Trump… Triumphs…
I’ve blogged before about the States and my love for that country, and anyone who knows me knows that I completely love The West Wing – however I cannot seem to understand what’s happening in America today. By the way – all the views expressed in this blog are my own!
It feels a bit like a film, one that no one paid for or even wanted to see for free!
In my eyes, America has suddenly just realised how divided they are as a nation. That’s always a bitter pill to swallow. We had that in a small form here with Brexit but not to the same extent as the current drama in the States. Imagine being a person who feels that your voice is not being heard at all – that you feel that the only way it could be heard is to vote for Trump: a man who has a countless list of faults and who hasn’t said anything nice about anyone who doesn’t fit into what he sees as the perfect mould. Imagine feeling that your concerns have been just brushed over, that the only way to even glimpse at change is to vote for a man who is a TV star…
That’s how some people in the States feel… that’s why this election has turned out the way it is.
Now, let me make myself clear. I was never a Clinton fan. I’m not a Trump fan. I feel that any other candidate could have wiped the floor – but only if the candidate listened to what was going on in the nation. Part of the problem in this campaign was that SOME of what Donald Trump said people ACTUALLY felt… They felt that they wanted to ‘close the gates’. They felt afraid. They feel that they want to carry guns because they believe it’s their right to. And they felt that they wanted to have some freedom of speech that he exhibited. What Hilary Clinton did was just say that what he said was wrong – but failed to address the reasons why people agreed with him.
So what can this election teach us, as people of faith or none:
- Don’t stop believing. Trump never stopped believing he could win, even when people started pulling away from him – he never stopped believing he could be President. He has no political experience, and everyone called him the joke – but he’s just done it!
- Actually listen to what people are saying and not just their words. We don’t want to be a divided nation. It doesn’t mean we agree on everything, but it means we understand one another and where we’re coming from. When talking to each other you don’t need to agree, but understand the motivations behind it. I will NEVER agree with people carrying guns – but why do people want to carry them? They feel like it’s a right, that there is a sense of protection and they want to be able to protect their families and those around them. I can see that… But just to carry real gun for fun, that’s not normal.
- Know how you feel – I think part of why Trump was so successful was that he gave words to people who didn’t have any. The scary thing is, that Trump is such an extreme that the words he gave were scary and wrong. Being able to help people, especially our children, build their own minds and opinions will always be valuable.
In conclusion, my thoughts and prayers are with America today and my friends there who are scared and uncertain of the future. Sometimes for divisions to be fixed, they need to be highlighted for everyone to see. I hope this is the start of healing in that land.
