In a perfect world, there would be no racism. People of every nationality would be seen for who they are on the inside, not what stereotypes or the media craft them to be. As Martin Luther King Jr. stated in his “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963, he hoped that his “children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” It’s 2017 and we are still out on the streets protesting against police brutality and white supremacy groups. We have come a long way but the fight against racism is not over.

In a perfect world, there would be no homophobia. People will be able to love who they love without being tormented. Two men kissing outside in public would be no different than a man and a woman kissing in public. People must realize that the LGBTQ community is not made up of monsters and freaks; its comprised of ordinary people who are sadly still fighting for acceptance.

In a perfect world, there would be no war. Military troops from every country would put down their weapons and uniforms because there would never be a threat of violence again. We could live in harmony with one another. Brothers and sisters would return home, never to step on the battlefield and risk losing their lives in combat ever again.

In a perfect world, there would be no sickness. Cancer, ALS, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and more would no longer exist. We would no longer lose our loved ones to an illness that cannot be cured. Their suffering would be over at last. Instead of spending day after day in the same hospital room, they could spend time with their family. We could finally stop worrying that one day we might end up sick and bedridden like them.

In a perfect world, there would be no poverty. Every homeless person would have a roof over their heads and never be forced to sleep on the dirty street corners again. No parent would have to stress about putting food on the table or making sure they had enough money to cover the bills for next month. There would always be enough money for dinner, electric bills and school. If someone works hard all day at their job, is it fair for society to look at them and say that is still not enough?

In a perfect world, there would be no sadness. The only tears that would slide down our cheeks would be from laughing too hard, attending a beautiful wedding ceremony or watching the birth of a child. Frowns would be erased by smiles. Without a problem in the world, who could possibly find a reason to be sad?

Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. In fact, the world we have created for ourselves is the farthest thing from a utopian society. Of course, we have our joyful moments, but we are never able to fully escape hardship and strife in our daily lives. Even though we never be able to attain the perfect world we dream of, we should never stop trying, because making improvements to ourselves and our world is better than doing nothing at all.