so much more with love than hate and violence.
We all need to figure out how we, the strongest country in the world, became the most shamed. How we became the laughingstock. And then, we need to learn from it. We need to stand up and learn that we have the potential to be so much more.
We cannot expect the president to do these things. No matter who they are. That is our job, as ordinary Americans. To make the changes in ourselves, so that we can make that change in our country.
If you want hope, you’ve got it. There is no despair when you have the backing of a constitution like the one that governs us. Our founding fathers gave us all the hope we needed. Now we need to stand up and use it for the positive.
Jordan Mills
Oak Harbor
