Happiness in Trump's America
In the wake of the election, the country has been in shambles. This is a reality that I have written about many times before. It is the reality that a lot of has been fearing. Yet, in this new, uncharted land that we are calling the Trump Age, I have come to realize that there is a difference between how America will survive, and how the individual will survive. America is the representation of a large society’s communal values, but the individual truly is different. The individual shapes America, not the other way around. Yet, especially in our community here in Exeter, we seem to have this idea that the having Donald Trump as President will affect our happiness in our individual lives. This is not to say that many will suffer socially and economically, but I know that if we try to get rid of blame and stick to the basic principles of life and happiness that have been instilled within us ever since we entered this world, everything will be ok.
"Obstacles we face should not kill our happiness. Hardships we go through are not supposed to make us unhappy in the long term."
I do not claim to have the experience and wisdom that adults have, but I can say that I have already thought a lot in my limited years. I have spent countless nights lying in my bed, not sleeping, but just thinking. One other thing I can say is that the experiences I have had have inspired thoughts about happiness. The issue with happiness is that we never follow its rules. Money, for example, isn’t supposed to be the end-all-be-all of happiness. Obstacles we face should not kill our happiness. Hardships we go through are not supposed to make us unhappy in the long term. These are just some of the rules we have set around happiness. I think I can speak for most people saying that these are logical parameters. If this is so, this election should not ruin happiness. Yes, we have been faced with a great hardship that will, for better or worse, shape lives. There will be people who will see economic difficulty, roadblocks in social revolution that pertain directly to their lives, racism, and sexism. This country may suffer. Individuals may suffer. But should these obstacles obliterate our long term happiness? Should the man in the oval office destroy positivity and hope? If there is one aspect to life I am confident I am right about, it is that those who build you up and support you have more strength than those who try and bring you down.
One last aspect to this dilemma of connecting internal happiness to the external force of the election is blame. There is no doubt that the country is still to this day split in two regarding who should run our nation. This combined with the extreme, intensified loyalty and protectiveness toward the respective candidates has made it so that intense blame is placed everywhere. No matter which side one was on in this election, blame was passed around. Trump supporters blame Hillary supporters for standing for someone who they believe to be inadequate and vice versa. The feeling of blame in this situation, however, is connected to overall negative emotions such as anger and sadness. If we do not try and bridge the ever so large gap between who supports who (the reasons for which neither side will ever truly understand as many have their opinions set in stone) and eliminate the blame factor, animosity will forever place a roadblock in front of personal happiness.
So, let’s try and make an effort to not let the President of the United States and the nasty aftermath of this election control our inner happiness. We need to put that in the control of those who care about us everyday. New laws can change lives, but they cannot change one’s outlook on life.