It has been a rough couple of days since the election on Tuesday and I have been heartsick about all the fighting among siblings, friends and strangers about the outcome. I have been very nervous about posting this blog but here goes…..
I am Mormon. I live in the state of Utah and I am a registered Democrat. I would probably call myself a liberal Democrat if I had to put a title on it. I believe that there should be a ban on assault rifles but that the average citizen has the right to own a gun, I think abortion should be legal as well as allowing same sex marriages. But for the first time in all the years that I have been voting, I voted a third party candidate this time. I don’t believe that I threw my vote away, I voted who I believed represented my beliefs that best. Believe it or not I was raised in a very Democratic home. My grandfather was a staunch Democrat and as far as I can remember he voted straight party most times. He was very active in politics in our small community. He was a blue collar worker and a union member. He believed that the Democrats were looking out for his best interests. Both of my parents are registered Democrats but I was taught by them to vote for the person and not necessarily the party. I was taught that I needed to look at the issues and not just the party they represent. That is what I have always tried to do. That is what I did this year.
This election has brought out the worst in people. I don’t look at the world through rose colored glasses and I realize that there are things that need to be changed in this country for example: healthcare and immigration but I don’t believe that all the name calling, protests or fighting is going to solve them. In my honest opinion what needs to happen is we just need to STOP IT! Stop the name calling, the judging, the finger pointing, disrespectfulness and start being kinder, accepting and putting the positive out into the world. We need to come together as a nation and start being respectful of each other, realizing that we all have different opinions and learning to respect them. How dull would life be if we all had the same opinions, interests and outlook on life. I may not like president-elect Donald Trump or agree with what he stands for but now that he will be our new president I will show him the respect that by simply being the president he deserves. I will set the example for my children and grandchildren and try to teach them the things that I was taught.
Change doesn’t come from the White House, change comes within our own homes and communities. I think Mahatma Gandhi said it best,”You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
