Take a moment to think of the mistakes in life you have encountered, mistakes made by you or ones directed at you. How could those have been avoided? The most likely answer is one word: kindness, which speaks volume how little of this a typical person will encounter this in their lives today. Unfortunately the people who are truly kind get no exposure in this fast paced world where drugs, murder and broken families dominate the entertainment media. Is it really so surprising that every year there are more shootings, killings and riots? In recent events I believe that the words of the great Martin Luther King Jr. can speak clearly into all off our hearts especially when he said "We have before us a glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of love into the veins of our civilization." This very day will only happen once in history and it is in today that we shape what we want, what do we want? Are we going to continue to let this world slip through our fingers while hate snowballs us into the future?

Let's use some examples in case someone doesn't see exactly what hate I am talking about. (These statistics have been taking since the Columbine shootings) FBI records tell us that there have been 50 attempted and successful school mass murders, 141 people killed in mass school shootings and the most terrifying stat is there is one attempted or successful school shooting per week at schools in 2015. These statistics are only about school shootings specifically, anyone who keeps up with the news knows this is not where the murders stop. When did it get this bad? Some people say the reason is religious, some say political, and others will say it's human nature. I stand firm and say the reason does not matter, only the solution. How do we stop the riots, shootings and hate attacks?

I'd like to go back to Martin Luther King Jr., the American hero of fighting for peace, and stand up, stay firm and don't let hate spread. Here are some ways we can all do our part in this effort: stop any bullying you see immediately, even if you don't like someone at least be respectful, and (I am bias to use this because of my religious standing) Love Your Neighbor as Yourself. As a culture we need to start showing love to one another despite our disagreements, because even if we don't actively hate someone the absence of intentional kindness will inevitably be filled with something negative. I am as guilty as anyone at not showing love when I could have and therefore have become a piece of the problem of hate myself.

No matter your religious, political, cultural, or social views, we have to start choosing to love one another. You don't have to agree with someone on anything to be kind, and in today's world there is a lot of disagreement. I love leaving a challenge so here is mine for all of us: to love intentionally, show kindness wherever we can and step up to violence and hate with a heart of peace and forgiveness.