I had taken a silent vow
that I wouldn’t write about Trump anymore.
Hindsight being what it is, I could not write any entries on this
platform without writing about Donald Trump.
After all, when you’re dealing with politics, you must include him
because our political climate currently revolves around him.
We’ve never had a
president that does and says what this one does. This is part of his charm or lack thereof
depending on how you look at it. Many
like his unconventional style. Many of
his supporters believe that he is a man of the people. They believe that he would sit down with them
at a neighborhood bar and have a beer with them. And therein lies the danger because nothing
could be further from the truth.
The main problem (one
that is quite evident) is how the president has enshrouded himself in the
adoration of his supporters. He does so at
every rally. He does so at every
speaking event. He does so whenever he
gives a highly respected elected official a nickname that is more reminiscent
of a schoolyard bully than someone that was elected to hold the highest office
in our country.
We have become a nation
so divided that oftentimes, I don’t recognize the country that I was born. Daily, we are brought into a fight that we
don’t belong. This fight is “us” versus “them.” It has been ever since the election of the 45th
president of the United States.
This fight started when
the president brought his mentality to the office of the presidency. In his mind, if you were not for him, you
were against him. There is not a happy
medium like our democracy had at one time dictated. In the mindset of a man whose entire life has
been surrounded by “yes” people, you are either for him or against him. There is no room for a second opinion or
perspective. He will always be right
even if that correctness comes at the expense of everyone else.
The voices that would
have brought reason and thus that second opinion which is much needed that lends
itself to the office of the presidency are gone; replaced by people that will
only say “yes” to a man who needs to be right at all costs.
He has identified himself
as the “us” versus “them” when he states at his rallies that the democrats are
attacking them. And the people standing
in the audience cheer, chanting things like “lock her up” or “send them back.”
Hopefully, at the end of
the Trump Era, we will be able to reclaim who we were as opposed to what we’ve
become. We’ve become a land where we are
full of suspicions about the other.
Those that side with president despises the other. Not only do we not listen to anything that
the other side says; not only do we not believe what the other side says, we do
not validate them.
Trump supporters have
aligned themselves with a man that they truly believe in. And those of us that do not support this man will
only see his flaws and missteps.
We are living through a time
where we need to listen to one another instead of alienating each other. We have become so polarized that we refuse to
see the truth…even if that truth is in plain view.
We may view the truth as
damaging to either our democracy or the president as well as his agenda. And that’s okay because at the end of the
day, we have to be able to listen to one another.
"We are allowed to have a different point of view but we should be able to come together, air our differences and come up with ideas that will move us forward as a people. After all, as spoken in the Pledge of Allegiance, it is said “One Nation Under God.” Think about that for a moment.We are one nation under God…indivisible with liberty and justice for all." ~ J.L. Whitehead
We cannot be a nation
where we are constantly pointing towards each other as the reason why we can’t
move forward as a people because right now, there is no way that we can. We can’t because there is too much finger
pointing. There is too much slandering
of the other side while nothing gets done.
We are allowed to have a
different point of view but we should be able to come together, air our
differences and come up with ideas that will move us forward as a people. After all, as spoken in the Pledge of
Allegiance, it is said “One Nation Under God.”
Think about that for a moment.
We are one nation under God…indivisible
with liberty and justice for all.
That is what we stand
for.
Or that’s what we stood
for because now, we are so divided that we can only see in terms of black and
white…sometimes quite literally.
Whether you love Trump or
hate him, what has always gotten us through tough times is our allegiance to our
nation…not to a man. We have always
allowed the admittance of ideas that may not align with our own, because that
is what has and hopefully will always make this country great.
We know that there are people
that are pro black and brown people just as much as there are people that are
pro white. This is quite evident given
that race is one of the main reasons why this country is being torn apart. We need to understand that in order to
survive this presidency and come out better and yes, stronger as a nation, we must
allow for a viewpoint that is not our own.
We must allow for something that is bigger and better than all our
collective ideas. Because regardless of
how you personally feel about the changing landscape of our nation; that
landscape is changing…and it shouldn’t matter.
I say this because right
now, as I awaken in my comfortable bed, there are men still locked up in cages
that shouldn’t be there. There are women
who will never see their children again because they were separated at our
border. There are young girls that are
still missing who will never be found.
So think about this for a
moment.
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United
States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
~
J.L. Whitehead