It was one of those mornings where my body just woke itself up without my alarm clock’s aid. Though my heart was heavy with anxiety, I could not help myself from typing the question into Google.
Each election year carries more intensity than the last with this one showing no mercy. I found myself toiled up in grief and sorrow as a woman and a minority American citizen. But in spite of the turmoil I was feeling as I read the results of the election, I could not help but think about the good I have seen in my fellow Americans.
It was 8:30 a.m. The sun was barely peeking through the firm gray clouds as my mother and I waited in a twisted and cold line. Piles and piles of jumbled people for early voting spanned from the front doors of the public library down to nearby neighborhoods. To complete one’s civic duty took a two-hour waiting period; however, time has nothing on southern hospitality and the nagging urge we have to talk with complete strangers.
Within this line I got to know a married couple with two kids older than I. A grandmother who is a retired elementary school teacher and just moved to Kentucky for her family. Another grandmother who apparently knew a lot of the same people as the couple yet they themselves had never connected before. We chatted about life and told stories of our experiences. We joked while also learning about one another’s struggles (surface level, of course). Yet, during that time, you know what we did not speak about? Politics.
There is a certain level of understanding every American has for one another, whether we realize it or not. It’s the fact that almost every citizen is fighting for the same goals, despite party divisions or loud politicians trying to rally the people up.
According to the article “Yes, we’re divided. But new AP-NORC poll shows Americans still agree on most core American values” by the Associated Press News, it states: “The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 9 in 10 U.S. adults say the right to vote, the right to equal protection under the law and the right to privacy are extremely important or very important to the United States’ identity as a nation. The survey also found that 84% feel the same way about the freedom of religion… About three-quarters of U.S. adults agree that a democratically elected government is extremely or very important, and about 8 in 10 think the same about the ability of people living in the U.S. to get good jobs and achieve the American dream. But what achieving that dream means — and which values are most fundamental to American culture — isn’t something all Americans agree on.”
There is a reason we were all willing to stand in that dreadful line that morning, and there was a reason why we did not discuss who our votes would be cast for. We saw each other as fellow Americans performing our civic duty.
It’s hard to look someone in the eye after an election when you know you stand on opposing sides. Sometimes it can even end relationships that were once considered strong. But in spite of all the bleakness I felt that morning and in the days that followed, I still choose to love my country. I still choose to love my neighbors with both similar and opposing views, even if it feels like they’re against me. All I want is the best for my nation, and I do not believe that there is an American citizen who does not have that same goal. I just have to remind myself that “the best” looks different for everyone. I voted how I believed would bring the most flourishment to our country, and every voter out there did the same.
