Last week, as many of you are probably completely and unfortunately aware, lives of numerous Americans were taken away by series of unforgettable and heartbreaking events.

When instances like these occur across our country, it is very easy to pick sides. However, I urge you to simply search for hope. Hope that America will someday be known for the unquestionable love, empathy, and compassion among it's citizens.

Although a perfect utopia, or a place full of peace and happiness is impossible to achieve, we can work to improve our country not only for our current benefit, but for our future generations' benefit as well.

It is truly disheartening and daunting to witness the current state of our country. I have never, in my almost 20 years of living, seen the immense and unbelievable amount of hate that I have witnessed in the past week.

Regardless of what you deem the causes of these recent tragic events, we must all realize that the lives of too many Americans have been taken. American citizens who had wives, daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, best friends, co-workers, brothers, and sisters. The pain that they are feeling is completely unbearable for me to think about.

Americans keep saying, "What is happening to our world?" and "Who would want to bring children into this world?" and "How bad is it going to get?" Personally, I think that many of us have simply lost hope in our country; whether it be in our fellow individuals, our leaders, or our government.

Everyone needs and deserves to have hope in our society. To truly believe that our world can become a better place.

It is going to take powerful and influential individuals, education, and a whole lot of praying to make a difference in the hearts and minds of American citizens. However, it is not impossible.

We can all start by simply standing for, teaching, and encouraging tolerance, love, and appreciation of others to the people surrounding us in our everyday lives.

After that, we can work on passing down those simple ethics to our younger siblings, friends, and children in hopes that they will blossom into a society that truly stands for love instead of hate.

Many people will blame it on racism, others will blame it on an ineffective President, and some will blame it on a multitude of other reasons. Honestly, all sides could potentially create logical and believable arguments and reasons. Some may even have valid points that we should all listen to and be aware of.

However, I personally believe that most of us have lost hope in our society and in our fellow Americans.

I encourage you to find small glimmers of hope in inspiring leaders, your family and friends, and in our country as a whole.

I will leave you with the following quote to reflect on...

We have always held onto the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon." - FDR

Let's create that better life. Let's create that better world.