By The Editorial Board

Though it felt like an eternity, the 2024 election is finally over and the result clear.

Donald Trump will be the 47th president of the United States.

For some, that sentence is the stuff of dreams, the beginning of a new era and the culmination of four years of campaigning after a stinging loss in 2020. But for others, that sentence reads like a nightmare, and it means the potential for backsliding on social issues like gay marriage and a woman’s right to choose.

Many celebrate the return of the man they believe will “fix America,” while almost half of the country mourns what it could have been like to witness the election of the first female president in the nation’s history.

Vindicated or heartbroken, no matter what it means to you, the second Trump presidency is here. So, what’s next?

Both sides must cooperate in a peaceful transition of power like the one we didn’t get four years ago. Acceptance of election results is a cornerstone of our process. If we want to talk about saving American democracy, we have to do the first thing to stop it from becoming endangered: do not undermine it just because you’re upset.

But, don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because the election is over, the fight for what you believe in ends with it. If you’re unsatisfied with the results, do the work on the community level to be the change you want to see. Write to your local officials, organize with nonprofits and advocacy groups, and stay informed. The power is in your hands.

Lastly, remember the words of Abraham Lincoln, who, honestly, lived in a time of much deeper division than we do. “A house divided cannot stand,” he said, echoing the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. He knew it then, and we know it now: America has two choices.

It’s easy to say that people who voted for one candidate are fascists, racists or sexists. It’s also easy to call the other side blue-haired liberal communists. So if we’d like, we can continue down the road of name-calling, doomsday-prediction, fire and brimstone politics and walk ourselves happily towards a civil war.

Here’s a better suggestion, if that doesn’t sound particularly appealing. We can remember that the people who disagree with us are our parents, grandparents, friends and classmates. We can work to understand each other, not win arguments. We can seek common ground, not differences. Our editorial board argues that this is the road to take. It may be uncomfortable. It may not appeal to our innate sense of self-righteousness and our need to one-up each other. But if we want to continue living in a country that we can recognize, it is the only path forward.