"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

There is a thick, dark cloud hanging over our country - in the past month, all I have heard about on the news is conversation about attacks and tragedies that are plaguing our nation.

Underneath that dark cloud is a mural, painted in the endless amount of blood that has been shed by the victims of these attacks. This mural depicts our broken nation: from California to Florida, we have become a vast nation sick with pain and hate. Hate from one side, and hate from another; we are literally killing our neighbors, our fellow Americans. Whether it is external or home grown terrorism, to the awful amount of tension among citizens and law enforcement, we are killing each other, and all you ever hear done about any of it is people playing the "blame game;" their threats and savage comments spewing from one side of the aisle to the other.

Whether it is disagreeing on politics, or social issues, it seems violence is becoming the last ditch effort by many who want to get their message across, or try to solve whatever problems that matter to them. But the entire country has to understand three things:

Violence will solve nothing.

Anger will solve nothing.

Hate will solve nothing.

But it's what we, as a nation, succumb to each and every time there is an attack; we bash the opposing side for not doing enough, for not thinking how we want them to think. There is no more compromise, something that is such a vital part of our American history, and of our democracy.

And yet, as I think about the events that are all over the news channels on television; San Bernardino, Orlando, Minnesota, Louisiana, and Dallas ... I think about the outpouring of comments that spill all over social media and television. They come in stages: First, it is the initial shock of all of the events, the "how could this happen?" moments and comments; the real emotion that we feel when such violence is committed. The next part, to me, is the most interesting. People automatically begin to pick a side; they begin to choose who was right and who was wrong, in their eyes. Minutes, hours after the event, and yet is there really any true evidence yet? No, but like I said before, we all must play the "blame game," right? We have to find some sort of person to blame for the awful tragedy. Then, even when the evidence comes out, we still aren't satisfied. Even if our side was wrong, or right, there still has to be hateful and unnecessary comments ... What does any of this solve?

Do we comfort the victims by taking the focus off of them and turning these events into a political and social "blame game?"

Do we solve anything at all by constantly hating the people around us who we disagree with?

What good is it to continuously divide rather than come together?

Quite frankly, we solve nothing - We continue to make things worse, to dig deeper, not only into darkness, but into the already open wounds of the victims, and those affected by such violence and hate.

Now do I really know how to solve the problems of our nation? Of course not, but I know that there has to be something that starts the solution, and I want to start the process of understanding what is happening - a process that leads to healing, and eventually, solutions that can help this country grow together, not apart.

I guess you could say that coming together as a country seems about impossible when looking at all of the events going on within the nation, but before there is every any solution, any understanding, you have to delve into the problem.

There are too many problems to delve into in one article, but there are a few key problems that are the major components our country's inability to fully come together, and "love thy neighbor as yourself."

1. We Run Blind Without Shoes.

What does this have to do with anything? Well it's a little analogy that helps us to understand how we judge, and make comments, with having little to no actual evidence of what happened in the first place. Like I mentioned before, we all have tendencies to automatically hop onto social media, online news outlets, and even televised news outlets right as an event is occurring, or right after it happened. The problem with this is that there is no reasonable way for anyone to make any judgments right away, and that is exactly what we do. We do not have all of the information, but especially on social media, we tend to go and defend whatever side we choose to be on, yet we defend, we judge, we hate, without any major evidence. So when I say "we run blind without shoes," I mean to show how we hurt ourselves, and then hurt others, and whether it is on accident or on purpose, we are still hurting, not helping whatever cause we stand for. This creates a deeper divide in the nation, making it even more difficult to bring any of us, or the country, back together again.

2. We Choose Sides.

I get it, its human nature to pick sides, to follow our passions, and to fully support things that mean something to us. I am not saying that this is a problem; the problem spurs form when we decided to let all of our own personal feelings, or the feelings of others cloud our judgement, and really this doesn't allow any of us to see the evidence of what has occurred. I am a culprit of this, and the events that have occurred in the past month have really proven to me that choosing sides gets us no where. It makes the cloud hanging over America larger, the tension get thicker, and the hate grow stronger.

3. Silence or Screaming, There's No In Between

Many times, we only publicly see the protests, the peaceful protests; people speaking up, people screaming to the world how badly they want their point to be heard, to be seen as valid. Or, we see the protests gone wrong, as seen in Dallas a few days ago. (July 7, 2016) Or we speak out through social media platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter. This is one side of the spectrum. There is also those who stay silent; those who may be afraid to speak up about a certain issue, or those who feel that their words and thoughts are meaningless. Unfortunately, we make it seem as if there is no middle ground because we can't seem to see anything else but these two extremes, that in some respects are only having a short term effect. America needs long term solutions for our very real, very deep rooted problems.

Now, I just want to clarify something. I am NOT here trying to blame each and everyone of us for the awful tragedies that have occurred recently, because none of us are to blame for the lives that have been lost, and the lives that have been forever changed. It is not our fault. What I am trying to say though, is that each and everyone of us do have some part in our country's inability to find solutions. Some of us want to and just don't know how to, and unfortunately some of our efforts haven't worked to their fullest potential. Let's be honest, there are some people who just don't care.

Here's the thing though, we HAVE to care about nation that we live in, and the people that we share it with. America, no matter what happens, is the most unique country in the world. We are a diverse nation of opportunity, but we are ONE nation. We are a melting pot of races, religions, cultures; we are a beautiful mix of people that make the United States of America the amazing country that it is. Yes, we are facing more trials than triumphs, but we still have the ability to come together and mend this broken nation.

We have to open our eyes to differing views, and understand that there are 300 million people residing in this country; each person have a different view on how things should work; a different view on the nation and on the world. But within those 300 million people, there are common views that are continuously clashing. Instead of clashing, and arguing, we have to final a setting where we can sit, and talk, not scream, but talk with open minds and level heads about our differing opinions. We all have to act like a modern day Henry Clay, or The Great Compromiser of the 19th Century; we all have to learn that compromise is key to being able to meet, or almost meet, the needs of this country. We have to allow ourselves to give and take, no matter how hard it may seem to budge, we have to let our own personal thoughts aside, and see what we can do for the common, and greater good of the country, and for us, the people who live here. We also have to learn that we ultimately cannot choose sides; the more we choose sides, the more we further divide ourselves and this great nation. We are pulling apart at the seams, and if we continue this, there is no chance for us to get any better, to fix the seam that we tore apart. Yes, we have to work toward fixing the issues, but we cannot get clouded by our, and other people's judgments. We have to allow the facts to guide us to the right answers and solutions.

The most difficult thing we will have to do is gain understanding. In order to repair this almost torn seam, to paint a new mural, to free us of this dark, looming cloud, we must come together by understanding the issues of the other side. Yes, we shouldn't choose sides, but in order to come back together, the two sides that have been dividing our nation will have to meet in the middle, and when they do, they will bring the problems that they are passionate about. Both sides need to be open to understanding the issues, and how each side considers fixing them. Americans have to understand that political tension, racial tension, etc, separate us, but not trying to figure out how the other person feels creates an even deeper divide. We have all of the potential and ability to come together and solve these problems, to fix America. But it's up to us to really change our own personal ways, in order to change the ways of city leaders, politicians, and ultimately the country.

We can no longer fight for peace.

We must speak for peace.

We must LOVE for PEACE.

These are not all the answers, because I don't have all of the answers. All I know is that I love this country with my entire body and soul. I have grown up knowing that America is the land of opportunity. Its not perfect, but it is truly the best country in the world, despite the hardships we are facing.

This is my small step into trying to bring this country back together. This is my first of many attempts to try and understand others, and change my own ways in order to better this nation. This is my way of speaking for the peace of our nation.

I don't know what yours will be, but don't let the events that happened in the past few days, weeks, and months just drift away. Let them be a permanent part of your mind, so you too can take a small step, whatever it may be, toward putting our own "Humpty Dumpty" (America) back together again.

God bless the victims of these attacks, and God bless America.

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality ... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.