It saddens me me to note the amount of hate and backlash that has occurred since President Trump’s election. Although I have strong political opinions like many people in this country, I can’t honestly say that I agree with what everyone is doing. It’s a bit ridiculous that protestation now equals shattered glass and vandalism. That’s essentially what all of this is, after all. It’s a good chance to take out some of the ugliness these people hold inwardly and blast it to the outside world for all of us to deal with.
There is a better way.
Political opinions, while they can be incredibly strong, are not the only things we’re made up of. In defense of this statement, I always recall to mine the pairing up of various couples who disagreed vehemently with each other in the matters of political discourse yet still managed to have healthy relationships outside the political atmosphere. Numerous couples live this life: Teresa Heinz Kerry was a registered Republican before she met and married John Kerry, former Democratic presidential nominee. This is one example; there are others in addition to this, among them FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt. It’s not incredibly common, the pairing of a leftie and a righty, but it does happen and although it would seem strange to some, it really isn't.
Why not?
Essentially because we are more than political persuasions. I am more than a conservative-Libertarian. I don’t agree with my party on every issue, but that doesn’t matter because my party isn’t my life. There is more to Marissa than a political checkbox - life is the summation of friends, family, faith, and a host of other complexities in-between. ALL of us are more than the way we vote. We’re mothers, daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, fathers, neighbors, workout buddies, office-mates, we go to the same churches, eat at the same restaurants, and we all breathe the same air and see the same moon and stars at night. So why the rage? Americans are so much more than hate and backstabbing. We are blessed. No matter who is in office, we are blessed.
And so while protests and rioting still continue in some parts of the country, I pray we can overcome our differences. Purple is, after all, a nice color.
