Let me begin by saying I am, in no way, shape, or form, a passionately political person. I have a strong dislike of political arguments and I have no idea what I am going to do with the 2016 elections yet- my options don't feel right. Yes, I have a few beliefs and views I will stand up for and defend, but when it comes to intense politics, I'm just not that interested. Honestly, sharing this article makes me nervous, because I never share anything online that might be in the least bit political. But lately, our nation has been plagued by hatred, and I can't ignore it. There is so much of it in so many forms. And I believe I can speak for most sensible, moral human beings when I ask, when did we become such a hateful, messy nation?

It is 2016, and here we are, 11 months into the year, as a nation battling discrimination, racism, sexism, assaults, murders, violence, and going to the mat over different moral and political beliefs. These obviously are not new problems in the world, but they have become more prominent through media in our day and age. The US is a civilized, first world nation. We should be moving forward. Yet here we are, a nation of people who cannot respect the humanity, cultures, and beliefs of others. We haven't moved forward. We have taken huge leaps backwards, and frankly, as a young adult moving through college in this period in our history, I am fairly embarrassed to be part of this mess. Is this what we want our kids to see when they grow up? The idea of having to raise my future children in a world like this isn't just not ideal, it's scary. The ultimate goal would be for our children to only know about these darker times as a period of history we have been long removed from.

We are a nation divided over every issue that comes our way. Obviously, it makes sense that there are multiple sides of every large argument, but we have become a people who cannot find any common ground (or agree to disagree, for that matter). We are divided by republicans, democrats, and other parties, pro-life and pro-choice, rich and poor, and for some reason, we are still discriminating against and murdering people on the basis of skin color, gender, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs. The fact that society has to convince others that people's lives matter is a problem in and of itself. This isn't how a developed, privileged nation should act. Now, making everyone happy is an almost impossible task. By all means, have your beliefs, have opinions, be passionate about issues and defend what is right - so long as you can do it respectfully. Overall, it might do us all some good to embrace a more open-minded lifestyle - or at least choose not to fight violently with others when we disagree.

I am not writing to provide insight on or force you to follow or believe in any large movement, belief system, etc. I am writing this article to simply say that we, as a human race, need to re-learn how to respect each other's humanity. I just don't understand how we have let ourselves continue in our ways, or let any of this escalate to these levels.

Now, I certainly don't have the answers to the situations we face, and I know a short article on an online writing site certainly won't make waves of progressive changes, but I do know we need to make some changes as a whole. If we aren't part of the solution, we are part of the problem. It's time we step up and remember that we are all humans trying to make it in this life. We all need to examine ourselves and make sure we are doing the best we can to better this world. We need to tap into our abilities for compassion, respect, and morality.

I will leave you with this:

“If you are going to judge others it is wisest to do so individually not collectively and on your own direct experience of them personally. But first - and throughout - examine yourself closely. Blurred vision can often occur due to the lens, perspective and perceptions of the viewer projected onto the object that it sees. Be wary of taking to the judges seat. Above all meet at treat yourself and everyone else mindfully, compassionately with humanity.” - Rasheed Ogunlaru