It amazes me how much anger and hatred has reared its head in the very first election myself and my peers are given the ability to vote in. America, you should be ashamed.

Growing up, I was raised in a home who valued the ideals of acceptance, honesty, compassion, and helping those in need. However, the country I was raised in, proved to me that it did not hold those same values. Maybe individuals did, but not a conglomerate whole. To say the least, I am disappointed.

Which candidate you support is beside the point. I am sure many people will find rage inside of themselves to fight back and say “Well, Trump is going to America Great Again,” or a tagline about Hillary. But don’t you see, that this is our problem? Yes, the President of the United States does have the most important job in the world as its hierarchy tells us so. However, we, the American people are actually those with the most important job in the world.

When did America become a country that hates? There has always been an underlying tone of racism following the end of slavery until today. I get that, and I refuse to sugar coat that in any time in America’s existence we were a country that repelled against racism. However, in my short time on this planet, in this country, I am appalled by the way human beings can treat other human beings. What happened to the ideals of coming to America for a better tomorrow for future generations? It is easy to play the “the immigrants are terrorists card,” but without immigration, I would not be here, and I would like to bet that neither would you. Previous generations came to America for me, for my brother, for my parents. They put aside their comfort and moved to a completely new nation in hopes of building a better future for their future generations than they had themselves. I understand that I am just a college student sitting at a desk typing this, but like everyone else, my opinion is valid as well.

Aside from this, I understand that the world we live in today is a cruel and scary world. I wish it wasn’t, but the violence that is generated daily is horrific. I understand that everyone cannot be allotted admittance into this country, but everyone deserves an opportunity. For example, every Syrian refugee is not a terrorist. There are women, children, and men who are trying to flee from the situation they are in presently. This does not mean the government opens the gates and lets all of the immigrants into America, it means they have to go through background checks, etc. (the way it has always been) to be allowed in. And just to play the devil’s advocate, immigrants are not all terrorists, we have terrorists here in America and it is called domestic terrorism. Yes, they are already here and some were even born here. This makes me question if letting immigrants in is a terrorism fear or a xenophobic fear.

As stated before, I grew up in a home that promoted acceptance. In accordance with this, I also grew up as a Protestant Christian, something I am still proud of. However, I never considered my religion more superior in comparison to someone else’s. My favorite line I have ever seen online is “If your religion requires you to hate, you need a new religion.” However, as I read this line from someone’s Facebook page, it appears to me that the same person is fighting against those who are Islamic, Buddhist, Jewish, and so on. However, it amazes me how much all of these religions have in common. To me, that is comforting. (And surprisingly enough, they don’t have hatred in common. Nope, their common goal is to promote peace and acceptance.) In today’s society more than ever we see Islam viewed as a negative religion, a terror group. I do not know how many times it has to be said, but radicalized persons in a religion is what we should be concerned with, not the religion as a whole. They are people too, and as I was taught, treat others as you would want to be treated.

It is obvious that in America we have a poverty issue. It is obvious that people working full time jobs day in and day out are not able to provide for their families. When will the greed end? People in these situations do not ask to be in these situations. Before I get a crowd to jump down my throat about people who feel entitled, let me make my next statement. Our welfare system is broken, and like everything else, there are people who take advantage of it. Once again, this does not mean everyone on welfare expects a hand out, but rather is trying their hardest to make ends meet for their family. I guess we could say the same about Trump. He admitted to evading taxes because it benefited himself, he found a loophole. There are people who take advantage of every system we have set in place in America. It is not just the “poor.” Stop blaming them.

It is easy to sit back and blame and point the finger. To be brutally honest, I have done this, and when I catch myself, I am disappointed. Rather than blaming people for doing what they have to do to make ends meet, I should be thankful I am not in that boat and hopefully never will be. I guess we all forget what it could be like if we ended up on the other side. Yes, everyone has tribulations and struggles with money from time to time, but having to make major sacrifices of which bills to pay, strategizing plans on how they will fund their grocery list for their children that week, or wondering where the rent money will come from that week is not something that falls under a “time-to-time money tribulation.” For a lot of our American people, this is reality and this is daily living. This is their life.

Once again, America does not need a president. America does not need a man or woman to “Make America Great Again.” America needs us. America needs compassion. America needs to be reminded of her base and core values. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to be yourself, and freedom to have the equal opportunity to make a better life for their future generations. Although yes, voting is incredibly important and is our responsibility, it is easy to cast a vote and expect a politician to make life better for the nation as a whole. What is difficult is putting away party lines and crossing over to help each other thrive regardless of nationality, sexuality, or social status. We are in this together. We are Americans; it is time to stop with the mudslinging tactics and become a country again rather than Republicans and Democrats. Remember this when you cast your vote. “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”