Act of terror, hate crime or violence due to mental instability; whichever term you prefer to use doesn’t change the brevity of what is happening in the United States or the world for that matter. In light of recent events occurring within the U.S., I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t anything that we can do to change what’s happening in the world. Now, before you jump down my throat let me explain what I mean.
We can’t enforce change when we aren’t willing to do the things needed in order for change to occur. Every time tragedy strikes, people take to their computer screens and keyboards to put in their two cents, but they do very little to incite actual change. It doesn’t matter what the issue at hand is: gun control, gay marriage or a law regarding the use of public restrooms, it always seems that America has perpetually become a nation divided, and as Sam Houston stated in the Senate debate during the Compromise of 1850, “A nation divided cannot stand”.
It seems that with every major conflict, everyone seems to have an opinion, yet we can’t learn to respect others with differing opinions. Instead of being civil and having educated conversations, people take to name calling and ultimately cyber-bullying anyone who has different views from themselves. We have come to exist in a world of hate as opposed to a world of acceptance and understanding. It is those very same people who expect to change everyone’s mind by spouting off uninformed and uneducated answers that defend their answers with “it’s called freedom of speech/expression,” or whatever term they deem appropriate that bulldoze others for exercising that same freedom.
On either side of whatever topic is up for debate, we have to come to the realization that opinions don’t make you a good or bad person. Someone can have the most convoluted and outdated opinions, yet still be a good person. Just as someone can be extremely “morally correct” yet be one of the absolute worst people ethically. It’s all about perspective.
I love my country more than anything, but I’m not so delusional as to think that we are the greatest country in the world. That may not be a popular opinion, but let’s face it, we’re far from great. What was once the “melting pot of the world” has sunk further and further into a nation of “alliances” based on gender, religion, sexual preference, race and everything under the sun. Every great nation/empire that rose to greatness also fell. It is up to us to decide whether we can all come together as one nation and become the greatest once again or if we will see the destruction of our country by its own citizens during our lifetime.
My beliefs differ drastically from those of my friends and family, but it is how we choose to handle our differences that set us apart from the rest of humanity.
