First of all, a few things in the way of disclaimers and backgrounds. Skip to "HERE!" to get to the real stuff.
I haven't posted here in years. Like, a LOT of years. Since then the girlfriend I've referenced has been upgraded to wife and we had a kid. We have a family blog, but I don't believe we've updated that in... well, years. Blogs have kinda died as a medium of communication since about the time that Google Reader died in 2012...ish?
However, the things I want to write about here are a bit political, and I don't like mixing politics with friendships, so my way of keeping them separate is to put this political stuff here, where people will only find it if they click on a link taking them here- they're here if they're looking for it.
Also, I've decided I'm going to try to keep funny stuff on Facebook (more on this later), so this post isn't going to be as humorous as previous posts here. Plus, those posts were years ago- a lot has changed since then.
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So... it's 11/9/2016. Hopefully this date will ultimately be forgotten as a day that meant nothing. That would mean at least four years of potentially scary times turned into nothing but a dud, but for now I'm sensing a lot of fear and uncertainty. Donald Trump was elected president and nobody really knows what that means.
In campaigning, Donald Trump has promised to do some outrageous things (most controversial is perhaps building a wall on the U.S./Mexico border "and make Mexico pay for it"), suggested ridiculous options (like banning all Muslims for being allowed to fly into the country) and made horrific accusations (opening his campaign saying that Mexicans sends people with a lot of problems, and proceeded to accuse them of carrying drugs and being rapists). This is all without touching on his nauseating actions towards women, which alone is enough to keep him under a restraining order from all women everywhere. His speeches have been laced with hatred, anger and prejudice and for some reason, the U.S. decided to make him president.
I have no idea why. The man is everything that good fathers tell their children not to be. We good people tell others that they shouldn't judge others for their sex, or skin color. We tell our kids that they should not be bullies. We teach our kids to be nice to each other. Whether Donald was never taught these things or rejected such teachings I don't know, but it's clear that Donald doesn't care for the worth of these values.
I didn't vote for Donald Trump. I didn't vote for him because I don't believe that he's an answer to any of the major problems I believe that our country is facing today. I also didn't vote for his main competitor Hillary Clinton, as I also believe she wasn't the best option. I opted to vote for a person whose views on issues aligned most with my own because I believe that is how voting should work and I refuse to be part of the problem. I do not regret voting as I did, but the consequence of this is that Donald Trump was allowed to win. I believe in accepting the consequences of actions, so although I'm not happy that he won, I accept the consequences that come with his victory.
So far, these consequences are the fear and uncertainty that I mentioned before. I understand it- to be honest I'm a bit scared myself- admittedly not in the "I might get deported" way, but I find other things that concern me about his presidency- will he initiate war? Will he modify laws to complicate the immigration process concerning plans my Peruvian wife and I have? Will other countries respond with hostility towards his actions? What will happen to the economy? Will Trump bankrupt the country as he has several of his own companies? Will his actions regarding deportation tear families apart? Will he start taking actions against religious freedom? I don't know the answers to these questions, so for now all I have is worry.
Yet, I'm not alone. All over my and my wife's Facebook feed we're seeing messages of anger, accusations, disappointment, sadness, worry and the true feeling that I think all of these are fueled by: fear. I suppose I could give into my own fear and simply hole up somewhere until this all blows over.. Or, I can do something about it.
I don't entirely know what I can do about it- I'm still exploring options and ideas. But I have a new resolve to comfort this fear from other people- if I can help or reach out to other people and be a friendly face maybe I can push back the image being painted of U.S. citizens being selfish racist biggots. If I can be a bit more friendly to others maybe I can make the U.S. a little more welcoming than it may appear. Even if all I accomplish is a cheap, temporary smile on someone's face because I said a cheap joke, I'll take it. In being afraid I feel a unity among Americans right now. I don't know if I entirely understand the solution just yet, but I refuse to be a part of the problem. I will do what I can to quell fears and anger (as little as it may be), and I'd encourage others to do the same.
