In four days, the world will watch as the United States of America elects its 47th president.
Jagged silhouettes of 50 states bloom in shades of red, blue, and purple upon our screens, the nation collectively holding its breath. As the electoral college counts for each candidate’s climb toward the fated 270 mark, minutes slip past like sand in an hourglass, both excruciatingly slow and infinitely accelerating. Before we know it, the result will arrive: a single verdict that will hold the weight of a thousand promises, a name that will seem to cement our future into place before it even unravels.
Amidst the sense of finality so often associated with the result of the election, we must take a step back to process our emotions, and, similarly, give others the space to do the same. For almost all of us, this is the first presidential election we will have experienced in high school. In the coming days, some of us will be devastated, others of us will be elated. And yet others might be discomfited, uncertain, apathetic. From classrooms to dorm common rooms, remember that there are opinions and views around us that differ from our own. It is not our place to dictate nor define what others may be feeling in response. Never will it be more crucial than in the following days to exercise compassion and respect. In grief, in celebration, in feelings of being untethered and unsure of what may await: every one of us deserves the time and space to think, to feel, and to process our reactions free of outside judgment.
Andover may be a school, but for many of us, it is more than that: it is also a second home. The virtues of respect, inclusion, and empathy that we uphold are what allow us to cultivate a safe haven where we feel empowered to grow, to develop, to transform into the people we seek to become. In times such as election season, where controversial subject matters can lead us to be impulsive and act rashly on heightened emotions, we can and must hold fast to our community values. We must remember to see one another as humans before politics and to recognize that the election holds different significance for each of us.
