It’s no secret that our country and the world are in a state of turmoil right now. The political climate has us feeling underrepresented and unheard. We feel invaluable. People of color do not feel safe and they do not feel equal. People of different religions and backgrounds do not feel welcome. The LGBTQ community fears that their newfound rights are being stripped away from them. We feel scared and we feel helpless.

What we are all feeling is completely valid. We have every right to be angry and fearful. We have every right to want to turn our back on others because we feel as though they don’t understand us. We have every right to close our minds and our hearts to protect ourselves from harm and to avoid false hope. We could do all of this. We could shut the world out.

But what if we did the opposite? What if instead of turning our backs, we faced forward with open arms? What if we stopped holding the weight of the world’s problems on our shoulders?

We all want there to be peace. We all want to coexist and abolish divisive laws and hateful rhetoric. But instead of trying to solve all the world’s problem at once, why don’t we start small. We can start by directing our actions and our words towards one small, four-letter word: L-O-V-E. Don’t roll your eyes just yet. We hear this word every day. We’ve all seen footage of hippies from the 1960’s holding up their peace signs and saying “Love is all we need, man.” When someone proposes ‘love’ as the answer to a problem, we scoff and call that way of thinking naïve. But why?

The root of all things in this life is love. Everything that matters to us is rooted in love. Our family, our friends, our favorite sport’s teams, our favorite songs, our favorite films and books- each of these matters to us because of our love for them. And that love we have for them makes us feel joyful and alive; that love is why we keep coming back to them, even when difficult situations arise.

Now think of the world’s main problems today: greed, close-mindedness, racism, misunderstanding, divisiveness, historical conflicts, sexism, fear of the unknown… the list goes on. Every one of these could be eliminated with love. Every. Single. One.

If those millionaires and billionaires acted with love and used all the money they didn’t need to help those with far less than them, people wouldn’t be hungry and they wouldn’t be homeless. If the people who discriminate against other based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, what-have-you directed their actions towards love and got to know people that were different from them, treated them with empathy, and listened to them, they would surely find that they were not so different at all. If people with privilege recognized that privilege and used it to benefit others, oppressed groups would be more equalized.

But to solve these large problems, we must start small. Before you speak, ask yourself if your words are directed towards love. Before you act, ask yourself if what you are about to do will be done with love. Get to know one of your peers who is different than you. Always treat people with respect and kindness. Be empathetic towards other’s needs and situations, because you never know what someone is going through. Be kind to the guy behind the window in the drive-through. Treat your coworkers with respect. Love your family and love your friends. Love the environment and the animals around you. Love yourself. Let love guide you, and when you falter, let love set you back on track.

Think of the incredible magnitude of change that can happen by starting small and letting love fuel us in our individual lives. Now multiply that love by about seven billion people. Pure, altruistic love can change the world, and there’s nothing naïve or cheesy about that.