Syrian families in America face trying challenges everyday. One could not even begin to imagine what they go through. In a country that should be welcoming and inviting, they feel rejected and belittled by us.

This is where they come from. They come from poverty and war. When they get here they are faced with judgmental attitudes. Why? Why do we as a country feel so much hatred towards these people? Why is it so hard to help people in need? Anyone who was able to look at the picture at the top of the article and not feel any compassion should be ashamed. We are a capable country, we are a country of hopes and dreams and we have unlimited potential to do so much good in this world, yet we are too afraid of new people or ideas so we turn them away.

Here are some facts from World Vision as to why Syrian refugees are seeking a better home:

“• Violence: Since the Syrian civil war began, 320,000 people have been killed, including nearly 12,000 children. About 1.5 million people have been wounded or permanently disabled, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The war has become more deadly since foreign powers joined the conflict.

• Collapsed infrastructure: Within Syria, healthcare, education systems, and other infrastructure have been destroyed; the economy is shattered.

• Children’s safety: Syrian children — the nation’s hope for a better future — have lost loved ones, suffered injuries, missed years of schooling, and witnessed unspeakable violence and brutality. Warring parties forcibly recruit children to serve as fighters, human shields, and in support roles, according to the U.S. State Department” (par 2).

There is so much we can do but perhaps the most important thing we can do is express kindness. Not only to Syrians but Indians or Jews or Blacks or whatever race or sexuality or gender identity a person may be, the most important step you can take in bettering another person’s life is expressing kindness. We have come so far in learning how to treat people. We have become compassionate people and people of high moral values. So why are we still acting horribly to refugees or immigrants? We still have a long way to go in bettering ourselves.

The first step to admit that there is a problem is that we all need to admit we have been prejudice at one point in time. We need to make a promise to ourselves that we will do our best to overcome any prejudiced attitudes that we currently have. We need to promise ourselves we will treat others with the utmost respect and that we will not be monsters that add to the harsh lives of others. We are better than that.

So remember that the next time you make a negative comment or give someone a dirty look, we all come from trying times and we all deserve respect. So lets treat others the way we would want to be treated if the roles were reversed.