It’s 2016, and not only have the Cubs won the World Series but Biff has become President. Humor aside, for most of us, this year has stoked every single emotion imaginable, from enthusiastic displays of joy to jaw-dropping expressions of horror. Throughout the surprises of this year, one emotion seems to have not just remained permanent but has grown in size and immensity.

The emotion I am describing is fear, and given the political circumstances in which we currently reside, it should be self-evident as to why people are afraid. As this article is digested by Crier readers, crowds of people across the country protest the winner of the election. Post-election violence has already broken out in our nation, albeit in small pockets, as millions of Americans wait fearfully to see what will happen come January.

This fear that many have felt, and currently feel, has led to a growing divide between our fellow citizens and has begun to infect our daily lives. This is measurable both in our personal lives and in the broader statistical sense. The Pew Research Center noted in 2014 that the amount of voters who believe the opposing party is a threat to the nation’s well-being has doubled. The amount of Americans that occupy the “center” of the political spectrum has also been decreasing, especially amongst those who are the most politically engaged, while those with extreme views have increased.

Why the division? On a personal level, it seems that people are afraid of the “other” (that is, people with different political views) more than they used to be over a plethora of issues. Liberal voters are afraid that the “other side” will stop green energy development, halt LGBTQ & minority rights progress, throw out climate science and wage a merciless war on the poor. Conservative voters are afraid that the “other side” will curb the right to bear arms, intrude upon personal life with an army of government programs, tax small businesses out of town, and push dearly held religious beliefs to extinction.

Both sides could list more issues that they feel the “other” is going to use to turn America into a dystopia, from abortion to foreign policy, and so each side has withdrawn further into their own political clans because of this. The Pew Research study noted that polarized voters are more likely to live in areas suited to their tastes; bustling cities with ethnic and cultural diversity for liberals, and rural towns with a strong religious presence for conservatives. On social media, this tribal trend is extremely evident, with people liking and following sources of news that already conform to their personal biases.

This tendency for us to retreat to our tribes out of fear has led to the division we see today. Much of the nation voted in hopes of restoring the old days, when jobs resided in countless factories across what is now known as the Rust Belt. Much of the nation voted in fear of the restoration of the old days, when discrimination against racial minorities and women was widely permissible. Now, the country stands anxious of something imminent to strike our lives, and what this something brings is entirely unknown.

I think we as a nation need to come to grips with a few truths that, should we accept them, will allow us to stand not in fear but in peace. For those of you who believe the worst is to come, or has already come, I would like to give you some historical hope.

In 1798, when America was naught but a newborn babe, the Alien and Sedition Acts became law under President John Adams. These laws made the deportation of foreigners much easier, and erected barriers that made voting harder for immigrants. These laws also jailed anyone who publicly criticized the government, and in an era before the Supreme Court had judicial review, these laws proved extremely contentious.

The historical truth is that America has been through the roughest of political storms since its birth and survived. The social truth is not only do your fellow liberals routinely exercise their rights to bear arms, but your fellow conservatives do care about the plight of the poor. The ultimate truth is, we all have our biases, concerns, and fears, but above all else we are all Americans. It’s time to put aside our fears and mend our divisive behaviors.

So, if our next President proves to be a Biff, let us together correct him. If our next President fixes our problems, let’s cheer him on. If our President becomes a dud, let’s not despair. Let us no longer be afraid of each other, but know that love trumps hate, come what may.