When I try to comprehend everything that is happening in the world, the only word that comes to mind is "overwhelmed." I feel overwhelmed by everything. I feel as if no where is safe. I feel as though I am taking a risk by simply leaving my house every morning. However, I know that we cannot live our lives in fear because if we stop going about our days normally, the bad guys win.

There have been so many different articles and opinion pieces about the horrible events that have been occurring all over the world. One that stood out was a NY Times op-ed piece in which the authors state, “America must not repeat past errors and commit thousands of troops in a Middle East ground war, as some Republicans are urging.” There is already so much turmoil in the Middle East without America’s further involvement. The article continues, “On Monday, Mr. Obama wisely refused to agree to escalate America’s involvement, which in addition to airstrikes already includes 3,500 troops in Iraq ostensibly devoted to training, and about 50 Special Operations forces in Syria.” The U.S. government is making very cautious choices, and rightly so, because it would not be sensible to make any rash and impulsive decisions at a time like this.

Amidst all of the articles about the Paris bombings, there have been many regarding the Syrian refugee crisis. On a national level, President Obama stated that the United States will not be closing its borders to refugees. However, each state has the right to close its own borders, which many have already done, and it's sickening.

Let’s not forget how this country started. The United States of America is a country built on immigration. This country as we know it would not exist if people did not emigrate out of their home countries to come to this new land, despite their reason for leaving. There are thousands and thousands of Syrian men, women, and children who have lost so many family members and loved ones. These people have done nothing wrong, but because over half of America has closed its borders to Syrian refugees, they have no where to go and no one to turn to. These innocent families are on our side; they’re trying to escape the same people that we’re afraid of letting in.

There are thousands of children living on the streets of Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Serbia, and other countries. A Swedish photographer, Magnus Wennman, has been visiting refugee camps in the Middle East and Europe to photograph these children who had their lives torn from them. You can read the full article here.

The child above can't speak because she broke her jaw and her family doesn't have enough money to pay for surgery.

One of the children told the photographer, “The strangest thing about war is that you get used to feeling scared. I wouldn’t have believed that.” Why should they have to endure the horrors of war?

This little girl is scared of her pillow because she thought the scary noises (the air raids on her town) were coming from her pillow.

A mother of one of the children Wennman photographed stated, "The escape has forced children to become adults and share concern for what happens in an hour or a day." Why should these kids have their childhoods taken away from them?

There are countless families sleeping on sidewalks because they have no where else to go, and people still believe that closing off our borders is the right thing to do.

Yes, keeping our borders open means we are taking a risk, but America needs to show the world that it is accepting and is willing to help others. America is supposed to thrive on diversity and yet, many are still xenophobic. Bernie Sanders stated in a video he posted on his Facebook page, "We are a strong enough nation to say we're not going to lose who we are as a people," and he is absolutely right.

If Francois Hollande is able to keep his promise to take in 30,000 refugees over the next two years, why can't the U.S.? He even stated, "France will remain a country of freedom." He goes on to say that they must remain true to their values while still keeping tight security at the borders. America should be inspired by his actions and continue accepting the migrants (of course, with added security).

We too believe in freedom for all, so why deny that right to the thousands of innocent refugees who are just looking for somewhere safe to live?