Well, that title sure is dramatic, isn't it? Like honestly, can I chill? C'mon dude, the world isn't that bad. You live in America, how bad can it be? Home of the inhuman-sized portions and land of the guns.

Our society prides itself on being the most progressive of its time but I almost feel like we are reverting back to such out-dated ideals each day. Although racism has never been completely dead, I have never in my life witnessed such a vast amount of hate slang and bigotry in my life until these last few years. Perhaps it's because I have just become more aware of what is and is not offensive language, but regardless, racism is prevalent and it has led to many awful decisions.

It thrives most when led but someone who breeds hate and anger. We live in a society where we have one of the most ignorantly offensive people in the world in the running for our next potential leader of our nation.

The most frightening thing is the fact that people believe in him and his beliefs. And people I have known my whole life. People I would never think were hateful.

Well, hey now, believing in someone doesn't make them hateful does it? Oh, but it does. It shows the type of morals that are instilled in that person and the people that they fight for. Most of the time they do not even realize that their beliefs are hateful and that's the worst part - the fact that they believe in what they are saying and do not see why others do not believe in their ideals.

Why don't people want to keep their guns? A multitude of reasons. Mainly because it's only purpose is to kill others. And because that power falling, aka being easily bought from anyone with little background checks prior, is dangerous and fatal. Better safe than sorry. We always mourn huge shootings and the lives lost, but as soon as the fact that legal guns were purchased to perform these shootings and massacres is mentioned, we look the other way.

Why is that?

Why do we live in a society that denies its own shortcomings and continues to let them occur again and again with no change?

With the fourth of July right around the corner, it makes me question that nation that I have grown up in. While I am very aware of the opportunities given to me here, I am also very much aware of the lack of opportunities given to those who did not grow up like me. In a white suburban home in Orange County.

Why me? Why is my life so much more important because of the color of my skin and where I came from? Why is that still a basis of success?

We can deny all we want the truths that lie in the cracks of our nation's foundation, but we cannot continue to declare ourselves a progressive nation when we are living in a time of such hate and fear.

The world may not be coming to an end right now, but if we continue to allow our ideals to be based upon hatred towards those not exactly like us, we are doomed.

That is not America.

Not the America I want to be a part of.

Remind yourself of the ideals you want to instill and bring into the future of America. Ones of hate or ones of acceptance?

You decide.