I feel so grateful to be a part of a country where we are truly free to do far more than we are even aware of. However, I want to take a moment to share the fact that although we have rights, we also have a responsibility to uphold those rights and use them for the RIGHT reasons. We take for granted the things we are able to do every single day with no questions asked, but why are do we use these rights in such a hateful way? There is a complete difference in using our rights to speak freely about whatever we choose and express our concerns, and then there is doing the complete opposite and just saying or posting something spiteful. We cannot be so ignorant to simply post “Get over it.” in response to other hateful posts.

Why? Because it is the exact same thing as posting or saying something hurtful in the first place. Use your rights to bring positivity, peace, encouragement, and words of affirmation to those who are hurting, instead of thinking to lash back out with something hateful. In that case, we are all being so irresponsible with our rights that we are fortunate enough to have. I will also say that although social media has made an up roaring and overwhelming debut in my generation, it is also an incredible tool when used for the right reasons. Our hurtful words only fuel the fire when we are truly in a time of much-needed peace. Posting hateful comments about something we do not agree with or having a negative attitude just because we do not see eye to eye with someone only says more about who we are.

Let me also say that I am a proud advocate for peace in this world, but our hateful comments on Facebook and other social media sites will not get anyone anywhere. All that is seen about that comment is our name in bold on the top of it. We have all read a funny post or an uplifting article somewhere that made us smile. We probably even showed it to our friends or sent it to someone we knew was having a bad day. Why can’t we all be those articles and those posts? Why can’t we be the reason for someone else to laugh even when everything else during his or her day has gone absolutely horrible? I challenge all of us to be that positive light. I challenge all of us to be that kind article or funny post that makes someone smile in a world filled with such negativity. I challenge all of us to see our rights as responsibilities to peace and positivity. You can “tell it like it is” in a positive way if you so choose, and if you cannot I am sure we are all familiar with “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all." Let your voice be heard in a positive manner and always be an advocate for peace.