A lot of people in this country feel overwhelmed right now:

Or like this:

Or even this:

I understand.

It’s a lot to process. President Trump. The person who made all those comments over the past 18 months is now our president, the most influential person globally for the next four years. That’s a long time. And at the end of it, there will be another Donald Trump campaign. We have to accept that.

Many people are fearful for numerous reasons right now.

However, at this moment, many Americans also feel like this:

Or this:

Or like this:

These individuals are not frightened by what happened last night—they are joyful, relieved, and grateful.

Surprisingly, just as many people are thrilled by the election results as there are devastated. For every American who voted for Hillary yesterday and watched the events of last night with shock, there is another American who celebrated. It’s a 1-to-1 ratio.

Supporters of Hillary will experience various stages of grief before reaching acceptance. I’ve already undergone about nine stages myself—and emerged with two main thoughts:

1) This situation is not as dire as it appears.

2) This is a time for introspection.

Let’s start with #1. Reading posts on the internet throughout the night, I noticed Hillary supporters making rather dramatic statements, and I believe we all need to take a step back. Here are some examples:

“I’m moving to Canada.”

Let’s face it—most people aren’t actually going anywhere. First off, Canada may not be welcoming, and secondly, this is still a great country that you should take pride in. More on that later.

“She won the popular vote. This system is so messed up.”

True. The system is flawed. But if Hillary had lost the popular vote and won the electoral vote, you’d probably be fine with it. You can’t criticize a system only when it doesn’t work in your favor.

“We’ll never have a female president.”

I don’t buy into that notion for a second, and I doubt you do either. Hillary didn’t lose because she’s a woman. She lost due to her campaign abilities and Trump’s resonating message. The country is more than ready to elect a female president, and it may very well happen in the next election or the one after that. It will be an incredible moment whenever it occurs.

“Trump has no clue about being a world leader.”

That may be true. However, consider this: the US president needs expertise in numerous areas, well beyond what any president can possess. The president’s role is to bring in a team of experts to cover what they don’t know. While Trump may lack experience in certain areas, the executive branch will be managed by a group of people, not just Trump. His history running a complex organization and his selection of Pence as a running mate suggest he values expertise. President Trump will likely rely on a team of experts to run the executive branch effectively.

“Holy smokes, the Supreme Court.”

If you strongly support socially liberal values, it’s reasonable to be upset. However, this is somewhat expected. Each recent president has appointed justices, and with the historical trend, conservative justices may come next. There will likely be a future liberal president who will appoint more liberal justices. While the Merrick Garland situation was frustrating, reality dictates that we live in a democratic society with differing views. On the bright side, Trump isn’t particularly socially conservative, so his appointees may not be either.

“RIP America.”

America isn’t dead. What occurred last night demonstrates the essence of a vibrant America. Half the country felt neglected and upset, leading to a shift in government control. This is democracy at work, where half the nation is often displeased with the president’s identity. While Trump is a unique case and might be particularly alarming, his victory was legitimate, given his electoral numbers. America is more than any single individual, and it has withstood numerous challenges throughout history, including poor presidencies. It will endure Trump’s presidency too.

“But Trump can cause significant harm.”

Indeed, he can. However, every president has the potential to do harm, yet the country persists. The president’s power is limited without other branches of government approval, reducing the chances of extreme actions. Additionally, not every idea Trump has is necessarily detrimental. He may have positive and innovative ideas in certain areas. While he is unsettling, let’s consider the broader perspective.

“It’s easy for you to say, white male blogger. I’m a person of color and no longer feel secure here.”

To that, I respond:

This country stood by you yesterday and will continue to support you tomorrow. America isn’t just the president or the government—it comprises 320 million individuals, and those people have not changed. Nearly every ethnic group in America, at some point, faced challenges as unwelcome immigrants. There’s a fundamental spirit of acceptance ingrained in the fabric of America that Trump cannot alter. While there are undoubtedly racists and xenophobes present, Trump’s election doesn’t indicate a growing trend of people-phobia. This leads me to another common statement:

“I despise everyone who voted for Trump—those ignorant, racist, xenophobic individuals.”

It’s oversimplifying matters to view the election solely based on the negative comments Trump made during the campaign. Trump secured support in areas where Obama was strong among white voters—people open-minded enough to vote for a black president. He also surprisingly garnered Latino support. Trump’s appeal is more nuanced than media portrayals. While he made deplorable remarks and attracted hateful individuals, he represented hope and change for many, akin to Obama’s message in 2008.

People vote for hope and change during difficult times. During the election, I witnessed people experiencing hardships, seeking a better future.

Hence, if you support Hillary, in addition to feeling disappointed and frustrated, it’s crucial to reflect. Half the country voted for Trump—over 50 million individuals with families, jobs, and complex lives who seek a promising future for themselves and their loved ones.

So, we’ll need to become accustomed to seeing Trump’s face for the next few years, which is regrettable. He may enact detrimental policies. It’s understandable to be distressed about having Trump as the face of the nation and concerned about the country’s well-being under his leadership. However, to make the best of this situation, we need to ask a vital question: Why did those 50 million people choose Trump?

Exploring this question will help us learn from the past and progress.

Remember—America has dealt with similar moments in the past, where half of the nation was vehemently opposed to the newly elected president. We have always emerged from these situations, and we will do so again.

Three days later, my follow-up post to this one.

___________

Want to feel hopeful? Read about Elon.

Or explore something more significant than all of this.

Or watch this video.

_______

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About Tim Urban

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