"Compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength." -Dalai Lama

Lately, I have noticed that there is a ridiculously low amount of compassion and tolerance in our society. Instead of being respectful of other's opinions, or at least trying to agree to disagree, we are quick to hate. We are dividing our country in what seems a million different ways; democrats vs republicans, racial divisions, feminists vs people who oppose feminism, gay rights, and anything else people could possibly have an opinion on. Now, I'm not saying you're not entitled to your opinion because you are and that is one of the reasons why America is so great. But! What I am trying to say is at the moment we are disagreeing on topics just to disagree. Generations are battling on topics because they can't understand each other's opinions, and choose to not even try.

This article is a universal call to love. There are many different ways to show compassion. Compassion can be in a simple form, such as helping someone up when they trip, or it can be a big action such as financial help. Honestly, showing some amount of compassion, no matter how small, can make a huge difference. It doesn't have to be a big action. Something as simple as biting your tongue when you're about to say something rude can make a HUGE difference. My parents taught me "if you don't have anything nice to say, then say nothing at all".

Throughout our lives we meet people that have the ability to change our lives for the good forever. However, you'll miss out on those people if you're lacking tolerance. How many people have you judged as you walked past them simply by their race, religious background, or where they're from? How many people have you teased about marrying their cousin when they're from Kentucky? And how many people have you assumed were unintelligent simply because of the color of their skin? And how many times have you looked at a boy and said "quit doing that like a girl"? All of these cause a huge amount of damage in our society. A statement seen as small, or harmless, can be extremely detrimental to our future growth.

Yes, I believe actions speak louder than words. Actions are very powerful. Sometimes though, we don't know what a person is going through and we judge too quick. If we didn't judge so quick, but instead we were quick to help, we could change the amount of compassion or tolerance in the world.

So, take a chance with me. Take my call to love as a challenge. Look at life with a new set of eyes, look at others with a new set of eyes. Instead of being cynical, be optimistic.

It doesn't matter what candidate you voted for because we got the results that we got. Whether you voted for our President, or not, both sides need to chill. The only way our country can grow strong is if both sides show some tolerance and compassion for each other.

Quit saying such hateful things. Quit judging others so quickly. Quit worrying about what other people are doing in their lives and worry about yourself. If we could each put one good thing out into the world each day we could make a HUGE difference.

Choose to love, choose to be kind.