In a perfect world, there would be no war. In a perfect world, there would be no terrorism. In a perfect world, loving thy neighbor would be an act commonly practiced by all. In a perfect world, hatred would not be the driving motivator for many people. In a perfect world, there would be no injustice. In a perfect world, everyone would be free to be who they want to be. In a perfect world, we could all be different while respecting and loving one another.

In a perfect world, there would be no need for riots or protests. In a perfect world, we would hear each other out and try to come to a realistic compromise. There are a million ideas that would exist in a perfect world. Unfortunately, however, we do not live in a perfect world. Every day you can turn on the news and read about the recent mass shooting or about the cute little boy down the block who has been missing for a week now. You can see the tragedies of children starving to death or other countries experiencing mass amounts of death.

The reality is we do not live in a perfect world nor will we ever really achieve perfection. We are all human and that means we all embody certain imperfections. There will always be ideas and actions that we may not agree with. There will always be people that we find intolerable. There will always be things that we cannot understand or that we do not even try to understand. Although imperfection is inevitable, it does not mean that we should stop striving. Perfection is not possible, but if we give up we will not even see how close we could possibly get.

As I write this today it is hard not to think about all the lives that have been lost recently and how this loss of life has been senseless. While we may not always agree with one another, we should never resort to violence and hatred. These hate-filled actions only cause an equal reaction of hatred and violence. Intolerance breeds intolerance, and if this trend keeps up we are soon to be a world divided. It is important and even critical to remember that above all we are all human beings first. No matter what race, religion, ethnicity, or occupation that we possess we are all made from flesh, bones, and blood.

When the blood of our fellow man is spilled, our own blood is spilled. Future generations' blood is spilled. If we do not take actions to stop these injustices that face our populations today, they will become the burdens of our children and our children’s children. I think we owe it to ourselves and our fellow human beings to hear each other out, to call for a cease fire before it’s too late.

Instead of answering a call for change with violence, we should take time to hear out or fellow human beings. There are very real problems that we face today, and while they may be difficult to overcome there is no need to resolve it with violence. We can only overcome when we start to listen to those who feel like their voices have yet to be heard. If we begin to treat each other with the same respect and standards that we would treat ourselves, then we may discover what it means for the world to be a little more perfect. We often ask ourselves why someone doesn’t do something about a situation without realizing that we are someone. While we do not and cannot live in a perfect world, you are someone, and it only takes someone to start making a difference.