It’s easy to see that 2016 has become a year filled with sadness and tragedy. With all the horrible events that have happened over the past couple of weeks, society has seemed to have taken on a sensitive state where people are always on their toes, waiting for something horrible to happen next.

It saddens me to see all of the hate that has come over the world. The battle of evil that once seemed like it was an entire ocean away has now entered our own backyard and seems to be growing every day.

I understand that it is hard to get along with everyone whom you meet. Everyone comes from different beliefs, cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds, but that doesn’t make us enemies. Just because we may be different from each other doesn’t create the horrible hatred that seems to be growing. It makes us human. It makes us different and unique in the ways that God intended.

What happened in Dallas, Texas, last week really fueled my emotions and anger towards those people who think that fighting fire with fire is the way to have a positive impact. How is killing innocent people who are there to help going to make a change in the downward spiral that the world is falling towards? I’m not sure if people are trying to use violence as a way of revenge or to “make an impact” but how far does it all have to go before society can come together and honestly say that the hatred has to end?

There are all these different movements going on such as “Black Lives Matter,” “Trans Lives Matter,” “All Lives Matter,” and now “Blue Lives Matter” that are trying to push for a positive change. I know that there are certain people who aren’t going to agree with the different views and groups in society no matter how much you try to push it, but violence and death should never play a part in someone’s opinion.

I believe that people need to learn to try to understand a person before they immediately judge them by the color of their skin, their background, or beliefs. Don’t let one bad person ruin all of the amazing, wonderful people who are in this world. Whether someone is black, white, Christian, Muslim, Asian, Mexican, gay, Trans, or whatever, it shouldn’t be the reason to immediately pose them as a threat or condemn them as a horrible group of people. It should never be the reason for death or violence. There are people who may be different from you in certain aspects of life, but they are still human. They are still someone’s brother, sister, mother, father, spouse, or friend.

We are all living in a melting pot of different races, colors, religions and background, but we are all Americans. We are all people who want to live in a place where we feel safe and secure. We want to know that our children and our children’s children can live in a world where violence doesn’t have to play such a main part in society. I hope and pray that one day that the love and kindness in people will be enough to extinguish the evil and hate that has been going on not only in America but around the whole world.