This is quite an interesting time that we live in. It seems as though Americans have come to the agreement to disagree with each about almost everything, all because of the overwhelming presence of one man: Donald J. Trump.

As Trump settled into his position as president, he decided to hit the ground running. During his first week in office, it seemed like my phone was permanently vibrating, buzzing constantly to notify me of every single thing that Trump has been doing. Reports of executive orders were flying out left and right, and I was just trying to figure out what was going on.

All the while, I heard cries of discontent all around me. And you know what? It makes me mad. But not in the way that I had thought it would.

I will be very blunt: I don’t very much care for Donald Trump. He has made it very hard for me to like him. However, no matter how I feel about him, he became the president, and I will respect that.

America has a bad habit of becoming extremely polarized every now and again. Our country is full of people with drive and potential, but that doesn’t mean we always get along. The blessing of the freedom to speak our minds often leads to the grudging acceptance that comes when we have to listen to others speak their minds as well.

We all have different opinions about how things are, and how they should work. But there are things that are not matters of opinion. We have to accept these things, and denying them is not the right approach.

Trump is a harsh and unlikeable person; I understand that fully. But, while he is not the best person in the world, he did what he was supposed to do. He ran a campaign. He was voted into office. He has said many things that are hurtful and damaging, but was elected fairly by the rules that our nation has established. This is something that our constant arguing is not going to change.

If we look at what he has done since he got into office, we can see where his priorities lie. While he definitely took opportunities to flatter himself, he started right away with trying to fulfill his promises. Trump is a lot of things, but at the very least, he has been a man of his word.

He signed an order concerning the replacement of the Affordable Care Act, something he promised to do. He signed an order about the construction of a border wall, something he promised to do. He may not be a man of fantastic character, but he made a lot of promises to get this job, and now he’s trying his best to fulfill these promises.

There is so much anger towards Trump. However, from the perspective of the law concerning his campaign, he did nothing wrong.

If people want to get angry, let’s get angry about something that’s actually worth getting upset about. According to multiple sources, including the United States Elections Project and fivethirtyeight.com, more than 40 percent of eligible voters in the United States did not vote.

Rumors of Harambe, a deceased gorilla, and Batman getting thousands of votes for president is ridiculous. These are the things that we should be angry about. Not the man and his supporters who followed the law, but those who either didn’t bother to support the system or the ones who made a mockery of it for a cheap laugh.

These fights that we have been engaged in are not working, plain and simple. When peaceful protests are quickly replaced with violent rioting, all hope for actual change goes out the window. Hate can’t be dealt with by throwing more hatred into the mix.

I am able to respect someone who decides to peacefully fight for what is right. I have no respect for those who damage both people and property to get their message across.

Here’s the bottom line: Trump is what we have. Many don’t like him, and I can’t really blame them. But he’s still our president.

When something goes wrong, who will the leaders of our nation fight for: the nation full of radicals acting like children, or the upstanding citizens who love their country and their fellow citizens? As Trump himself said in his inaugural speech, “It’s time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.”

We have to stop fighting amongst each other. The solution is not to battle until one ideology or concept comes out victorious. The solution is to come together, despite our differences, and try to make something better.

To read the “CON” side of this story, click on the following link:

https://www.thecrcconnection.com/opinion/2017/02/16/11939/