I used to look forward to art class in elementary school. I wasn’t good at art by any means, but I liked to pretend I had at least some artistic bones in my body. I loved the days where we would explore the color wheel. I remember learning to mix the water colors for the very first time. Instead of just red and blue, we combined the two to make purple. Instead of just blue and yellow, we made green. 

A whole new concept was introduced when we did the same thing with black and white. It was the same idea, mixing two different colors to create a new one. Yet, it seemed like it had a much more profound effect. There was more room for interpretation. Frankly, these were two colors I didn’t give much thought into mixing. I didn’t realize they too could create something just as special as the other colors did. That was the first time I ever got a glimpse into the value of the color gray. 

I never thought I’d be one to write a political piece. I don’t do politics. I don’t sway left. I don’t lean right. I linger in the middle. Or I say I do. Maybe it’s out of fear that my loved ones will look at me differently if I choose one side or the other. Or maybe it’s because I don’t want to cause a divide. But that’s also why America sees me as part of the problem. Because I “don’t do politics.” Anyone who says they “don’t do politics” is just lying to themselves, right?

I just turned 18, and I was granted the right to vote. The privilege to vote. I voted in my first presidential election. It’s strange though. They say your vote should make you feel heard but all I feel is trapped. I feel stuck between two walls crashing at the speed of lightning. But the lightning has struck in the same place twice, and it’s not supposed to do that. Just like the world isn’t supposed to be divided by hate, but here we are.

Here’s a brief overview of the 2024 election, in regards to how the world sees it: people who voted for Trump are the “cowboys” of America. They’re the true Americans who would give anything for the red, white and blue. Now that Trump’s in office, there’s no longer anything to fear. If this man can survive two assassination attempts, what can’t he do for this country? 

Then there’s the flip side. The Kamala Harris supporters. The left wing so-called “progressivists” whose primary concerns lie only within the environment and human rights. They’ll stop at nothing until women are given the equal rights they deserve. It seems that all other concerns are pushed to the side. 

Say which candidate you voted for, and boom! You’re automatically placed into either of these two stereotypes. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t fully on board with either side’s agenda, because to America, your vote signifies that you are. 

Now, we’re starting to witness the aftermath of the post-election. People are posting on social media to the extremes. It’s things like, “Don’t ever speak to me again if you voted for that racist and felon of a president.” Racist texts are being sent that say, “You’ve been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.” Signs are being held that read, “Women are property.”

How do we expect this kind of behavior to draw us closer as a nation? Threatening one another and voicing hate is supposed to make us respect each other? If we can’t prevent ourselves from lashing out on the people who we’re supposed to deeply love and care about, how will we ever listen to one another? 

Our country has become so black and white that we cease to see the gray in the world. We forget about that moment when the water colors fade together to create something even more beautiful than existed before. We’ve lost sight of the fact that gray tells both sides of the story, not just one. 

So how do we find our gray? How do we ignore the temptation to blast one another with hate and truly listen with our hearts?

Like the rest of the world, I’m just one girl with my own opinions. Many may read this and believe I’m uneducated in politics and ought to do my due diligence. But when has politics ever outweighed the value of being human? We must try our hardest as humans to hear each other out and really understand where someone is coming from so that one day, America can once again flourish in the gray.