Lately, it seems like all that you hear on social media is hate. You hear about people who have an immense amount of hate in their hearts. Hate towards people who look different, act different or think different than them. I've heard that people claim that this country is "theirs" so, that means you must act and think like "they" do. To those people, I say this:

Have you ever heard the National Anthem? Especially when it says "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave?" Because that is who we are. That is what we are. We are a free nation. We were built as a nation who wanted civil liberties, not another nation who tells it's people what to think. We are so blessed to live where we do. To have the abilities and the freedom to pursue our hopes and dreams.

The line "The Land of the Free" has always meant something special to me, as it does many other people. It signifies that in America, you will not be punished for what you believe, practice, or look like. However, that is not the path that we are on right now. We've gotten away from protecting the idea of freedom, and move toward protecting our own ideas. We don't care if our brother down the street is ridiculed simply because he looks different- as long as they aren't ridiculing us for something. That's not having freedom, that's the luxury of being in the majority.

What about "the Home of the Brave?" Another very important line that we can't forget about. Because being in the home of the brave means taking up others' fights for them. It's protecting the minority when we get nothing in return. It showing love and compassion, even when it's not the popular thing to do. That's what being brave is. That's what the brave have fought for. They've fought for not just the majority's freedom, but the freedom of all Americans, no matter their religion, race, color, sexual orientation, or anything else. Telling people that they don't belong in America because of any of those reasons is undermining the sacrifices that those brave men and woman have made.