In today’s 24-hour news media, politics has evolved from an annual to a daily endeavor, resulting in a massively polarized political society. As a result, it is easy to lose touch with inner morality; openly despising opposing political ideologies seems to be the most salient action in the United States. Whether it is an anti-free speech protest, where students willfully set their own campus aflame, or a violent Antifa riot featuring left-wing and right-wing advocates brutally assaulting each other, it is clear the Left and the Right are both to blame for the civil unrest that has afflicted the United States in recent months. Trump alone did not divide us, each person did that on their own; everyone who participates in these violent atrocities is to blame themselves for choosing to hate.
News broadcasters, newspaper editors, political journalists, and yes, even Trump himself, may have influenced these vicious attacks that Americans see erupt all over the nation; however, not once have any of them incited physical attacks on people who hold differing political ideologies. Though Hillary Clinton conceded the election, many of her supporters have not, and it is clear these people will not concede. It’s sickening that some of these individuals seem simply vindictive, demonstrated by the hypocritical backlash against Trump for the firing of FBI Director James Comey, and by the increasingly malicious investigation of ties of Trump to Russia—even though former United States Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates both denied evidence of collusion. However, even though many Democrats will not concede, that does not permit a person on either side of the political spectrum to incite violence in any way. What is most surprising is that a large amount of the violence occurs on university campuses; how did these students already forget the teachings of civil disobediance from Martin Luther King Jr. that they learned for years in public schools, ever since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was observed in all fifty states starting in 2000.
So many people have lost sight of morality: Republicans are now “racist, homophobic, uncaring about the poor, mean-spirited, greedy, selfish, and intolerant” and Democrat leaders are “a craven bunch of idiots”. Few on either side are willing to make amends or consider what they have said in light of hate. Forget politics, become aware of the words you speak, the actions you take, and the consequences behind them. Violence has never been the answer and it never will be. When you become violent, people stop listening. We are American citizens and we are blessed with the right to freedom of speech, so choose your words wisely; profess your opinion with reason, authenticity and sincerity, not hate. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, moderate, independent or nonpartisan, understand we are all human beings and we are all imperfect. It’s time to embrace imperfection and forgive one another for the sake of peace and the greater good of this incredible nation.
