The world we live in today is quite the sh*tshow, to say the least. I won't go as far as to say that all hope in humanity is lost, because it isn't, but society can and should do better.

I should not feel nervous going to Walmart or Target on my own, but as a young female living by myself in the city, I do.

The stories that you hear about sex trafficking are ridiculously wild, but oh so true, and it's sad. It's one of those things that you think, "oh, that'll never happen to me," but we should always be cautious and wary because these things are happening closer to home than we think.

While we're at it, let's take Jacob Anderson into account. In 2016, the twenty-four-year-old former fraternity president at Baylor University sexually assaulted a nineteen-year-old girl until she blacked out. Anderson was offered probation and received no jail time. He doesn't even have to register as a sex offender. The only real 'consequences' Anderson has had to endure is attending counseling, he doesn't get to attend his graduation ceremony although he'll still receive his diploma, and he has to pay a $400 fine. $400 is comparable to a parking ticket. I think it's safe to say that there are some major holes in our justice system.

Let's not forget about the threat against the University of Kentucky's White Hall Classroom building here a while back. For me, that just hits way too close to home, and to think that it was one of UK's own students who made the threats is insane. But it happened, and it shouldn't have.

The world we live in today is messed up, but we're not doomed.

Maybe this year we should be thinking more positively than negatively. We should be spreading more kindness and love for one another than throwing hate around like it's nothing. I'm not saying that it'll fix all of the world's problems, but I do think that a little love goes a long way.

Leviticus 19:18 says "love thy neighbor as thyself." To me, that means to treat others as you would want them to treat you. It's something that I have failed at following, but I also believe I am not alone. This year we should be loving and treating others with the kindness that we want to be treated with. I think we'd be surprised, yet relieved, at the difference that it would make in our crumbling society.