Towards a Better Tomorrow: Setting Aside Partisan Politics in Favor of True Change

In the wake of the historic and closely followed presidential election it is important to remember that it should now be a time of reconciliation and unity, not dissension and partisanship. While there are individuals on both sides of the aisle that hold deep-seated beliefs on key issues and gave their all in support of their candidate, now is not the time to look to the divisiveness of the past, but rather to look towards the true hope that lies in the opportunity presented to us by history. We, as a country, stand at a collective crossroads and the fork that lay ahead leads down two distinctly different paths.

On the one hand, we can choose to continue down the path that we have been headed of late, letting divisiveness and disunity play a dubious and prominent role in American politics, or we can opt for a different course that will lead to true change. While one of the main themes of Barack Obama´s campaign was focused upon the notion of change, he also voiced the opinion that the change will have to come largely from the people themselves. This is simply not possible if our society continues to look backward rather than forward, allowing the divisive elements of the partisanship of the past to dictate how we will act in the future.

In order to effectuate any measure of true change on a societal level, the one fundamentally essential element is some semblance of unity. While we can disagree about the merits or abilities of a particular candidate, we should respect the incalculable value of the democratic process that affords us the luxury of such debate. Once an election has been held, it is vital to recall that we are all Americans first and foremost. Our social and political opinions may run the gamut from one end of the spectrum to the other, yet these are elements of what makes this country so very rare. The differences in views that we maintain and the right to freely express them absent a fear of reprisal are a part of what makes us American.

There are times in the course of history that we must seek to revert to the fundamental notion that we are Americans first, with political affiliations cast aside in the light of the potential for historic, true change. History provides the example of our nation´s costly Civil War, which pitted countryman against countryman in a battle for the very course of the nation. At war´s conclusion the respective leaders looked to heal the scars brought about by years of disunity and strife in a spirit of reconciliation rather than allowing the wounds to fester. So too, this generation must look to history as a guide, and use the opportunity of this momentous first in American politics to push forward as opposed to slipping back into the old and comfortable, yet fundamentally problematic ways of partisan politics.

The coming months may come to largely define the political course that America will traverse over the next several years. While it will be up to the President-elect to forge a new path for the nation, little can be accomplished without the support of the masses trailing in his wake. We owe it to those that have sacrificed so much in the name of our democracy to be cognizant enough to recognize when history is unfolding before us, opening the doors to unforeseen new possibilities and promise. So, irrespective of political affiliation or leanings, we must collectively look at the landscape of American politics through new eyes, judging people and policies based upon their respective worth or merit, rather than through the filter of partisan politics.