Destiny Norris
Staff Writer
Two weeks ago, Donald Trump took the oath of office to become the 45th President of the United States.
In Washington, seated amongst his family and members of office in the United States government, former and present, Trump was ushered into his new position. His inauguration included singing, speeches, prayer, and Bible readings.
Before beginning I would like clarify a few things. I don’t want you to misunderstand what I am going to say. I am not the kind of girl who frowns on those who take a stand for what they believe in. In fact, I am often the kind of person that supports that sort of behavior, as long as it doesn’t interfere with lunch. Neither am I an anarchist or a non-patriot. I do not disagree with you if you demonstrated in a march or a protest nor do I disagree with you if you attended the inauguration with your “Trump for President” hat and a foam finger. I go forward into what I have to say with great respect for all.
Whether you attended, protested, or watched from home in your slippers, I would simply like to point out that the inauguration took place. The implications of that fact are massive. We have a new president. The leadership of our country has entirely changed. Obama and his well-dressed wife will move back to their home. Their lives will be forever changed by the former’s time in office. And, so our nation has been changed by the fingerprint he left on our government.
As Trump was sworn in, he addressed several former presidents who were also in attendance, all who had had their time in office and left their legacy on this country’s history. Trump will do the same. For better or for worse, he is our country’s leader, and that is a fact. It is now simply, or not so simply, how things are.
Most of Trump’s inaugural speech rotated through just a few different themes. He kept coming back to the principles of unity, peace, and harmony. He talked about un-forgetting the forgotten. He talked about sharing in common goals, dreams, and life experiences. Now, whether you agree with his policies or not, what Donald had to say rings true for us now.
As we disagree, let us not disengage from our common purpose. If we are to be brutally honest with ourselves, what matters right now is not who we wanted to win the election or who we think would have done a better job leading the country; frankly, those things do not matter, because they are no longer relevant issues. What matters now is how we, as individuals, respond.
How do you treat people who hold different views from you? What are you doing to make sure that justice is served, that the marginalized are seen, that compassion is enacted?
The United States’ inaugurations are characterized by the peaceful transfer of power. And that’s the cause that I would like to see the American people take up. Peace.
We scream and shout and throw things in protest, but do we really need to fight each other when there is so much more we could be fighting for?
Donald quoted a passage from Psalms 133 in his address: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity!”
When we think about America’s history, our foundations, we remember that we have become a place where people who have different skin, different culture, different dreams become brothers. Where people who have disagreed in the past discover that their hearts beat the same way. America—the beautiful, the diverse—you do not have to see the same to breath the same. Love each other. Whatever you believe, however you behave, let it all be conducive to peace.
Let your actions speak louder than words, and tell your actions to say that whoever you believed your enemy to be is no longer to be seen that way; but they are your ally in a fight for one nation, undivided.