A Different Perspective

Hello friends.

I think we all need some hugs right now.

The past couple of days have been a whirlwind with this election and I've struggled to find the right words or the right things to say.  I've floundered terribly.  I've always been best when I've had time to process things, and when I'm able to sit down and write.  Or in this case, type.

I could sit here and argue my case for why Hillary was the better choice, or complain about the electoral college, or fight about how Trump is going to ruin our country.  I could go so many ways with what I want to say.  But that's not going to help.  There is one truth to this election that seems to be needed to be said.

We are a country divided right now.  Everyone is going crazy over their thoughts and opinions.  That is part of the beauty of this country, and this day and age.  We have those capabilities.  We have those rights.  We can express ourselves however we want, whether it's to stand up for what we believe in, or to troll someone we don't agree with.  The thing of it is though, we are not using this power to our advantage.

It's done.  The election is over.  Unfortunately we cannot change that.  And most of the time, we cannot change the opinions of one person on social media.  Even as I sit here typing this, hoping against hope that this might make someone see things from a different perspective, it most likely won't reach the eyes of those who need to see it.  What we can do, though, is live our lives in an exemplary manner, against the startling trend of those who are not.

I've seen and heard some really racist and bigoted things in the past two days.  People putting on social media things that just amplify that there are MAJOR problems with humanity.  It starts with us, though.  It starts as the people we are, the examples we are for our peers and our children.

I'm a teacher (a dance teacher).  I see over a hundred kids every week.  I am very lucky to live in a pretty privileged area of the country.  I am lucky that I can make a living teaching.  This also means I have influence.  That is NOT to be taken lightly.  I've had older kids tease me in the past, but one of the biggest things I preach is kindness in the classroom.  Be kind to the people in your class.  Be kind to yourself.  Be kind to your teachers.

And I think America needs to step back and remember that for a moment.  It seems like we all want change in one way or another, but is the solution to bully each other to get our way?  No.  Bullying is never the solution.

In the days going forward, let's remember who we are as a country and where we came from.  We are all technically from somewhere else.  It's easy to forget if you've lived in this country for your entire life.  The thing of it is, our ancestors came over from other countries for various different reasons.  If you think back to 1621- the year of the first Thanksgiving- that was a BOLD thing to do.  They traveled by boat into uncharted waters where it would take them WEEKS to reach more land.  They risked their lives when there were no modern comforts that we enjoy today.  They had no clue what they were doing, but they did it.  They moved away, they settled into new land, and they eventually started this wonderful country.

I know many will argue that this isn't such a wonderful country, but it IS.  We have so many rights that others do not.  We are fortunate to have so much- including clean drinking water and food.  It is a LUXURY that we have the opportunity to fight for more, and for what we think is right.

So in that line of thinking, we need to remember our COMPASSION.  Put yourself in someone else's shoes.  If you live on the coast in a city with an office job, try to think about the person living in the midwest who's job it was to work in a factory, and who's entire life was built around that factory, but when it closed down, the entire town lost their jobs and now they live in poverty.  They both paint a different kind of America, don't they?

Please, over the coming next four years, fight for what you believe in.  But fight for what you believe in with kindness, understanding, and compassion.  Don't resort to violence.  Don't resort to hatred.  We need to teach our kids that so that we don't fall into scenarios where there's hate speech and actions coming from kindergarteners.  We need to show our future generations how that by coming together, despite our differences, we can do great things.  Everyone makes mistakes along the way, and electing Trump may or may not be one of those mistakes, but it's how we deal with it in the end that shows who we are.  Let's show the rest of the world that we're not a joke.

Let's show them what we're made of- all races, all religions, all cultures, all kinds of peoples from all walks of life coming together to think about more than just ourselves, but of our country and the world as a whole.

And here's a hug, from me to you.