To those who would tout today as a victory, history will not remember you kindly.
As unfortunate as it may sound, the results of the election, as difficult as they may be to interpret, clearly denote one, undeniable truth - America is no longer a functional republic.
I am sure that there are fellow Americans who would read that statement, and be taken aback, offended, and defensive. However, when a twice-impeached, convicted felon, who represents the worst that America has to offer in every way, has been chosen to lead it, we can no longer proclaim ourselves to be a shining example of democracy.
It is no secret that American politics are widely observed around the world. In fact, the majority of the world understands just how dire this situation is, as they watch on from afar as our civil rights, morality, legal system, and all that has come to represent the United States has come crashing down in less than a decade.
This is no longer about policies. This is no longer about the economy. This is no longer about competency, age, or qualifications.
This is about what Donald Trump has propagated long before he announced his run for presidency 9 years ago - hatred.
As George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” For those who have been watching this abomination and indictment of the political system over the last three elections, the result is no surprise. Within the rise of fascist, far-right, nationalist, hate-fueled campaigns throughout history, the constants have always remained the same. Hate and fear are much stronger sources of motivation than messages of harmony and progress.
So, although the election will slowly become part of the past, the sheer devastation that will come as a result of it will continue to be an ever-present danger for not only Americans, but any who looked to this country as a beacon of hope.
America has never been perfect - far from it. Yet, there was always a reason to believe that, even in its imperfection, this nation was moving steadily towards the ‘more perfect’ union that always stood as its destiny. Today is a solemn but strong indication that generations of progress can be undone exponentially more quickly when we forget to maintain the values that once propelled us onward.
There simply is no rationality behind what is transpiring in the United States at this moment. The only certainty is that division, hatred, misogyny, ignorance, fear, and, above all else, immorality have prevailed, and it will be the future generations that will pay the price.
This nation is broken, and I mourn the loss of the future that I once believed was possible. A piece of me still maintains a tragic faith that my homeland has come up against much worse in the past, and defied the odds. However, in this moment, I am far from hopeful.
As the final votes are counted, and the campaign signs are taken down, it is America that has to look itself in the mirror. We have laid bare what it is that we truly value, and the outcome is disturbing.
What was once a quest for justice, peace, equality, and all of the other virtues that once defined America has devolved into feckless devotion to a felonious, morally depraved, ignorant, fear-mongering, inept billionaire, who has no intention of fulfilling any of the promises he made to those who, for the second time, enabled him. At most, he has secured more time to wield power in order to spare himself the repercussions of his legal transgressions.
I’ll take today to grieve, to feel the disdain and defeat that so many of my peers do. Tomorrow will be a new day, and I choose to embrace it with the mantra espoused by the defining president of my lifetime - the ‘audacity of hope.’
