While thinking of things to write about this week, I confided in a friend about my worries of speaking candidly on a public platform in fear of offending people that I know and care about with my opinions. When I explained to her what I wanted to write about, but didn't feel as if I really could, she took my frustrations and put them into perspective. She told me that although, I feel as if I'm being silenced, people are being silenced in a screaming match in which no one ever wins. That friend of mine, was undeniably right.

Flip on the news, listen to the screams of each side. We are facing issues with race that can arguably be just as bad as the ones America faced in the 60's. And just like then, voices are being silenced. Each side is screaming for justice and peace, but neither side wants to hear the opponent's voice.

Instead of stopping to listen, both sides are resorting to violence. This country is being torn apart by issues of race that are destroying this idea of "equality" we have come to know. But, where is the equality in a country that can not put down the guns and listen to what each side has to say? There is anger in this country and there is rage and hate and violence, but also inside these fights are the majority of people who just want compassion, peace, equality, and understanding because let's be real there are good people and there are bad people, no matter what the color of your skin is.

To quote my brilliant friend who gave me the inspiration for this article, "People are being silenced, but simultaneously, it's a screaming match to see who can raise the most hell. It's not about truth anymore— it's about being the loudest and proving a point." But the point should be that people are dying and it has to stop. We cannot continue to scream, yell, fight, and scream in this country to solve our problems. We cannot continue to meet fear with a gun and assume people are guilty until proven innocent. There is a problem in this country that doesn't seem to be ending soon, but I think that there might be a solution.

So listen. Listen to the people around you and take in what they are saying. Taking sides and refusing to compromise or waver in your opinion is not going to fix anything. Listen, speak, and act carefully because there are lives depending on it.