1. Hatred

These past few months (and years) the media has been filled with hate. Has the world always been like this? Am I just now noticing? Is the growth of technology to blame for this knowledge? Or has our hate grown so deeply embedded in our human nature that it’s all we can focus on?

We are all hurting inside. While we choose to deal with this hurt, many of us are responding with hate. I challenge you to respond with love, instead. It is much easier to hate your enemy rather than loving them. This is a broken, dying Earth, and the existence of hate will always be present in this corrupt world. Hate does not discriminate - it affects every heart. We have our hashtags and we have our prayers - we are (attempting) to fight for change. I believe it starts with you, and it starts small.

Are you loving people that are hard to love? The people that are struggling, the people that are annoying, the people that rub you the wrong way, the people who seem to always be complaining? They are hurting. They need to be noticed, just like you. I see so much sadness in the world right now, and I’m at a loss with what to do with it. I know you are, too.

Can we start by loving people? Of all backgrounds, all races, all sexualities, all ages. Ask people how they are doing – how they are really doing. Don’t pretend to care – ACTUALLY care. I genuinely believe if we cared a little bit more about strangers, the burden we are carrying for the world would feel a little bit lighter. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Let’s take it from MLK Jr. and practice love today.

2. Violence

I am scared for our society right now. Every day I hear of a new bombing, a shooting, a stabbing, or a riot. Or all of them in one day. From Baghdad, to Nice, to Dallas, violence has no geographical boundary. It arises from the deepest, darkest parts of our soul – it is hate evolved into action. How do we even begin to stop violence?

The debate on gun laws is never ending, the controversy surrounding extremists heartbreaking. Is the world coming to an end? Will we be the source of our own destruction? We scream for peace, our tears come in anguish.

I believe our only choice is to refuse to take a part in it. Refuse to stereotype, refuse to fight violence with more violence. Send out those beautiful, positive vibes you are capable of and love people of all backgrounds. Is that enough? Probably not. But it’s something.

It’s exhausting logging onto Facebook and seeing people fueling the fire. I don’t know how to help sometimes, but I do know what doesn’t help. Don’t be the person who people unfriend because of what you post. Stand up for what you believe in, always. Hear me on that. But do it with love, respect, and an open mind. Why has that become so difficult for us?

3. Inequality

I’ve been all over the world and sometimes my mind refuses to believe what I’ve seen. The overwhelming poverty, the orphans roaming the streets, the blatant racism in well developed countries. I sat in a classroom in South Africa and watched as the students chose their seats based around skin color. I visited my brother’s apartment in St. Louis in a neighborhood where multi-million dollar houses are across the street from boarded up ones. I went to a church in Kenya where people making less than a dollar a day walked for miles to get (dirty) water as I stood there with a $30 shirt on. I could tell these stories for days.

I’m currently living in a little bubble in the city of Fort Worth, Texas, where the inequality does a better job of hiding itself. But oh, it’s here. It’s everywhere.

Please don’t look me in the eye and tell me racism doesn’t exist. Please don’t tell me you’re doing your part by giving a homeless man a dollar. Please don’t believe one life matters more than another based on skin color. Please don’t give me a hashtag and tell me you’re an advocate. There is always more that can be done.

When was the last time you sought out a conversation with someone with a different background than yours? When was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with them? Do you feel like our society is united? I don’t. I can’t remember the last time I stepped out of my comfort zone to talk with someone that maybe falls into a “social stigma” category. Sure, I’ve bought lunch for a homeless man. Sure, I have friends from different religions and different heritages. But I’ll be honest – that isn’t enough in this day and age. I need to do more.

I want to talk about the hard stuff! With you, with the person sitting next to me at a coffee shop, with my students and my colleagues. Keep those dialogues going. Keep the hashtags coming, but then go BEYOND. Find what you’re passionate about and where you’d like to see the world make a change, and then help change it. Volunteer with a non-profit, write a letter or petition your local office, don’t be afraid to make your voice heard. Your voice matters, and I want to hear it.

I want to see a society that stands together, where it doesn’t take a tragedy to make us wake up. But we’re here – the tragedies are here. We’ve awoken. What are we going to do now?