Photo: Lucas Compan

After all the votes are counted, will the country stand united, committed to overcoming our differences, or will we continue to let division define us?

This is a moment to reflect and decide who we want to be and what kind of country we want to build. We can’t allow ourselves to be drawn into anger, to see one another as either patriots or enemies. Time and again, our history has shown that unity is our greatest strength by coming together despite differences.

Letting go of hate is an act of courage. It requires us to step back from the heat of the moment and recognize that such impulses only deepen our wounds. Hate thrives in isolation and fear, feeding a cycle that only consumes. The day after is a chance to choose differently, to reach toward connection and understanding.

The day after reminds us that each of us plays a role in shaping our future, that democracy is a shared project, one that calls us to contribute through constructive action, not hostility. These actions can be as simple as helping a neighbor, listening, or sharing a kind word. Every small act is a step toward the society we want—a place where compassion overcomes conflict.

Letting go of anger opens the door to real conversations. It doesn’t mean abandoning our beliefs; it means listening, finding common ground, and seeing past our differences. Our strength as a nation is anchored in our ability to begin fresh, regardless of the challenges we encounter. Wars, economic crises, and cultural divides; each one has challenged our character. Throughout history, there have always been those who looked beyond fear and resentment, guiding us toward a better day.

Lincoln’s first inaugural address was a final appeal to the Southern states to remain in the Union and avoid war. His words are equally powerful today, reflecting on our collective responsibility and the hope and unity he believed was in our reach.

“In your hands—my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen—and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The Government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the Government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect, and defend it.

“I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

We stand at a similar crossroads today with the opportunity to set aside anger and embrace the best within us. Let’s choose to be guided by our better angels, lean into kindness and build the future we envision—one hopeful, compassionate act at a time.