Divided we stand. The harder we fall.

  It was the day after the presidential election and I couldn't help but feel some of the same emotions from 9/11. On September 11, 2001 I felt immensely sad so many lives were lost, worried the tragedy would cripple us and our country, and angry that the terrorists thought they won. On the day after the election, I continue to feel sad for the millions of Americans who lost their jobs, worried this recession will cripple us, and angry about how the divisiveness of our politics is tearing our country apart. With that being said, the terrorists may very well be winning . . . they have successfully divided the United States of America. We can't go forward unless we stand united. Only then can we say we have won.

  We speculate that the terrorists' plan was to attack the World Trade Center as the symbol of capitalism, the Pentagon as the symbol of American power, and the Capitol or White House as the source of American policy. How ironic that the three things that the terrorists were trying to take down back in 2001 are the same issues that were dividing voters this election, just 11 years later. The issues that were being fought hard were capitalism vs. socialism, more government vs. less government, and the polarized policies between the Republican and Democratic parties.

  What I observed in this election were those very same issues: the battle between envy and entitlement (disguised often as capitalism vs. socialism), more government vs. less government, and the polarized views between the Republican and Democratic parties. It was the day after the presidential election and I still see the divisive rantings on Facebook that ensued throughout the campaigns. That divisiveness has extended to our daily conversations and interactions. I wasn't naive to think a lot of that would be gone, but to see it just as prevalent as before was really disappointing. Now that the election is over, why are we still making fun of the losing candidate and his supporters, and why can't we be hopeful that our re-elected president will keep his promise to move us forward and watch out for all Americans? Isn't that the reason why he made a big deal of his opponent for ignoring the 47%? The 47% should get a voice, but I hope the President does not ignore the 48% of the people who did not vote for him. Their voice needs to be heard as well.

  We're nearing a week after the election and both the Democratic and Republican parties are still in a gridlock as to how the United States should move forward. It's not just the Democrats and Republicans in Washington who can't compromise. We, the American people, across the country have also forgotten how to work together. We aren't the welcoming and compassionate nation as we once were. We automatically boycott whoever and whatever has a different viewpoint or beliefs. We are even petitioning to have states secede from the US. I'm not sure any of these is the right approach, but we can't let the last part become a reality. Let's all be honest. All of the classes of society are interdependent upon one another. If you break down one class to its core, the other classes become no more. If we continue to tear down each other, we all quickly fall to the bottom. Everybody loses. Is that the even level playing field that we really want?