So the Olympics are starting this Friday, and I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited. There's nothing like seeing all of the athletes from each country walk into the arena and hearing the national anthem of each country. These athletes have been training for years, and sometimes their whole lives, to be at the level that they are now. Their whole lives have led up to this moment. No matter how big of a sports fan you are, there's something in the Olympics for everyone.

At the Olympics, every sport imaginable is present: the main ones, like soccer, swimming, and gymnastics, and some obscure ones like water polo, speed skating, and fencing. The Olympics give you a chance to learn about a sport that you might not have ever heard of or seen before.

There has been a lot of controversy with this Olympics, however; the uprise of the Zika virus has made many people not want to attend the Olympics, whether it's to watch or compete. This deadly virus coupled with the unsettling state of the Brazilian government makes for not the most ideal situation.

But maybe the Olympics is just what we need right now. Amidst all of the violence and tragedies that have happened both in our country and others recently, the Olympics is the perfect time to bring all of us together. It seems that every time you turn on the news, there's a shooting that has happened, an act of terror. We need to feel united again and celebrate each other for our differences. The Olympics is all about a mix of cultures and learning to appreciate people from different cultures than your own. It's a chance to see athletes from all over the world that you probably wouldn't see otherwise. It's a chance to experience things (like sports) for the first time. The Olympics can help heal us.

Here's to the countdown to Rio 2016!