Struggles make our nation stronger

Struggles make our nation stronger

Life seems to be one challenge after another, doesn’t it? Have you ever wished that you could have one year (month? day?) of tranquility without drama?

Yet, deep down inside we know it is the turmoil that makes us stronger.

My favorite Christmas movie of recent years is “The Man Who Saved Christmas.” It’s about the life of A.C. Gilbert, a toy manufacturer responsible for the Erector set and the American Flyer toy train series.

What I didn’t know until we watched the movie was the turmoil his family went through in World War I.

A.C. and his wife were expecting a baby, trying to convince kids and their parents what a great toy the Erector set was and stubbornly trying to love his father and repudiate his father’s wishes he would return to the practice of medicine.

Instead of using his talented hands to save people’s lives through surgery, A.C. preferred sleight of hand, making children’s lives better through his magic tricks. At least, that is how he saw it.

After his son was born, they had their differences. He wanted his son to be athletic but the boy just wasn’t.

By then, the Erector set had caught on and A.C. received thousands of letters from all those children he loved.

When World War I began, A.C.’s brother went to war and was missing in action.

Then, the War Department asked A.C. to stop making toys and retool for munitions, instead.

Yes, the story has a happy ending but do you see the point I’m making?

Everyone has challenges. Everyone struggles.

In A.C. Gilbert’s case, those struggles led him to greatness, though it took years of turmoil.

I think our country has continually gone through turmoil and struggle and, yes, I believe it is the greatest nation on Earth.

During this past contentious political campaign, I posted on Facebook that whoever won on Nov. 8, our nation will thrive and survive.

One dear friend replied that they weren’t sure we would survive, depending on the outcome of the presidential election.

Then, we watched on TV as protesters — rioters — carried signs that said, “He won’t be My President.”

There aren’t words to describe how unfortunate that attitude is.

How our enemies overseas must laugh at the division we express over an election.

Have we forgotten that the Presidency is only one-third of our federal government? Have we forgotten all the strife our nation has survived?

No, we shouldn’t give up our ideals.

What we should do is learn how to better convince others that our ideas are best instead of screaming and rioting and cursing and throwing adult tantrums because others don’t agree with us.

As someone else said on Facebook, if those people would have put as much effort into their campaign before the election as they did into rioting after the election, their side might have won!

I’m all for free speech but the ability to riot and threaten other people is not free speech. It is something bad, very bad.

Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton have called us to come together. It is time to do so.