3 Lessons We Can Learn From an Ugly Election Season.

I don’t have much respect for how this campaign was run. It was painful. It was fueled by fear, hate and divisiveness. It took what was best about America - our freedoms, our values and our diversity - and made us all question them, question ourselves and question each other. It made people of color, and women, and muslims and immigrants and so many other groups feel like they don’t belong. But it also cast a broad and ugly stereotype on another huge segment of our nation. A group of honest, working class people whose own pain had gone unheard for too long. It told them that they're delusional and dumb and deplorable… None of that was good. It was all bad. And it all needs to end, now. 

But we do need to respect how this campaign was won. Or rather, by who it was won: the People. Millions of people who finally found their voice. This campaign taught us that regular, everyday people can come together - with passion and energy and work ethic - and demand change. They can CREATE it. Though this may not have been the result I was hoping for, I can respect their will, and their work. And while I definitely believe that there are some very bad apples in the bunch - one’s that are afraid of an evolving America - I do not believe that everyone who voted for Donald Trump is a racist or bigot or misogynist. I believe that most of these people actually aren’t. They just had other issues that were more pressing and problematic to them, and no one wanted to listen. And I can recognize that Donald Trump was able to win the hearts and minds of those forgotten people while so many of us continued to ignore them. President Obama pulled off a similar feat back in 2008, with an energized base and a record-breaking turnout. I remember that powerful night... Trump was able to do the same.

“Revolution" and “movement” are not always buzzwords. They are real, and this is the result. When passionate people unite towards a shared vision, big things can and do happen, whether we like it or not. And as someone who champions that passionate approach, I really do respect what was accomplished.

Three lessons I believe we can take away are:

1. The people do have the power in this country. And we need to treasure and respect and honor that power. We need to use that power for good. That will not be easy. It’s never been easy. Power and good never seem to sit in the same sandbox. But we need to find room, and find a way.

2. You have to get off your ass if you want to create change. If you want to build something, you can’t do it by sitting or talking or tweeting. It's easy to post and "snap" and "like". You have to get out and knock on doors, and bang on windows, and push and pull and organize. That's not just for politics, that's for anything. You have to put in the work. If you do - win or lose - you can feel fulfilled. If you don’t, when you lose, you will feel the emptiness of regret... You have to put in the WORK.

3. We need to come together. We are all much more similar than we are different. I’ve lived overseas, and traveled to nearly 50 countries. I’ve worked with the poorest people in the world, and debated with some of the richest. Travel is the ultimate equalizer - you realize we all laugh and cry and dream of the same things. And you realize, that this country - America - is the best in the world. With amazing people and unmatched opportunities and the biggest ideas. I truly believe that. But we’re only great when we’re great together. And just like I learned in my travels, the best way to understand that shared greatness is to talk to each other. Get to know each other. High-five your neighbor and hug a stranger. Find someone who looks different than you and thinks different than you, and listen to their story… You will quickly see how closely it mirrors yours. 

There are some deep wounds after this election - I see it in my own house, with my own family. But let’s all be gracious and hopeful and optimistic. Let’s be colorblind and grateful. Let’s work. Let’s lead. 

Let’s be Americans. 

We are building this together. 

#besomebody.

Kash.