What it Means for Love to Truly Win

June 26, 2015

Isn’t it somewhat strange to be actively participating in a day that you know you will remember forever? Had I known what a historic day Friday, June 26 2015 would end up being, I probably would have planned a more memorable dinner. Or at least made a cake.

The Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 making same-sex marriage a right nation wide. I read the headline on the NPR website and immediately clicked over to Facebook, bracing myself to read a gamete of responses on my feed. But what struck me as the most memorable and the most touching from that day was not the ruling– from my conservative to my liberal pals, there was not a single word of hate.

Love really does win.

Not only was I proud to be an American, I was proud of the community I surround myself with. No matter their party lines or their religious views, those who are in support of same-sex marriage were able to celebrate while those who opposed the ruling were gracious and respectful. I scrolled and saw picture after picture, headline after headline, all which represented happiness, love and celebration or friendly discourse.

Honestly, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Of course, I have friends who have deep religious beliefs that oppose everything that happened on the 26^th of June. And of course they shared their own headlines that backed their own personal belief system. But, for the most part, these articles were written with integrity and respect and shared by the readers with the same values.

Love really does win.

We don’t have to agree. And we never will. This shouldn’t make us sad, or angry or adamantly determined to change the other’s mind. The fact that we will never agree should make us all the more tolerant and respectful of one another. When it comes to love, the opposing views should be like a five year old’s soccer team; everyone gets a trophy.

One of my closest friends in the whole world could not be more different than me. I am certain that we have never voted for the same candidate during any election and I know for a fact that, when it comes to religion, we have different views. Yet, we manage to remain the best of friends. And we manage to have respectful conversations about our own views, sharing them with one another so that we feel heard and understood, but knowing we will never change the other’s mind. My goal is never to change her mind. My goal is to hear her. She is heard and I am heard, and we walk away from our conversations with our own morals and beliefs in tact.

This is what it means to be a part of a community. Filled with all sorts of flags– those who wave the rainbow flag and those who don’t. But no matter your flag, you present yourself and your beliefs with love and respect. Educate yourself on your stance, know your facts and be sure of the flag you wave. This is all that matters. I hold my flag knowing that the people I surround myself with have educated themselves just as much as I have and picked up the flag that suited them best. And it may be different than mine, but that’s OK. The foundation of all of our beliefs is the same: love. No matter what party line we choose, which church we attend (or don’t) or whether the 26^th of June felt joyous or uneasy, at the end of the day we are all a part of the same community. And since we can never change one another’s opinion, let’s at least make the common ground on which we stand be paved with love.

I am proud to be a part of my community and proud to be an American. I am honored to know some truly inspirational, accepting and loving people from all walks of life, with completely different beliefs. I know that negativity exists; I just choose not to pay attention to it. Living together in harmony does not mean trying your hardest to change your neighbors beliefs– it’s trying your hardest to accept your differences and loving one another despite of them. 

We are all in the same community. Let’s let love win… for everyone. Everyone gets a trophy.