For quite a while now, I have been biting my tongue. I have kept my mouth shut tightly because I have feared offending those around me. But then, I realized... If no one chooses to speak up, nothing is going to change.

Recent violent events have caused our nation to suffer terrible heartache. The homosexual community, the black community and the law enforcement community have all suffered tragic loses. All parties involved have dealt with heartache, grief, anger, and fear.

Rather than choosing one side or the other, we should be focusing on the real issue. The hatred and the violence must come to a end. We must search for a solution; we need to stop fighting each other.

Every life matters, people.

I've seen several posts from my friends, acquaintances, and family members on social media stating that they are sorrowful in regards to the tragedies. I have read that they are grieving with families of the victims, that they are praying, that they cannot believe what our country is becoming, so on and so forth.

Empathy is important during tough times, but what if I told you it wasn't enough? Because it is not. It is not nearly enough.

If we truly want the violence to stop, we must DO something. It is time for us to stop staring at our smartphones and take action regarding the future of our nation.

Many of you are scoffing at this.

"This is out of our hands," you may be thinking. You may even think I'm dreaming too big. Regardless of what you may think, there are many things we can do to make a difference.

First and foremost, our nation as a whole needs to do one very simple thing: we must begin loving those around us. We need to love everyone, despite sexuality, ethnicity, religion, or any other disagreements and differences there may be present. We must give love, receive love and learn to practice peace.

It is also time that we reconsider gun policies. I understand this a very controversial issue, but it is time to face the facts: our current method is not effective enough. The gun violence has to stop. Before you jump to conclusions, I want you to know that I do NOT want to "take all your guns away," but I do think that it is time to reconsider some of our policies. Perhaps we should consider making them harder to get in the first place. Perhaps we could make the laws uniform across the nation, so that guns can not be purchased at a bordering state and brought into another.

Perhaps we should consider requiring strict background checks and safety courses. Many do not realize that private gun sellers are not require background checks. An estimated 40 percent off all firearms sold in the US are transferred by unlicensed "private" sellers. As you can imagine, this makes it much easier for guns to fall into the wrong hands.

Too often, I hear phrases along the lines of, "We have no control over what happens in this country." I concur. We can demand to be heard. Protesting isn't for everyone. However, there are other ways to voice our opinions. People often forget that with today's technology, we have the ability to contact legislators and talk about our concerns, and we can do so from the safety of our own homes.

One voice alone may not do it, but if we come together and do it as a whole, they cannot ignore these issues. We will be heard.

Most importantly, we must EDUCATE OURSELVES AND VOTE. Please, please, please vote, and elect leaders that have our best interest in mind. I could not possibly say this enough. This is not a game. These are American lives at stake.

No matter a person's color, heritage, religion, or sexual orientation- we are all human. All lives matter. ALL LIVES MATTER.

It's time for our nation realize that it does not have to be this way. Improvement is possible. Better is possible, and we have to strive for it.

For the sake of our country, we need to come together in order to end this cycle of violence, racism, and terrorism. It is time to stand together.