You know, as kids we start out scared in the world, but then we learn to trust our space and ourselves. Lately, I feel like a scared child again. Schools, theaters and restaurants aren’t as safe as they should be. With recent events, the places that people feel the most safe aren’t safe anymore. So what now? If we aren’t even safe in our “safe houses,” then what am I supposed to do? There is an astonishing lack of love and support among the people of our country.

I watch my back as I walk from my car to my front door. Whenever a customer gets irate, I can feel tensions rising among both associates and customers. People are always on edge, and with good reason. Fifteen years ago, when I was a child, I could happily play in the front yard alone. Now, my best friend wouldn’t be caught dead letting her child play in her front yard by himself. In just 15 short years, the world has turned upside down. I get so discouraged when I look at the news. Tragedy after tragedy, lie after lie, war after war and crime after crime. In just the past few months alone we’ve seen so many things on the news that should discourage us. Honestly, if you think Donald Trump would make a good president, that Brock Turner has a “bright future” or that the Orlando shooting wasn’t a big deal, you don’t have the love we need.

I’m sure by now we’ve all heard about the trash that is Brock Turner and his “Stanford Rape” case. In case you need a refresher, Brock Turner was physically caught by Carl-Fredrik Arndt and Peter Jonsson. Turner was raping an unconscious girl outside behind a dumpster the night the two men caught him. Now, let me say that again for the people who weren’t listening the first time. Brock Turner raped an unconscious girl. Oh, and I’m sure you’ve heard about his sentence. He was first sentenced to six months, which was soon after cut down to three months because his future was just too darn bright. I’ve said it ten times and I will gladly say it ten more, but Brock Turner deserves to rot in jail. If you, in any way, agree with the ruling of the case, I am going to calmly ask you to unfriend me, block me and never talk to me again if you so choose, because you’re just as scummy as Brock Turner and Judge Persky. He is a criminal. He is a rapist. He doesn’t deserve to be out of a four-walled cell for the next 20 years, much, much less, the next couple of months.

The future of our nation is in the hands of a doofus, either way it goes. I am so unsure of our country’s future with the two people we have as front runners. The candidates that we have are in no shape to run a country. Donald Trump is, plainly and simply put, an asshole. Trump’s campaign is literally run on hate. He’s racist, sexist, classist and homophobic. And he doesn’t care who knows. The things he has said are literally appalling to me. I don’t understand how someone who has said things that are so racist and homophobic is fit to run this country. Clinton’s campaign isn’t run on hate, but it sure as heck isn’t run on the truth. So our options are either a liar, or a jerk who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. What I’m trying to say is that we look past the crime and hate when it’s staring us right in the face. It’s almost as if we don’t care.

I’m writing this article and I started to cry because I’ve almost lost hope that things will get better. Day after day, I hear how parents can’t control their children and how children disrespect their parents. I hear how we don’t help one another. I hear hateful words and I see hateful actions. We as a people are losing our sense of compassion, ability to love fully and ability to care.

The tragic mass shooting that happened the night of June 12, 2016, in Orlando at the Pulse nightclub is beyond a tragedy. That was the largest mass shooting in our history, and 50 people lost their lives. This should have immediately resulted in a change. It should have resulted in not only a change in policy, but a change in heart. I promise I’m saying this in my best “bless your heart” voice, but I promise I don’t care what your stance on gun control is. I’m not going to go into too much detail about the shooting, because that is a story for a different time where I have room to go on forever. But I will say that so much unnecessary hate has stemmed from this situation, whether it be religious hate because of the shooter’s race, or the homophobia because of the victims’ lifestyles. Bottom line is, there should have only been love pouring from our hearts into this situation. People lost their lives. Fifty people will never come home and this big fuss isn’t over helping families and the injured victims out, it’s over who did it and why it happened. I get it, I really do. We want to figure it out. But people need help first.

It’s time for a change. It’s time that we all get some sense. I know that’s way easier said than done, but we have to start somewhere. Luckily, I have some positive news to throw in as well. My dear friend Rebecca lives in Orlando and was able to give me firsthand insight on what’s going on down there. You’ll be happy to hear some positivity from the situation. JetBlue is offering free flights to all of the victims’ families and the City of Orlando is offering free funerals and plots for all 50 people as well. There have been so many people volunteering to give blood that some places are having to take appointments. Disney donated $1 million, and the GoFundMe page for Orlando has over $5 million.

There is something positive that comes out of everything, but we need more. We need so much more. And these aren’t our only issues. I didn’t even touch on police brutality, which is still prevalent, yet so overlooked. I hope some of the points I made make you angry. I hope I lit a fire under your butt to love and care more. I’ve been working very hard on keeping my head up and encouraging others, but really it can’t happen with just me. So many of us need to realize that it’s time for a change in pace and a change in heart.