It came as a shock to many, at the wee hours of Wednesday morning, that Donald J Trump had won the presidency of the United States. Watching crucial battleground states’ electoral votes go to Trump contradicted a lot of what the polls were saying, and liberals and conservatives alike did not know how to feel. There was a lot of mixed emotions that came from the moment Trump defeated Hillary, but the most common emotion was clear: fear.

America is afraid. There has never been a man like Mr. Trump chosen to lead the democracy. This leads to a feeling of uneasiness, of prevalent anxiety. It’s impossible to be able to predict how an outsider to American politics will fair on the inside, how a conniving business man will be our champion.

Anyone who has been paying even the slightest bit of attention to the presidential race for the past year and a half has heard enough out of Mr. Trump’s mouth to make an assumption as to his character. It’s uncommon to hear such hateful and bigoted rhetoric from an individual running for office, and that’s where he got his platform. People hid behind the “he’s saying everything politicians are afraid to say” line to hide their unconscious connection to Trump’s racist and sexist words. There is no doubt that he awoke a sleeping beast and brought out the worst in us all. Our country has never been more divided, and it shows. Not even 12 hours after the results were final, students, minorities, and activists protested America’s decision, but it was too late. The country is on a path to regression and there is only one way to make it stop and keep the country moving forward: unity. It seems far fetched to work towards a united country, but putting differences aside isn’t that hard when everyone has a common goal. People want what is best for their country, and there are many different ways people believe that we can get there and that’s the beauty of a democracy.

It’s important that we as Americans remember to not let our fears get the best of us. That’s what got us into this mess in the first place. Trump instilled fear into the American people, warning them of absent evils such as dangerous refugees and terribly corrupt politicians. People fed off of that, convinced that he was our hero and had come to save us all. But fear is a bigger problem than any evil that could ever exist. We must not let the fear of Trump, the fear of a rigged system, the fear of bigotry and hatred silence our voices. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. Continue to educate yourself on politics, on how you can shape your community. If you don’t like something, fix it. It’s not called the land of opportunity for nothing. There is nothing in the American Democracy that can’t be challenged, that can’t be changed.

This is our country, not Trump’s. Respect him as your president, because that’s who he will be. Respect America’s decision, because it’s final. Respect each other, because politician’s views are no reason to lose relationships. Respect your country, your flag, your liberties and rights. But most importantly, respect those who have been slandered in the media and show them that America is more than just the hateful language they hear on the television.

“Hate may win the battle. Let love win the war.” -Young the Giant