As I thought about what I was going to write about this week, I was conflicted. I was torn between talking about the disaster of the Republican National Convention and the mess of this year’s election, the corruption in Rio and its impact on the upcoming Olympics, the attack on the church in Normandy (and killing of a priest), and the revelation of the abuse in Australia’s children’s prison.

This past month, we’ve faced so much pain, hatred, and destruction. It seems as though this past month, a day hasn’t gone by without a police shooting, terrorist attack, or revelation of corruption. I have found that I’ve almost become numb to the tragedies that are constantly flashing across my computer screen, their magnitude not really impacting me as they would have had I seen them earlier this year.

And yet, despite this increase in mass hysteria, it seems that rather than having a growing sense of empathy, our hatred and disgust for one another has heightened. Rather than trying to come together and comfort each other and build a greater nation and world from these tragedies, blame is being forced upon racial groups and communities. Now this isn’t to say that no one is at fault for these mass tragedies, but rather the blame is being generalized from the terrorist and hatred is being thrown at innocent people who may share similar qualities or characteristics to the perpetrators of these catastrophes.

Take the Black Lives Matter vs. Blue Lives Matter feud. This past month with the steep incline of police shooting innocent black people, there have also been retaliatory shootings of police officers by black people. As a result, this “us vs. them” mentality has begun to form, where each group believes that other is trying to wipe out their existence and acts out in fear of their own annihilation. While this feud is rooted in the systematic oppression of black bodies, it has grown and spiraled into a larger problem of fear-based prejudice. Instead of just fearing and hating each other, we need to actively work to create a solution so that we stop killing each other. We need to stop devaluing humans and treat bodies as actual people. Without empathy, without humanity, you are no longer human.

These prejudices have become more prevalent and visible with this year’s election and Trump’s hate speech rhetoric. Ever since Trump’s infamous warning of the “criminals” and “rapists” crossing the Mexican border to “steal our jobs”, the white nationalist section of America has proliferated along with the number of hates groups and hate crimes, particularly against Muslims. As America Ferrera said in her DNC speech on Tuesday night, “[Donald Trump]’s making America hate again.”

Now this article isn’t some helpless call for world peace, because let’s face it, that will probably never actually happen; there are too many people in the world who profit from destruction for there to be an end to all wars. However, I am proposing that situations of adversity or people who differ from you with more empathy and openness; we all need it in this time of mass depression. Also, take time for yourself and allow yourself to grieve the deaths of the people in these terror events. Although you may not have personally known the people who have passed, you may share something with at least one of them that may connect you to them. For me, whenever I see another person that looks like me killed at the hand of police, my heart breaks a little more each time. Take care of yourself, your friends, your family, and allow yourself to heal.