As I've logged on to my social media the past few months, I've been finding myself reading more and more on acts of violence and terrorism that have currently occurred in society. New phrases such as "black lives matter" and "blue lives matter" have been created due to the violence and frankly, it disgusts me. We all (should) know that everyone has their own place in this world and everyone's lives matter. Why should an act of violence suddenly make people realize this? What is it about violence that is so compelling to us? Why are we so taken over by seeing others suffer a pain that we would never want to experience for ourselves? But meanwhile, as it occurs, we find ourselves not caring about the violence in our world until it becomes the top trend on our news feed.

I've never been able to understand how violence can solve a problem, and I probably never will. Whenever a fight would occur in high school and I heard about it, the first thought that went through my head was "What did that solve? Now they're both injured and suspended." How does seeing someone suffer from a pain that you caused, make you a better person? Here's the thing, it doesn't.

What I would like to know is, what happened to being kind to each other? And why is being kind to someone suddenly seen as a "weakness" now? If you ask me, I see kindness as a strength that comes from within. Everyone has their own story and their own struggles. If someone is kind to you, instead of glazing over it and disregarding it, take their words and run with them. You don't know what they have gone through to make them the way they are, so don't take kindness as a weakness, take it as treasure and always cherish it. Being kind doesn't cost anyone anything and it can always leave someone feeling better about themselves with a smile on their face.

Don't wait until a tragedy is the top news on your timeline to be kind. Always take advantage of kindness. You can change someone's day, or even their life.