Politics

What will it take to bring U.S. back together after Trump’s victory?

Trump victoryThe 2016 election was unprecedented at every level. President-elect Donald Trump broke with just about every tradition in his bid for the White House and, in this writer’s opinion, will bring some much needed fresh air to an otherwise stagnant and stale political establishment. His methods are unorthodox and his proposed policies are just crazy enough to work. If he follows through with his campaign promises, we will see illegal immigration thwarted, businesses thrive again, the middle class get some financial relief, inner cities receive education overhauls, the Affordable Care Act replaced with something that is ACTUALLY affordable…this list of potential positives brought by a Trump Administration goes on and on and sounds wonderful.

Then why is there so much violent opposition?

High school and college students are walking out of class to protest, crowds are damaging properties in protest, people are lying in the street to block traffic in protest, and Trump supporters have been physically assaulted for simply supporting his bid for president. The percentage of people rioting and protesting is small in the grand scheme of things but this is a classic example of the squeaky wheel. Even though it’s only one wheel that is squeaking, it is unnerving and gets more attention than the other wheels.

Liberal
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NOTE: I would like to clarify here that I fully support the rights of these individuals to protest. It’s their right to oppose as much as it’s my right to support. I do condemn the violence, destruction of property, and disrupting of everyone else’s lives though. Does the phrase “peaceful protest” mean anything to anyone?

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

As much as I would love to join in the other voices shouting “get over it”, I take a more solemn view. The questions at hand, as I see it, are as follows:

  1. What path led us to the thought process of those who are dealing out the destruction and violence instead of peaceful protest?
  2. How do we find ourselves divided down every possible line in this country?

And the mother of all questions:

  1. What will it take to bring us back together?

The answer to question one is easy: We forgot where we came from. We have largely chosen to throw away or at least modify the ideas that our forefathers held when building our nation. Rather than hand-blistering hard work, our younger generations have opted for instant gratification at all costs and have been rewarded with trophies for mere participation. When a person works hard and receives a trophy, that’s a reward for the sweat equity they put into the activity – whether that’s a promotion at work or a Super Bowl ring. But when everybody gets a trophy just for showing up – ah, that’s an entitlement. It breeds laziness, it bolsters the thought that “I must always win and I must always be happy”, and it requires a support system of other people propping up the unduly entitled. The consequences are devastating. When one ALWAYS wins – even though they really didn’t – they have no clue how to react when they lose – whether that is by not getting a job or when the candidate they support loses an election. The outbursts of violent anger are a direct result of this entitlement mindset we have allowed to grow unchecked.

The answer to the second question is a bit tougher. We can speculate, pontificate, and gyrate about the reasons, but I opine that it is this: We have politicians to thank for the rampant division in this nation. Give it some thought. For years, politicians of both major parties have run on some fairly standard platforms that deal primarily with redistributing wealth in some form or fashion. The idea that I am somehow entitled to some of your wealth just because I’m poorer or of some ethnic group is, well, entitlement again! The result is that the lower class and middle class are at odds with the upper class, the African American population is at odds with the Caucasian population and so on and so on. Enter Trump. How can we expect things to get better by re-electing politicians who work in the same old way as we have done for so many years? We can’t. We needed an outsider. And a lot of people who profess to want change are mad because of change. Thanks politicians. Please pass the better policies, thank you very much.

Which brings me to the final sobering question: What will it take to bring us back together? Are we to the point that words and promises will no longer unify us? Can the rally cry of “We are America” no longer unite us in the pride of simply being Americans? Have we become so self-centered that we’re no longer interested in what is required by each of us to collectively do what is best for America? I ask because I’m not sure. Here’s the scary part. Think back to the last time we were REALLY unified. When was the last time we were TRULY holding hands, locking arms, and standing together on the global stage as a collective body of persons known as America?

September 11, 2001

911-attack

I ask now again, somberly and reverently, what will it take to bring us back together? I pray to God above that it’s not another 9/11. I hold out great hope and faith in the people of our nation that we can agree to disagree, exercise our rights to peaceful protest, and then lay down our proverbial arms and come together for the future of this nation. We are, after all, the greatest nation that has ever been known. I also have great faith in God above that he still knows what is going on and is still, ultimately, in control. It is my prayer that we can all peacefully express our elation or disgust at the newly-elected President and then join hands, lock arms, stand on the national stage together once again and proclaim without apology to the rest of the world, “We are America.”

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B.T. Horn

B.T. Horn is a Christian author from Arkansas Check him out at http://www.amazon.com/author/bthorn or on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/authorbthorn

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