Today, I sit in sadness. Today, I sit in outrage. Today, I sit in awe. These emotions are brought about by the amount of hatred that is circulating in our country. As I scroll through the comments on news reports of this week's tragedies, I do not see enough unity; I see division in America.

Division appears through these categories in which we are placed, or place ourselves. We have taken sides on these matters, thus creating more pandemonium. This division has elongated the problem. We are witnessing what could be the continuance of the never-ending confrontations; this is why we must see change.

Division is not what we should resort to in a time of devastation. We are constantly bombarded with the phrases Black Lives Matter, Police Lives Matter and All Lives Matter. These movements, which began to raise awareness, are used as words to revolt against one another. Just because you believe in the "Black Lives Matter" movement does not have to mean that you hate police officers. By saying that certain lives matter, does not mean that other lives do not matter. This is just a recognition of the situation at hand; an identification of a problem that needs to be solved. There should be no need to chose a side. It is completely possible to reside with all movements that defend human lives.

The day when ignorance is converted to reasoning and understanding is the day we see a positive turn in this series of unfortunate events. Until we put an end to our close-minded views and accept one another, we will remain in this rut. One man refusing to hear another man's side of the story is obviously getting us nowhere.

I encourage everyone to take a good look into the other side of the story, the side of the story to which you may not be accustomed. Opening your heart and mind to others will lead to a realization in oneself that can promote a change for the better. If we all would walk in another man's shoes for a day, then maybe, just maybe, that would eliminate some of the hostility amongst us all.

My heart goes out to those who were affected by all the hatred in the United States, and all over the world. I hope that one day we can all live in a world where we do not discriminate based on the color of our skin. A world where we do not describe one another by the color of our skin. We are all human. We all breath the same air. We all walk the same ground. Let us learn to love, rather than hate; thus leading to our world in which we can ALL live happily and peacefully.

XO and best wishes,

Ashley Rose Corbin