If I had a dollar for every time I heard somebody say something emotionally charged and negative about this country, then I could buy the country out of debt.

Think about it. The number of times I have witnessed people crying because they feel like their values are being crushed or dictated by a leader that nobody seems to approve of. The number of times I have heard about or seen classmates fight because of the anger he or she has built up because a bill has just been passed with policies that mean he or she can no longer have the comfortable life that they're used to.

News flash, this empire we have built for ourselves is not going to last forever. In fact, let us not get ahead of ourselves. We cannot take any credit for the nation we reside in. We shall leave that to our founding fathers. It's sad, really. Amidst political unrest and marches for various causes, riots and illogical arguments between a two-party system that was created for democracy-- again we cannot take credit.

Democracy. Let that one word with a whole significant amount of weight reign in on our hearts.

We can, however, take credit for the modern-day society that we have created for ourselves and our children or future children. Everything we do to "fight" for what we believe in and anything we say to one-another to said fight, we have to realize is opposing somebody else's entire view of the world. One's belief of what it means to be a woman or man can be another person's rage, disappointment, sadness or life tragedy.

We need to remember that we have all been created equal. Nobody has taken that equality from us as human beings other than ourselves, and the fact that we as a whole, for whatever reason, find it difficult to accept the differences in each other. This might lead us to asks questions like, "Then why do women generally still receive a lesser salary than men?" or maybe, "Then why can people with great means generally only go to the better colleges?"

The important thing for us to realize is that it's only our perception until we go to the facts. Dig down and really invest time in what you are thinking to be true.

Our empire is among the newest to ever exist in society today. This means more than we think it does. It means that other developed countries that have survived eras are looking at us with dismay and shock.

The United States of America is not some hollow, heartless, two-faced, unstable empire. Even in Canada we have been frowned upon and made into tagline jokes and memes with our president at the center of it all. Why are we okay with this? Do we even care anymore?

We are built on values I see as of charity, loyalty, perseverance, and community. We all want these things. We all want to grow and thrive and have a safe and meaningful community to practice our beliefs freely in. We all want these things so bad. Why are we turning against ourselves?

Yes, I do recognize that this can be my own perception of the world in which I live. It might be. I also know I am not the only one with this perception. Remember that there are more than just your perception or just my perception. Remember that we all want most of the same things. Remember where your loyalty lies before your loyalty destroys you.

And if it already has, look at where you are. The United States of America.