Recent events have caused the media to rapidly spiral downward. As terrible events shape citizen's emotions and hearts, their actions are affected too. I found myself scrolling through twitter recently and was appalled at the hatred users were throwing at each other. In addition to this, the events that have happened have caused me to question, why the world itself is so full of hate? Then it hit me.

If we spread hate, we are going to receive hate. If we want to see a change in our society, we have to BE the change. Something as little as giving a stranger a kind smile when you pass could help us avoid the world we're becoming so used to. If we don't change our hearts and begin to fill others with the love and kindness we wish to see, our children may not know what that feels like.

The clock is ticking, and our generation is so used to receiving instant gratification (through quick internet searches, fast food, and beyond) that they have become unattracted to the idea of slow but life-changing acts. Being kind and still seeing hate on the afternoon news can be discouraging, but the more you spread this kindness, the less prevalent the hate will be.

Do not take this as a call for an equal society filled with peace that never has any problems, that is impossible. However, if we do not do something in a world spiraling so quickly, we may not be able to live in it for much longer. Problems are always going to be apart of society, whether it's criminal, natural disasters, or any other event. How we handle these problems is what truly matters.

I hope to be blessed with grandchildren someday. If I am given this privilege, I want to be able to tell them I inspired and spread kindness everywhere I went. After all, we are all just trying to leave legacies for those who succeed us.

At the end of the day, we must face one question, "When will it end?" When will the hate, sadness, anger, and confusion stop covering our expressions everytime we turn on our televisions? If we do not choose to make the change ourselves, the answer is never.

It starts with you.