Hate crimes have been occurring across the U.S. for decades, it is nothing new and we should all be appalled. Violence against the LGBTQ community, the Islamic or Sikh communities, the African-American or Latino communities, or the mentally ill community occurs far too often, and yet instead of creating change, we do nothing.
This hate stems mostly from our fear. Fear of differences and fear of the unknown. Yet instead of trying to understand what we do not know, we incriminate. Instead of taking the time to understand each other and support one another, we blame. People who have dark skin or are Muslim are instantly suspicious in any setting. Young, innocent African-American men are being killed too often and members of the LGBTQ community are still seen as unnatural. Yet, when we strip away our differences whether they be ethnic, religious, political, or otherwise-- we are all human. We all feel pain, love, and loss. We all have families and friends whom we care and love dearly and who reciprocate those feelings. In a park or a stadium, thousands of people from different backgrounds all enjoy the same pastime. We share interests and laughs all because we are human beings who feel similar emotions and share similar interests.
However, despite these similarities, differences like race, religion, sexuality and otherwise are ever present. Unlike what some people think, we need differences. Diversity is a necessity even at our biological core. We need diversity in order to adapt better and to survive. If we can emphasize our similarities, but also accept our differences, we would be in a happier, more cohesive world.
We must stop hating an entire community because of the actions of a few. If we were all judged by the dreadful acts of a few people, we would all be branded as monsters. Even in a religious, ethnic, or other community there are many similarities but there are also differences. When we incriminate an entire community for the acts of one person, we are saying they are all clones of each other. A family is a prime example of people who share so much and yet are so different. How alike are you and your siblings, or you and your parents? You may share similar likes and interests, but your opinions are not the same. You and your family may share blood, but that doesn't mean you share one mind. This is exactly how it is in any community.
Unfortunately for us we don’t live in a utopian world where violence will never occur, but we can try our hardest to minimize it, starting with how we spark violent tendencies in the first place. It would take a lot of time and effort but it would all pay off in the end. After each hate attack on a community, such as the Orlando shooting, the Paris bombings and 9/11, it was encouraging to see people from all types of backgrounds choosing love over hate. They chose to support one another and come together, despite differences, and they shared in their similarities of feeling loss and pain. We should use these people as examples of what love can do in the place of hate. We should take all measures necessary to ensure that our loved ones can feel safe wherever and whenever.
The world is a beautiful place and we mar its beauty with our own ugliness. When we turn the world into a place of exclusivity and disregard our similarities to only point out and fear our differences, we create a world unsafe for ourselves and the future children of this world. Let’s embrace our differences and emphasize our similarities and spread acceptance rather than hate.
