This country is divided, and a house divided cannot stand; we are proof of this. I can no longer turn on the news without hearing about someone blaming somebody else for who knows what. When are we going to stop pointing fingers and calling each other names? In my own life, I have started this new thing where I take responsibility for myself, what I do, and who I am. Most importantly, we need to take responsibility for what we say. Words are so powerful that they even have the power to save or destroy lives. In our current society, each party is guilty of saying terrible things to the other, and I have learned in life that nothing gets done this way. It is quite difficult to have a conversation with someone when we so quickly become hostile and defensive. Let’s start walking the walk and not just talking the talk when it comes to love.

Sure, you are not going to hear me defending some of the stupid mistakes that Trump has made, but that doesn’t mean that it is okay to hold up what looks to be his decapitated, bloody head. How is that love? I also will not defend Hillary’s email scandal and the lives that it cost, but so many people come running to the defense of the leaders of their party simply because it is their party. We need to stop caring about who does something and think more about what was done. For instance, not that long ago, the Democrats hated F.B.I. Director James Comey because he released information days before the election that hurt Hillary’s campaign. Recently, when Trump fired Comey, the Democrats ran to his side to defend him and basically turned him into a martyr. If Hillary had fired him, they probably would have praised her for this decision.

I will not defend someone simply because of who they are. This is what the party separation encourages, and I am tired of it. Honestly, my personal position in politics does not completely match up with either side, and it makes me sad to think that Trump and Hillary were somehow the best options that this country had to offer. Still, I am not going to fight against my own country, but I will stand up for what I believe in. For instance, I am pro-life, so I have started creating resource guides for pregnant and parenting students at my college. I am also a feminist who stands up for survivors of sexual assault, so I work toward helping survivors as an emotional wellness educator at my college. There are so many things that we as individuals can be doing to change this world, but we somehow feel that our voice is only heard through hateful words to our friends and neighbors from a different political party. Whether we identify as Democrat or Republican, we are all humans, and I think that is something that has long been forgotten.