The United States is home of the American Dream, the landing place for the world's poor, huddled masses and it's the country founded on the desire to forge a new way of life. What happened to that?

Our country seems to be bursting at the seams with tension and hate. Our media is flooded with political divides, finger-pointing and "fake news." Representatives won't work together on legislation. Millions live without clean water or don't know where their next meal will come from. Economic studies are showing that parts of the United States have become like third-world nations. When you look at all of the problems facing our nation it's not that hard to believe.

But, people are still risking their lives to seek better lives in the United States.

We have so much potential to be a truly amazing country. People from every culture and ethnicity can be found here. People from all walks of life. Brain surgeons live next to grocers who live next to politicians who live next to journalists. We could learn so much from our neighbors and communities and truly come together as a great nation.

But the reality is much grimmer. Income disparity, racism, discrimination and violence impact nearly every life in this country. Schools are forced to use decades-old textbooks, gang violence controls whole cities and those in need live under those with power. Some days it seems like the country, if not the entire world, is full of crooked politicians and hate and violence.

This is not what the American Dream should look like.

We as Americans need to work together despite party lines and despite social status to make our country something to be proud of. To do that, we have to be electing a representative government. Not a government representative of the states, but of the people. Congress members and Senators need to represent all of the things that make the United States so beautiful - ethnicities and cultures that bring new perspectives into account when working for the people.

If we want change, we can't let old ways of thinking control the narrative.

It seems like everyone is an activist on social media but when it comes to real action the tone is quiet. While Facebook and Twitter can be great tools we need to bring that same energy to the streets and use our knowledge and experience to help create change. As polarizing as the phrase "Make America Great Again" can be if we begin communicating with each other as human beings instead of through our beliefs and ideologies we really could make the country a better place.

While it can be hard to feel proud of the United States, our problems are relatively small. If you stop and look around you can see great things happening. People are saving each other, their communities and their environment. It isn't all crooked politicians and acts of hate against others. To fight the injustices around us we need to first learn to see the good in people.

Our differences in beliefs, in backgrounds and in ways of life are what make the United States an amazing place. We have the ability to make this country a place to be proud of, it will just take a little bit of unity.