At a crossroad: Where does America go from here?
Written by Christian Holferty
Graphic by Sarah Nash
Ronald Reagan once said that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. In our lifetime, there has never been more reason to believe that to be true than through this past election cycle. We grew up believing that whatever threats American society faced lurked somewhere in the shadows of a far-off nation. Instead, it’s becoming plain to see that those threats are within the United States itself.
Over the past few months I have been doing a lot of reflecting. 2020 showed us an ugly side of America; an America where the loudest voices on both sides of the political spectrum ruled supreme over cooler heads. Regardless of your thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement, the coronavirus pandemic, or the election, I believe we can all say we’re more than ready to move forward. What does moving forward look like though? How do we, as a nation, begin to heal? Where does America go from here?
What makes these United States special isn’t our geography, economy, military, or culture. It is the principles and ideals upon which this country was founded. There have admittedly been times when our execution has grossly missed the mark and I’m sure there will be more to come. Nevertheless, our principles and ideals have continued to persist and have time and time again provided us a foundation to correct course and continue to pursue the perfection of Liberty and Justice. The United States is not defined by what we are now or what we once were, but what we continuously strive to be.
In the broadest of terms, America is not a nation or a place on a map. It is an idea, a philosophy, an ongoing experiment. An experiment that hypothesizes every person regardless of race, religion, class, gender, sexuality, political affiliation, family name, etc. are equal in the eyes of the law, that they have the right to pursue whatever path they so choose, and that all Americans can do so as a united people. It is important to remember that the path of this nation is not meant to be dictated by political parties, politicians, or PACs; but by the people.
The problems we currently face didn’t arise in the span of a presidency. They’re deep rooted and date back long before any of us were born. It is not the fault of one party or politician altogether. Instead, these past five or so years have magnified the problems that America has dealt with for so long. In acknowledging this, it makes the issues at hand seem all the more foreboding. How could we possibly seek to turn a tide that’s been moving for more than a century?
First, we have to do away with the vitriol and wanton disrespect that we’ve seen both parties brandish. I understand that American politics has rarely, if ever, been an example of graceful political discourse, but are we so divided that we’ve come to a place where the opposing political party is no longer considered a fellow patriot? I’m not referring to the insurgents that stormed the Capitol. They represent only the worst of a portion of Americans who have been misguided by President Trump. Instead, I’m referring to Democrats and Republicans alike who, by blindly following their political party, have let themselves become pawns in a game for the politicians who are supposed to be representing the people’s interests. Our political leaders, along with the media, have worked to dampen the flames underneath the melting pot that we call America, creating little pockets of reality for members on both sides to live in.
It’s my belief that Democrats and Republicans alike want to see the United States of America succeed. They want to pass on the blessings of Liberty for generations to come but have some philosophical disagreements of how that should be done. Instead of us following the examples of our current leaders, who seem increasingly less eager to reach across the aisle, let us be the ones who set the example. For our nation to move forward, Democrats have to be willing to work with Trump voters (and Republicans in general) instead of disregarding them as backwards, backwater racists. The same goes for Republicans who have constantly disrespected Democrats over the years. You can’t expect someone to cooperate if you only see them as a snowflake.
The American people have the power to change the nature of American politics right now. Instead of arguing, debate. When you can’t come to a consensus, respectfully disagree. Attempt to find common ground with one another. See your neighbor not as Democrat or Republican, but as an American. The less we feed into political games, the less games there will be to play.
The United States of America is at a crossroads. The election is over, new leadership has come. Regardless of how you feel about those leaders, it is our responsibility to hold them accountable. We can not afford to get tripped up in party politics or the old way of doing things. Our focus should be on compromise and finding ways to bring our country back together. It won’t be easy, I can assure you not everyone will be on board, and it will take time. But as a wise man once said, the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago. The second best time is right now.