On January 19th, the sun set on the Trump presidency. Early the next morning, we saw the former president bid farewell as he departed from Washington D.C. on Air Force One. The nation suddenly felt smaller, less noisy, and certainly more peaceful as the airplane took off into the morning sun. Just less than a quarter before noon, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn into the highest office of the land, signaling a new start for American democracy. Though only two weeks prior terror rained down on our country’s capital, the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris was a message to the world that autocracy will never prevail, and our Republic will never surrender. Though President Biden was not the first choice for many, we all wish him luck with the insurmountable challenges that face the new administration. From an unforgivable pandemic, overwhelming political divide, raging fires in the west, and soaring rates of discrimination, Joe Biden’s entrance into the position of president is comparable to Abraham Lincoln’s in 1861. The clean-up from the past four years will, in all probability, take much longer than four years to clean up. The Trump administration did not create this chaos entirely on its own. With roots grounded in racism and values not centered around education and compassion, our country was bound for disaster. Our country’s focus should now be on understanding. The first step towards understanding is listening. Listening to one another, and finding commonality to understand. “[If] a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand,” were the wise words of President Lincoln. Moving into this new stage of America, it is critical for citizens to bear this in mind if there is any hope of saving this nation from the most evil of hate. Joe Biden has been in office for ___ days, and has already laid down the groundwork for mending our broken nation. As a global citizen, an American, and independent, I wish the Biden administration unconditional luck and strength as they guide through the next four years.