Just as a disclaimer, these are my own thoughts and opinions. I usually do not share this kind of content but honestly I think it is time my voice is heard. This is not meant to be offensive in any way; this is simply a little look into my head as if you’re reading my diary. I was inspired to write this piece after watching the news a couple of nights in a row during dinner, and quite frankly I am sick of hearing the same kind of news stories. This might be a little ramble-y but bear with me.

First things first, I am tired of how selfish American people seem to be. Let’s talk about the upcoming election a little bit. I know it’s crazy. I still have a hard time believing that one of the current candidates is going to run the country, because it seems like a joke to me. It sounds like the opening to one of those, “So Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders walk into a bar...” jokes, but it’s a terrifying reality. But I’m not here to push my political views on you. I don’t care who you voted for, but I might care about why you voted for them. Now this might just be me, but it seems like the main thing people want to know about the candidates is, “What are they going to do for me?” Now, yes. In some regards, that’s an important question. I mean everyone wants to find the candidate that best matches their values and has similar goals, but shouldn’t the BIG question be, “What is this candidate going to do for the country?” There are 318.9 million people in the United States (according to Google), so the president needs to be someone that has our country’s best interests in mind, not just yours individually. I know I sound like an old man complaining about politics but here’s my underlying message: next time you consider your political candidate of choice, ask yourself if you think the candidate would have your neighbor’s best interest in mind, or your community’s, or better yet the entire country’s? If you can’t answer that question confidently I beg you to just do some research before voting for the leader of the free world.

Next topic. Let’s talk about violence. Watching the news makes me sad because it’s practically a guarantee that when you turn the news on you will hear about the latest murder, rape or terrorist attack. Like I said earlier, I am not trying to preach here, you don’t need to know my views on gun violence or similar topics, but here is an opinion I will let you know: I hate the endless smart-ass Facebook posts about violence. I do not want to see your meme about how the latest police shooting is more important than the rape case or vice versa. Violence is violence, and it’s all wrong. In these situations, we should try our best to go color blind, sex blind, sexuality blind and just have our hearts hurt a little bit and be a little humbled because we are alive and well. I can’t stand the arguments that arise on social media comparing two crimes. I guess my point here is that I wish everyone could just take a step back, mourn privately, and not attack others who are mourning their own sorrows.

In conclusion, be kind, be respectful, be humble, be open to other opinions, and take a second to write down your own opinions (and share them to the rest of the world if you’re feeling brave like me).