Fear. Hatred. Violence. If I had to sum The United States of America up into three words, those are the ones I would pick. No, not because I am a pessimistic person, but because these words just happen to be the common words found in the news articles and timelines lately. Now tell me, is this the type of country you want to be living in? Are you actually proud to be an American citizen today?

I don’t know about you, but this is not the America I learned about in history class where people fought for liberty, justice and freedom. This is not the land of the free and home of the brave that we sing about before baseball games. This is not the place our ancestors came with hopes and dreams of giving their children and grandchildren better lives. Instead, this place that I and so many others call home, is a mess.

We have become a nation that is built on hatred, silenced by fear and fueled with violence.

We are a country that turns mass shootings and deaths into hashtags and Facebook posts in order to share our individual opinions. We are a nation that cares more about which bathroom you can and cannot use then who can and cannot purchase a gun. We are a democracy that allows a college athlete with “potential” for success get away with rape, while another man is shot dead at a traffic stop while pulling out his ID. We are a country that believes violence is the only solution and that peace will get us nowhere.

We have turned our beautiful country into a complete and total disaster. And for what? To feel powerful? Maybe a little accomplished? To make America great again?

Let me tell you, this is not the way to do it. All this hatred and violence will only make it worse. All the bigotry and racism will only fuel the fire. America, we need to get our act together. Or else, this battle may never end.

We are supposed to be the melting pot, a place of hope and opportunity. We are supposed to protect and love our fellow citizens. We are supposed to fight together, not against each other.

We have failed as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. We have failed our Founding Fathers and all our American heroes. Mostly, we have failed each other, our neighbors, and all the innocent lives that have been taken out of fear and violence.

I often find myself silent when it comes to controversial topics and arguments. I fear sounding ignorant to perspectives I can not see due to the things that I simply cannot understand or imagine. For this and more, I apologize.

However, we can no longer remain silent in a world that has given us so many scary reasons to make our voices heard. As a nation, we deserve better than what we have created. We need to listen to each other and learn instead of only hearing and believing one side. We need to have those hard conversations with open minds and better understanding.

America, we need to get our act together.