Who matters?

As most of you know, there's been a lot of crazy stuff going on in the world. A lot of it is in extremely recent news, in fact, many of these struggles have been occurring nearly since the beginning of time. What I'm specifically thinking of, though, is the struggle to decide whose lives are worth protecting in society.

When you put it that way, it almost sounds ridiculous, but really it's a very serious debate. I, for one, am sick of seeing it all over the media.

Here's my take on it, and I'm sorry if some of you get offended, but all lives matter!

If God created us equal (and I believe that he did), then surely that would give each of us equal worth in his sight, and he should expect us to view it that way as well.

But what about—

Now hold on just a moment. I'm not naive enough to think that racism and hate crimes and whatnot are just going to go away just because that's the way it should be. There's always going to be people that ruin it for the rest of us. Some people are just plain messed up, and there's nothing you or I can do about them. I'll come back to that in a minute.

We are raising our children to be distrustful of the world around us. Lack of trust breeds fear, the opposite of hope and faith. What happens when they all turn into adults who don't trust cops because they think they'll get hurt, or their neighbors because their skin color is different? What happens when we no longer have kids saying they want to be a cop when they're older, or that when they grow up, they're going to be the president?

So let me ask again.

Who matters?

Is it just the African American people who are hatefully accused, beaten and killed unjustly?

Or maybe the poor friends and families of the Orlando victims?

Is that it?

Some of you have shown your support to law enforcement to retaliate against all the negative light that has been shed upon them, and for that, I'm sure they are grateful.

Guys, listen. Not all police officers are bad! Every single cop I have ever spoken with or observed has been kind and helpful. During my time serving food, there were a lot of police officers coming in and out every day for a food break. Every time that I was the on assisting them, they were very polite, but also funny and quick to give compliments and express gratitude. It was a privilege working with customers like that. I saw how they were with other employees as well, and it was the same! These men and women didn't differentiate because of race or gender. Are there bad cops out there? Of course! There's always going to be bad people mixed in with the good ones.

I don't support all the horrible things that are happening, but what I do support is love. Terrible things happen to good people all the time. People with families, friends, jobs or even those without. It is important to educate yourself on where threats may be posed, so that you can protect yourself and others you love, but don't create a danger where there is none. Do your research. It's not some sort of conspiracy.

Everyone matters. Everyone wants to come home to their family and be safe and happy together. Don't look at a person and just assume what kind of person they are because of their badge or their outfit or their skin color. They are human, just like you. They are imperfect, just like you. They need love and appreciation, just like you.

That woman is a single mother with four hungry kids at home, waiting for her to get back from work. That man just got married a month ago. Those obnoxious teenagers over there just got accepted to their dream college.

People are born with clean slates. It's our job to help them keep it as clean as possible. You want more good people in the world? Be a good person! Show others a good example and raise your children with your ideals. All we can fix is ourselves. Nobody else is under our control, but people will notice. You may not think you have any power to influence others, but the impact that a smile, compliment, helping hand, etc. have can go on forever.

You get to decide the kind of person you want to be.

You can change the world for better or for worse.

And if you can have that much of an impact, can't everyone else?