Martin Luther King Jr. said, "returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding a deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only love can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Violence is not the answer to actions of violence. There are good and bad people in this world; their professions or beliefs do not determine whether they have a kind heart and good intentions. There will ALWAYS be evil, tragedies and devastation. Getting revenge on those who hurt you with the same negative words they said to you will not help solve the issue. The same goes for the incidents over the past month where innocent lives have been lost. You CANNOT fight fire with fire and expect something good to come from it.

NO race, religion, sex, gender, etc. is better than the next. ALL men (and women) are created equal. You do not have to agree in all aspects of life, but it is your duty as an American and as a human being to be kind to others. Love your neighbor as yourself. John 15:12-13 says, "My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." Instead of viewing people based on their race, religion, sex, or gender, let's look at them as these: mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. Someone's family member who won't return home. Won't have a chance to tell their loved ones goodbye.

It makes me sick to my stomach to see the awful things people are saying about police officers, black people, or any type of person in general. As I stated before, there are good and bad people in this world. Just because one officer makes a mistake, whether it was racially motivated or not, does NOT mean that all police officers feel the same way. There are good and bad doctors. If a doctor makes a bad call and their patient loses their life, why is that not shown on the media? What about the countless of innocent peoples' lives lost every day due to simple accidents in cars, trains, or at work?

The point is that this is not a simple issue that can be thrown under the rug. The hate that is in retaliation to these horrific events is not acceptable. America, we are better than this. We are better than to attack someone based on their differences, no matter what they may be.

Why is it that we are becoming a divided country so quickly? Why have we, as Americans, started jumping to conclusions about one another, about situations, and about other's intentions? The answer appears to be simple; the media is blowing incidents out of proportion and causing our citizens to say and do unspeakable things. Instead of jumping to conclusions and posting negative, insulting and hurtful things on social media, please do your research before attacking ANY group.

Yes, black lives matter. Yes, police lives matter. But the truth is... every life matters; every life is precious.

We must stand together and support one another. It doesn't matter if that person is a police officer, white, gay, black, Jewish, Christian or ANY other person being attacked either physically, mentally or emotionally. The United States of America MUST stick together to remain "one nation under God; indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL."