Just Lauren

Originally I was going to post about the election last Thursday, but after reading some articles and reddit comments I decided to wait. My thoughts were changing by the day, sometimes even by the hour. Nothing was very clear to me except my disappointment and it was unfair to myself and to any who read my blog, to post something full of anger. How would that help anyone? How would that get my view across to those who disagree with me?

It wouldn’t.

So here I am, a week later, trying to express myself in a calmer manner more becoming of an ideal citizen. These are my thoughts that I feel need to be put in writing and need to be said. I cannot stay silent during this time.

Here’s what I think:

Donald Trump is not a great person and he is probably not going to be a great president. Based on what he has said, it is clear that he is a racist, sexist, bigoted person. I do not want a person like that to represent and run the country. I am disappointed in the results and in our election system. So what am I going to do about it?

I am not going to rage or rant or yell at Democrats or even Republicans. That kind of anger will not bring about any positive, permanent change. What I have come to realize with the results of this presidential election is that I have a lot to learn. I was not an active participant in this election. I watched the debates and I voted. Other than listening to what others would tell me I did no research of my own. As someone who proclaims herself to be a skeptic of the world and someone who wants to promote all things good, I am disappointed in myself. I have failed myself.

So again, I ask myself, what am I going to do about it? What am I going to do about helping my country be amazing?

Here is my plan:

1. In the present and immediate future I will research what I believe. I will read philosophy books and I will keep record of what I discover about myself. I will write down every belief I have from the purpose of life to global warming to the role of government. If it’s a major issue in our political system, I will have a position on it, even if that position is “I don’t know right now.”
2. On a weekly basis I will read articles and comments about what our different branches of government are doing. I will stay up to date with what is happening so I can support my country and help direct it (as far as I am currently able) towards the right direction. Trump is my president, whether I like it or not. Even though I do not agree with all of his positions, it is important that I support my country rather than abandoning it.
3. Before the end of 2016 I will assess where I am in my life in regards to my country (see below). I will then reassess every year that Trump is president so I may, as accurately as possible, honestly determine the detriment or benefit that the government causes. I encourage everyone to do the same, and not just with Trump’s term. We should be doing this with every president.

After I have completed the above three items, I will then determine how, and if, I will be involved in politics. I’m not sure what the future brings but I do know it will bring a more educated voter to the polls next time.

Questions I will ask myself on a yearly basis about how the government is doing:

1. What rights does the government currently recognize?
2. How well is the government doing with recognizing those rights?
3. What rights is the government refusing to recognize?
4. How safe am I in my country?
5. How safe do I imagine, based on evidence, those different than me based on race, sex, religion, etc are in my country?
6. How well is the government focusing on issues that I feel are important and what are those issues?

By “government” I mean Congress, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and the President. This could mean my answers will be long if branches of the government recognize different rights or are doing better than one another. At some point I plan to answer these questions for my state government as well but I’m not sure quite how soon that will happen. At this time I feel federal government takes precedence and is currently taking up most of my time.

These questions may not be easy to answer. Some of them should take time. But the happiness and success of my country is worth it.

We are all human in this country. We all have our own thoughts, beliefs, and struggles and that’s actually pretty awesome. It means we bring a lot of fantastic ideas to the table. It may lead to some disagreements at times but I know each and every one of us wants the country to be a great one and I think if we truly try to educate ourselves, we can get there.