With the recent ongoing violence, in Our Country, and the current extreme presidential candidates on both ends of the spectrum and the natural disasters, it sure feels like hate is brewing in a cauldron amongst all areas in the nation.
People are teaming up against police, the very people who put their lives on the line every day on our homeland day in and out, knowing that there is always a chance that they may not return home to their families. Our community is becoming divided and forgetting how to love and respect one another and live in solidarity.
Instead of protesting, shouting, arguing and teaching our friends and neighbors to hate and disrespect others, we need to teach our nation how to love each other again. Brad Paisley sang about "I can't change the world" but he is a perfect example of how one person can make such a positive impact.
If you’ve never been on the country roads of West Virginia, I highly recommend placing it on your bucket list. As a New Englander, I have fallen in love with the beautiful mountains, kindhearted people, and the beautiful blue ridge mountains, not to mention the mountaineering spirit that is so contagious.
In June 2016, the beautiful State of West Virginia was hit with flooding. These floods killed 23 innocent people, injured others, and destroyed roads, homes, and full communities. As a native West Virginian, Brad Paisley wanted to make a difference, He wanted to spread the love as Kenny Chesney would put it and help his home state rebuild. Setting up a Go Fund me page, and not taking this opportunity for him to make more money on his music career, he has shown love, passion, and that although one person cannot give a million dollars to help out, to spread love instead of hatred, that together, no matter how small or how large our contributions are, that Together we can rise from the rubble. This act, although small, has raised money to help those in need, those that the media in other parts of the country may have forgotten about because there is no violence, no racism and not hatred in a story about American banning together to help those affected by the flooding. The world needs more people like Brad Paisley. It needs more love and respect for others.
Not all of us have the popularity like that of my favorite country singer to gain such a large audience, but together each of us can make a difference and spread love instead of hate within our own small town communities. I have seen the love in my hometown of Leominster, MA when groups got together for vigils after the Orlando Shootings and Dallas Police Shootings. Something as small as a vigil can spread love within a community and although may not change the world, it will make a difference., one small step at a time. Volunteering at shelters or even just mowing the grass in the summer sun for an elderly neighbor or a single mom with a baby in your neighborhood is how we can all begin to change the world, one small act of love and kindness at a time.
But we must not forget those tremendous disasters, which have occurred in our nation with the flooding in West Virginia, or those in Flint, Michigan still suffering with contaminated water. These are disasters that cannot be prevented and are not necessarily one person’s fault. These are the times where we can and need to lend our help, whether it be a food drive or clothing drive, volunteering to help rebuild homes or even just making a small donation to a trusted source, like Brad Paisley's go fund me to benefit TheBrad Paisley Foundation at WESBANCO Trust Department in Wheeling, WV. The link to Brad's donation site can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/WestVirginiaFloods.
These natural disasters can teach us something very important that many miss when looking at a man-made disaster such as a shooting. Anything can happen at any time to anyone. Material items although some may have sentimental meaning, truly do not matter. But who we are as a nation, as an American community is what matters most. Spreading love to those in need whether it be during the time of rebuilding after floods or simply just volunteering your time at nursing home to do crafts with the elderly are the things that will "Make America Great Again." No presidential candidate can fix the current issue of hatred and violence in our nation, we have to ban together as Americans and begin one small step at a time with loving each other and respecting each other, only then will we truly be the great America that everyone has been searching for. It's time to "Love thy neighbor" and begin changing the world for the better one small step at a time as a team spreading the love and not hate.
