The world is in a sad state. It's hard, with Thanksgiving days away and Christmas right around the corner, to think about all of the senseless death and destruction taking place in our world on what seems to be a daily basis.

It has been just over a week since the attack on Paris, since the suicide bombings in Beirut. It has been just over two weeks since ISIS claimed responsibility for the Russian plane that crashed in Egypt, rendering every passenger dead. Upon writing this, an estimated 170 captives have been taken in Mali, another suspected attack by ISIS.

So what do we do when our world is plagued with hatred and violence? Do we, too, become hateful and violent? Or do we each take steps to bring kindness to our communities? World peace seems more like a child's fantasy than a possible reality, especially with the current state of affairs. But when we allow terror to turn us cruel and cold, we are only feeding into the destruction.

It is important, in spite of terror, to act with kindness. To nurture with love, and to give back. It is the season of giving, so why not give peace? Why not give love? Do not turn your back on those who do not look like you, who do not believe in the same God as you, who may have a different point of view than you.

Our world is in shambles. But right here in our own country, we are so deeply divided. We identify our friends as those who have the same political views as us, and alienate those who don't, deeming them less intelligent, less worthy of our company. This attitude is toxic. We are defined by more than who we will support in the upcoming election. We are identified by more than our religion, our career choice, by whether we choose to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays."

Instead of pushing others away, why not unite? World peace will never be attainable unless we start at home. Unless we band together, as citizens with a common goal, and strive to make the world better. Better for you, better for me, better for the future.

It is so easy to see death and destruction and turn it into "us against them." But maybe these sides are not as clear as the media paints them to be. Maybe instead of pitting us against our fellow man, we should reach out our hands and bridge the gap in communication and understanding. Maybe, just maybe, we need to open our eyes and our minds to understand that not everyone sees the world the exact same way. That some cultures have different values and priorities, and that no specific culture has it "right."

Is peace in the world possible? I'd like to believe so. We have a long way to go. We have a lot of voids to bridge. We have a lot of dialogues that need to be opened in order to understand those around us. We need to be able to push our differences aside and find common ground. We need to stop believing war and violence solve problems, because it doesn't. We need to push aside our differences and find the things that unite us, mainly our humanity, our finitude, our desire to love and be loved.

John 15:12 states, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you."

John Lennon says, "I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will be as one."

I sure hope so, too.