These Past Four Years
These past four years have felt like an eternity for some. For others, it felt like a party they never wanted to end. The past four years with Donald Trump as president were like none other in the history of this country.
We went from a time when politics were known but weren't shoved in our faces on a daily basis. We went from minor disagreements with people to purging all social media accounts of people who didn’t believe in the same things we believed in. We learned that if there’s one thing most of America can agree on, it’s that America has never been as divided as it is now. We came across a once in a century virus that was politicized in order to make the other party look bad. We find ourselves looking at police officers wondering if they’re one of the good or bad guys.
These past four years have done more damage than people want to admit. If you don’t believe me, look at your circle of friends or family. How many close people have you exiled because they don’t share the same beliefs? If Trump’s slogan was to “Make America Great Again”, why doesn’t it feel that way?
If Trump’s goal was to put America first, why is it that he only put his supporters first? Doesn’t that alone negate his mission?
These past four years brought out the absolute worst in America. It shined a light on how divided American’s truly are. It highlighted how corrupt American politicians are. Yes, all of them. It showed how quickly misinformation can spread and how easily it is to say something is fake if it doesn’t speak to your narrative.
Over the past four years, we saw people on both sides share social media posts bashing one another (we’re all guilty) to highlight the inaccuracies or hypocrisies of another. We tried to educate not only ourselves, but others too to understand why we believe what we do and why someone else should too. We became weary of seeing political posts day after day either reaffirming our stance or learning that someone finally cracked and went to the other side.
When people say these past four years were great, ask why. What was it that made the past four years so great? If it was because they saw personal financial gains while others plummeted into poverty or became unemployed, ask. If it was because they were more educated than someone else and felt powerful being able to belittle others, ask why.
These past four years divided us as a country. There is undeniable proof of that. There are people on both sides who believe there will be a Civil War. If you think a Civil War is coming, but think that putting America first is right, it needs to be said that a Civil War is Americans vs. Americans. There is no way America wins when America fights itself.
These past four years we woke up and checked the news and Twitter to see what happened while we were asleep. Politics shouldn’t be a drug that keeps people fueled to get through their day. Politics are supposed to be the lifeblood of a country that puts its citizens first no matter what. Even if that means politicians aren’t able to get a huge kickback from large corporations.
Will Joe Biden do everything he promised he would? Absolutely not. Did Donald Trump do everything he promised he would? Absolutely not. You cannot hate Joe Biden for the same reasons you loved Donald Trump. You cannot love Joe Biden for the same reasons you hated Donald Trump.
The hope going forward is to bring people together and respect others. Not to tear one another down until they reach their breaking point. Continuing to share what you love or hate about a politician will continue to bring us to one location, nowhere.
Regardless of who you voted for, you shouldn’t be hoping Joe Biden fails to prove why Trump was so great. You should be hoping America gets stronger so we all win. How can everyone prosper if one is always tearing the other down? If there’s one thing these past four years taught us, it’s that there’s more hate in all of us than we’d like to admit.
