Walking in the break room at work trying to enjoy what seems like a two minute break away from the phone. I glance at the television..

"Orlando gunman attacks gay night club, leaving 50 dead."

"Kansas police officer shot and killed responding to shooting report."

"Attack on Nice, France."

"Disney gator attack: two year old Nebraska boy found dead."

"Black Lives Matter."

These days it would seem out of the ordinary if a week, even a couple of days, passed with a void of violence and hate. The sad part is that it has become normal and because of it, we lack the time to grieve before our attention is drawn away by another tragedy. Society tries to focus our attention on social media posts and news updates. So much "he said, she said" "who is to blame" nonsense. With an attitude of "that just how life is now," we fall short on value.

Value: "The regard that something is held to deserve the importance, worth, or usefulness of something."

Do you place value in your neighbors' lives or just your own? When news strikes, are you the person with the mindset that it's "okay" because "life happens" or do you truly care for that soul and their families? Knowing that the victimized person and their families will be affected for the rest of their lives mainly based off of one thing... self.

Society has divided us into all these races, religions and classes when in reality we are all part of the same race -- the human race. We are taught to hate and to separate ourselves from each other based on the mindset that by separating myself from you, it would somehow magically make me more superior. I am not, though. When we do this we truly show our ignorance. In a state of confusion, we think it is okay to post memes on Facebook about such tragedies and crack racial jokes or slurs because "everyone's doing it." In reality, somewhere around the world are a mom and dad weeping at what you think is funny. A brother or sister who will forever be known as "the sibling of the person in the meme I posted yesterday." News media won't broadcast this part, they don't want you to feel sorry because you would stop doing it. Instead, they promote violence and hate. In what you think is a innocent piece of the news is actually a thought out plan on "what the people want" and "what will get people's attention." No one cares about the good anymore; we focus ourselves on the riots and get ourselves pumped up and focused on what the news or social media tells us is important. No one is allowed to have a opinion; you are either for it or against it.

I feel like this is wrong. I could go on and on about how I see both sides, then agree to disagree on a subject and move on. I could go in depth about how I feel this is the best method of debate in today's society. I could, but I won't. Opinions are just opinions and it should stay that way. People shouldn't be forced to believe or look at things from the media's point of view, but instead their own. So next time you watch the news or scroll through Facebook, try and look at it from both sides. Make sure to gather all the facts and not just what you're told before coming to conclusions. Then take a second and remember these souls that we are losing. Value them in your life because it could always happen to you or your family.