Dear America,

I woke up Wednesday morning, the ninth, hoping, and truly believing that our country would be progressing towards the bright future I've been looking forwards to for the little time I've been on earth. The future that many people had been waiting to have for a long, long time. It took about a minute for the truth to sink in. Through my still sleep filled and muddled mind, I slowly processed the information. This America that I had prayed for vanished in front of me. I stayed in bed for a minute or two, just lying there, not thinking about my future, or the country's future, not really thinking at all. After those minutes of the feeling of a pit dropping in my gut, and weighing m mind and body down, I got up. Not because I was motivated, or I felt like I needed to be the change in this world that had taken a sharp turn, but simply because I had to. I poured my cup of coffee, as usual, slumped into my desk, as usual, and worked on school, a writing project, and everything else I didn't finish the last night. Just as usual. I pack my bag, clambered into the car and drove to school, where I slumped down at my usual table in the mornings. I looked across the large open atrium, and put my head down at the table. The people I had dismissed as "rednecks" were rapped in Trump flags, donning red caps with bright white letters screaming "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN". My overall faith in humanity slipped out of my mind in a matter of seconds. People filed through the doors of our school, some dragging their feet, and some looking above everyone, just trying to make it through the day. Isn't that what we're all doing? People embraced, they sat down and they talked to each other, accepting that we all are in for a rough ride this upcoming year. Screams erupted from a table of hard core "redneck" trump supporters as a "Have Hope" sign was hung from the balcony. The chasm between tables and social groups seemed to widen, leaving deep crevices in the floor that no one could cross. There were the Trump supporters on one side along with the people just dragged into all of this mania when they don't even know what is happening. On the other side, my side, were the liberals. The feminists. The majority of minorities. The people who didn't always conform to the ideals of a blind society that doesn't accept differences. I satisfied myself with this group, and turned away from the bright red and white hate spewing from across the chasms. If America was going to be divided, I might as well just love my neighbors, my friends, and pretend like hate doesn't exist.

The truth is, through a divided America, I'm still not there. We're not there. A lot of us aren't ready to face the other people that are lurking behind the one way mirror of oblivion. The screen that reflects love and ignores the hate. And maybe that's okay. Maybe it's healthy. Because right now, it's all a lot of us can do to not wallow away in our sorrows and become oppressed by hate. And I'm not saying that even after we're ready, even after it's all sunk in, and we've had time to cry and to live and to love, that we should break this mirror. We still need that love. But maybe we can find a way to reflect it to the other side. We may feel hopeless, and helpless, and sacred, but we're not. We have a weapon more dangerous than hate. More dangerous than firepower, or ammunition or fear. So love. Love everyone. Love your neighbors, your friends, and yourself, but also love the people on the other side of the chasm. Because they live and breathe just like we all do. And if we show them what kind of love is on our side, maybe the chasm will feel less deep, and maybe we will be able to cross it more easily. And maybe then, we can start to heal our fractured America. 

With love,

Sylvan Williams