This presidential election seems to be plagued with doubt and fear. A popular opinion among a fraction of students recently has been that our country is doomed, for lack of a better term. The reaction to Trump’s election seems to be either extremely positive or extremely negative. There are plenty of reasons to be worried, but here are the reasons to be hopeful for the future of the country:

1. Local and state legislature will still exist: Although the federal government is the only level seen by other countries, it isn’t the only level of government. State and local governments exist, and there are powers reserved for the state, given under the Tenth Amendment. This means that the governor plays a role in your rights in addition to the president.
2. You can still voice your opinion: Don’t always assume your representatives will know what you want to happen. Vote in matters that you can, and if you can’t then write to your representative instead, or even start a petition. Your voice in politics still matters, but you have to make an effort before change can happen.
3. The government has a balance of powers: The president doesn’t have all the power in the government, considering that we don’t have a dictatorship. He can’t create laws on his own, excluding Executive orders, and the judicial and legislative branches keep the executive branch in check to maintain a balance of power.
4. Campaigning doesn’t reflect governing: On the campaign trail, candidates tend to act a certain way and say certain things in order to appeal to a certain group of voters. That being said, the way the character that candidates portray in the months leading up to the election isn’t necessarily the way that candidate would choose to govern the country.
5. Inspiration of youth: The presidency of Donald Trump will undoubtedly inspire youth who identify with both parties. Being in touch with politics is important, especially growing into young adulthood. That being said, the aftermath of having a controversial election will hopefully be eye-opening discussions between students about the future of the country.
6. It’s only four years: Whether you are happy with the election results or not, the U.S. has been around for 239 years and four years can’t do that much harm or good to us. In the grand scheme of life, four years is insignificant and will most likely not change the course of the world’s future.
7. One man cannot undo everything: Many people are worried that Trump will try to repeal President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, gay marriage rights and many other results of Obama’s presidency. Many of these acts are now set in stone and can never be revoked so there is nothing to worry about in that aspect.
8. It’s still a free country: Donald Trump may want to make some big changes in our country, but he will never be able to change the building blocks that the founding fathers laid for us and our future generations.
9. The wall is not possible: Trumps proposition of building a wall and making Mexico is just not realistic. The border between the United States and Mexico stretches over 1,989 miles it would be highly unlikely for the U.S. to build one.
10. Certain people had to vote for him: Let’s have faith in our fellow Americans. Though Clinton won the popular vote, there was still a large mass of voters that used their vote towards Trump. They have seen something positive in him that his opposers could not point out.

Having a negative view of the future of our country won’t make the outcome better. Throughout history, there is always a glimmer of light shining through and we, as the American people, need to look for that in the coming years.