My posts so far, as limited as they’ve been, have been completed mostly with a comical/entertaining intent. This one’s a little different. Many of you may know (hopefully) that Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony was yesterday. This event, along with the entire election process and Trump’s campaign has stirred quite the controversy. Many politicians, people with no political history (and often even knowledge for that matter), people who care, and people who don’t have gotten into many heated debates. People calling people bigots, racists, misogynists, hateful, prejudice, hypocritical, baby killers, and much worse has filled the news and every social media outlet. Actual, physical violence has even become mundane. There have been riots, people looting, hate crimes, murders, and even people throwing bricks through restaurants in Washington D.C. on the day of the inauguration. People have literally been destroying our nation’s capital. And every time I get on social media (which I have decreased significantly because of the following), I see hate. I see hate toward Trump, I see hate toward Hillary, I see hate toward their supporters. My news feed and my surroundings are just so filled with hate. And every single time I read this hate, I just think one thing: why not love? And one thing that I absolutely love and feel like others need to realize their love for, as well, is this country.
I’m proud to be an American. Regardless of who’s running it, regardless of who isn’t, regardless of who used to, regardless who will. There are some countries that might be better in some ways, some countries who might be worse in some ways. Some countries may have better leaders. Some countries may have better economies. Some countries may have better laws. But regardless of all of that, the people who protest the flag, people who berate the people who protest the flag, the people who participated in the women’s march, the people who are protesting in the streets, the people who are for and against controversial topics and outspoken about it, you are able to do all of that because you live in this country. It’s your right. The reason you can publicly disagree with someone. The reason you can publicly speak out against the nation’s leadership. The reason I can create this post. We have rights. We have freedom. I’m proud of those who fought for our freedom and currently still fight. I’m proud of those people who work in hospitals and work in law firms. I’m proud of firefighters and police officers. I’m proud of the people who work long hours or multiple jobs or do the jobs no one else wants to do. There’s pride in that. They’re taking care of their own and they’re doing what they need to do. Sure a lot of these are possible and present in other countries, but I’m proud of what we have and who we are. I’m proud of the stars and stripes, the red white and blue, the land of the free and the home of the brave, and you know dang well I’m proud to be one nation under God. With all that hate in your heart, it truly gets exhausting. It’s tiring to hate someone or something so passionately. Loving others just feels better. It feels right. It feels pure. Just choose love, it’s way easier than hate.