"We never lose our demons, we only learn to live above them."

I can't pretend to understand the gravitas of this year's electoral college and many others have voiced their opinions much more eloquently than I could ever hope. However, I've felt a certain pressure to say something when I read the posts of all my friends. I do have an opinion and I do have the option of resonating it on places like Facebook and Twitter and whatever. But I suppose I've taken a more removed stance on what's going on around me. So here I am on Blogger, where probably only two other people read this regularly, in the hopes that I can retain the memory of the fire I am carrying right now.

On election night, I watched my friends on Facebook shoot out things like "Oh, Canada" and "Why, America?" and instead of getting angry about the election results, I just got angry at what I was reading. I even chided my boyfriend for just joking about moving to Canada and for "not understanding" what was going on.

We should understand it completely. I may be somewhat of an idealist but at least I know that the world is not isolated to our California bubble. The symptoms of a divided America have always been there. Racism, sexism, misogyny, anti-LGBT sentiments have always. been. there. At some point during our social progress (and what exactly is "social progress" anyway?), corruption and fear (mostly fear) will inevitably come out from the shadows.

Again, I can't pretend to fully comprehend all that goes on. But if there's anything I learned while being abroad for nearly 3 years, it's that all the things that Trump represents in the eyes of democratic America (racism, inequality, misogyny, greed, etc.) exist because they are byproducts of human nature. They are convoluted representations of a basic human need for self-preservation.

But there is more to human nature. Juxtaposed to all the jokes about booking the next plane out of the U.S.A. and the severe disappointment with the American populace, there is a very real call for love. Some of my Facebook friends are urging Clinton supporters (or anti-Trump folks) to move forward, have empathy, reminding us that it's only a 4-year term and that there are still many things we can do at this point.

As long as we are here and as long as we have voices, it's our responsibility to use our privileges to make a difference in this world. And we can't do that by turning our back on America, or most importantly, the people in it -- even those who have voted for the 2017 president-elect (reminder: that's nearly half of those who voted in the general election...).

My entire life, I've told myself that we cannot turn our backs on our problems or our communities. We cannot run away from them and try to find our own utopias. Certainly, a utopia (or something close to what you believe is an ideal society) can equip us with the tools and ideals to model our actions towards but, at some point, you must return.

If there's anything good that came out of the general election, it's this: that we might no longer expect the oozing political complacency plaguing many millennials, myself included. As a nation, the viral infections of hate and fear have felt asymptomatic (with the occasional outbreaks reported by mass media) up to this point. But perhaps we reached the fever pitch as the election shocked reality back to the surface.

As the Ancient One once said: "We never lose our demons, we only learn to live above them." (That's a Dr. Strange reference.)

As for me: I was once complacent. But this election could serve as an impetus for me to understand the world. And, idealistically, I remain steadfast with the belief that I can change it in small ways that add up to bigger ones.

Forward.