I never thought I’d fear for my future, for the future of my country. I never thought that life would become so dark, so dystopian. I never thought that my city would be boarded up with wood on Election day because riots could break out in the streets as our president would refuse to concede his seat in the White House if he lost.
But I also never thought I’d waste my time in college because of a pandemic. I would’ve never imagined that I’d be given a curfew of 10 p.m., forbidden from attending gatherings with more than 10 people, and asked to wear a face mask at all times. I couldn’t have predicted that I’d live in fear every day that things would never return to the way they once were.
What I never thought could happen has become our new reality.
Nov. 3, 2020, is a day that will be branded in American history forever. It was a pivotal moment in my life, in my nation, and the world. The results from that day’s election could very well have broken our country to shreds and stripped my rights away. They could’ve worsened the pandemic, contributed to global climate change, regressed the progress of women’s rights, wrecked our economy to filth, and reinforced racial inequality. Thank God they didn’t.
And yet, people still blindly voted for a candidate with no sound reason. For what? Pride, ignorance, selfishness? There was no satisfaction left on Election day: only the mess we made and the two hands we still had to clean it up. I hoped we’d try to fix it before our hands were broken.
This election made me, a 19-year-old, scared for my future. I was scared for my friends and my family.
I want to live in a nation and in a world where I don’t have to be scared anymore, but maybe with Biden’s win, that can finally happen again.
The outcome of this election changed history forever: my history, American history, and the world’s history.
As Americans, on Nov. 3, 2020, we stood on the precipice of change. I hoped with all my heart that we wouldn’t fall over the edge into the dark abyss below. That’s one deep hole I didn’t think we could pull ourselves out from—luckily, we didn’t.
Change still needs to happen, but Biden’s win is the first step in the right direction. The first step we’ve taken in a long time towards progress, towards renewed freedom, and towards a brighter future. Once more, I have hope again.
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