There are many core values and ideals embedded in this country's history. Liberty, equality, unity, diversity, self-government, and individualism are just a few examples. Considering that this land really belongs to the Native Americans who were here first, it's very ironic that thousands of individuals are targeted, scrutinized, and made to feel less than on a daily basis because of their cultural and religious practices especially when the founding fathers are immigrants.

As a country, we have got it all wrong. It is no secret that while our country had strong, core beliefs that only applied to white men for hundreds of years, we have a dark history of mistreatment, stealing, and so many other things I'd prefer not to get into right now.

Individuals are discriminated against and targeted because of their religious practices and the color of their skin. These are the same individuals who get teased in school or in the work place because their accent is too thick and hard to understand, or they speak that "terrorist language," yet we travel to other, more "desirable" countries with a language barrier because we want to visit white sand beaches while sipping sangria under the sun, or experience authentic pico de gallo on cobble stoned streets. Or even better, we get upset when people are speaking a language around us that we do not understand, but once again, traveling to another country and speaking our own language.

The point I am trying to make, however, is that we need to start embracing and appreciating the uniqueness of one another which includes welcoming immigrants from all over the world; kind of like what the Native Americans did for us before they were stripped of everything.

Multiculturalism exists all around us whether some people like it or not. I think individuals are so stuck on living up to the expectations of being an "American," but are losing sight that being American is actually being apart of a huge melting pot.

The United States being so culturally rich and supposedly open-minded is what makes us remarkable and sets us apart from any other nation. It is also one of the reasons why I try to and why everyone else should avoid arguing with ignorant individuals. Those are the ones who will make a snide comment regarding a man in a turban but fail to understand that algebra, something we use so commonly, came from the Arabic world.

America's identity crisis is that as a nation, and not all of us but some, we like to think that we are better than others without realizing that we all bring something unique to the table. Our diversity expands our wordliness, it allows for us to interact and learn with individuals from diverse groups. It opens our mind to new cultures, we gain a global perspective, and start to see the world differently. We then can have conversations about the differences and life experiences we all have based off of our cultures which also helps our creative, learning process.

We all could learn a lot from each other and move our country into a positive direction. Diversity is truly an amazing thing and we all need to start accepting it because it isn't going anywhere. The United States being so diverse is almost like traveling around the world without having the actually leave the country, and honestly, who doesn't like to travel and explore new cultures?