By Kyle Boris
November 8th could go down as one of the most important dates in the history of the United States of America.
Take that statement for what it’s worth.
Yes, the main reason this day could be such an important date for our country is because we will be selecting our 45th President. It’s been well-documented that our country is split between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Both have been in the news and in the tabloids for the wrong reasons. Many have questioned, whether through a long Facebook status or a quick tidbit on Twitter or even a rant on Youtube, how these politicians could be the best our country could come up with. There are many people who are 100% for Trump. There are also many Americans who are fully behind Clinton. But, for many Americans, they fall somewhere in between.
No matter where we fall, however, the real reasoning behind November 8’s importance is not the outcome of the Presidential Election. Instead, I argue, that the reactions of the American voters, following the election, could make November 8th the most important date in the history of the United States of America.
What will we do? How will we react? Will we give up? Will we allow our beliefs, feelings and dreams to lay to the rest because the person we wanted was elected? Will we lose hope after the person we voted was defeated? The answers to those questions will speak loudest after November 8th.
Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be the next president of this country. Barrack Obama will say his goodbyes and move on with his family as the White House opens its doors to either the Trumps or the Clintons. That might sound disgusting, unbelievable, and even flat-out insane to some of us, but that doesn’t mean we stop. That doesn’t mean we complain without action. Trump or Clinton’s name will be etched in the history books as the man or woman with the power. But, what they do with that power can only crack the surface of what the American people can do.
On November 9th, half of our country will wake up knowing that the person they voted for lost. It might make you want to scream hateful words on the internet. That might make you want to riot. It might make you threaten to leave the country. The great thing about this country is that you have the right to make any of those options a reality. You also have the right to attempt to make things better and make our country stronger.
I’ve stated that this day could be the biggest in our history. That could be good or bad. Positive or negative. When we look back it might carry importance because whomever we elected turned out to be the best thing for our country. We might also look back and realize it was our country’s biggest mistake.
But why should the voters only be looking back to think what could have been if so and so wasn’t president? What if we become the reason that when people look back they become aware that even though Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton became President, our nation came together. 2016-2020 wasn’t about who was the leader of the free world. That time period was about a country, that for so many months prior to the election was torn apart, that came together and built back up what was almost torn down.
Just because someone becomes president, that doesn’t mean we’re starting over or taking steps back. It doesn’t mean our entire country will be flipped upside down. I understand political policies come into play and decisions we don’t agree with might be made. But isn’t that always the case? We’ll never be happy with every decision that is made. That being said, we can be happy with the decisions we, the people, make. We can be happy about how we stepped up when a decision was made on November 8th.
Have you been fighting to put racism to an end? After November 8th, fight even harder. Do you believe rape culture is getting the attention and responses it needs? After November 8th, stand up even taller for change. Are you pushing for LGBT equality? After November 8th, push even harder. Scream for marijuana to be legal or illegal. Plead for stricter gun laws or scream against it. Plead for more awareness toward environmental issues, the bee population and animal cruelty. Plead for whatever it is you believe in.
Fight. Stand. Push. Scream. Plead.
Don’t stop. If you believe in something; if you believe in this country; if you believe in the American people than keep fighting. Don’t sit down. Push through and scream and plead until your voice is heard. Donald Trump is one man. Hillary Clinton is one woman. We are over 300 million strong. We are over 300 million voices. We are over 300 million different beliefs that make each and every one of us unique. As a whole, the over 300 million people of this country are stronger and have more power than two politicians fighting, degrading, and insulting each other to sit at a desk they may or may not deserve. We have more voices than the ones on the news telling us what we ‘should’ hear and know. We believe in things that none of them could ever imagine.
Every now and then, a day comes around that changes the course of history. It could be the start of a war or it could be the beginning of a revolution. The day could be one of tragedy or one of celebration. The day could even be one when the people of the United States of America started to fight, stand, push, scream and plead for their voices to be heard until the change they believed in was achieved.
Voting on November 8th will be the second most important thing you need to do that day. The most important will be to begin to decide how you want the day to be remembered.
Kyle Boris is the founder of YourSitch.com
Twitter: @KyleNoStyle
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