Now, more than ever, there always seems to be some sort of breaking news that burdens the hearts of people of every race, culture and gender: the Orlando massacre, the Dallas police shooting, riots and protests across America, the terrorist attack in Nice, France. It’s been an absolute terrible time in history when the word “safety” is more of a hope than a guarantee. Whatever happened to enjoying a holiday without wondering if there would be a terrorist attack? Fat chance of that nowadays.

The news is blowing up with conflicts and debates, enough to scare the living daylights out of both the young and the old. Maybe it’s the expansive media coverage that technology enables. Maybe it’s more global internet access. Maybe it’s history running its course one life at a time. The latter, to me, is the most threatening reason because honestly, it feels like every day is a ticking time bomb, waiting for the right moment to destroy life as we know it. Sad, but painstakingly realistic to many.

There are millions of refugees in Syria and worldwide who never know where their next meal will come from, where they will be sleeping that night or even if they will make it to the next day. Terrorist and hate groups are expanding exponentially by the hour, and no one has found a way to put a stop to any of it. Oh, but did you hear about "Pokémon Go," the hot new app consuming smartphone users lives? Or how about Taylor and Calvin’s twitter feud? Priorities, people. If only people cared as much about tolerance and humanitarianism as they do about phones and celebrities.

But seriously, it’s crazy how much time has changed our outlook on life. Growing up, I would hear about how easy it was to travel by plane and go places without a worry in the world. People trusted one another, something that is seemingly unfathomable now. I couldn’t even get through customs on my way to Disney without a security guard taking a swab of my walking boot. Don’t forget about the random security checks at the entrance of the park, either. Of course, I’m grateful for the precautions, but it goes to show that society is under the impression that no one can be trusted. Everyone looks at one another with scrutiny instead of kindness. Time and events have hardened us to be less naïve and more on-guard about protecting ourselves from “dangerous” people. Yet, statistically speaking, the person we’re sitting next to on the train isn’t a terrorist, but we still feel like we could be present for that one instance when it happens to us instead of someone else. These numbers don't lie.

The paranoia even spills into our lack of trust in our blue-clad men and women. With each passing day, Americans’ faith in the police force dwindles. Again, is it accessibility to media or prevalence of the events? Regardless of anyone’s stance on the current race uprisings, I think a lot of people can agree that rioting and murdering will bring nothing but more hardship on our country in a time when we are in dire need of being united. Hate breeds more hate. There are enough atrocities in this world already without adding to them. With the world polarizing, we can’t turn against each other now.

America, the great is becoming America, the divided. Black or white, red or blue, rainbow or not – everyone, specifically our presidential candidates, agrees to disagree on just about every topic and debate under the sun. Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your seatbelts because it's going to be a turbulent election season. Who’s the lesser of two evils? America’s mess is about to get even bigger.

As a naïve student, I wonder what happened to allow hate and terror to take hold of both our country and the world. It feels like such a childish question, but there isn’t a clear-cut answer. Is it power? Is it religion? Is it money? Is it all of the above and then some? Probably. The world’s mess is like a web, so intricate that each issue is intertwined with another. However, instead of unweaving it, the web becomes more complicated and interlaced by the day. So, how do we untangle ourselves from this giant mess? Your guess is as good as mine.