Stand United

There have been many articles, speeches and opinions raised in the wake of the tragedy in Charleston on Wednesday. We have seen opposing views on every issue surrounding this horrific event. Some are calling it a racial issue. Others are calling it a gun control issue. Some are saying this is an attack on a Christian church, so therefor it is a religious issue. For every argument, there are others defending against these claims. Each side digging in their heels using this event to prove they are correct. Our society is seeing an influx in violence and mass murder. Each time the polar sides cling to their “hot button” issues, hoping to gain support in the momentum of a tragic event. The shooter himself said he was looking to start a race war. He was hoping to incite the very dialog so many of us are engaging in now!

This is not a race issue, or a gun control issue, or a religious issue. It is not because the media feeds us sensationalized rhetoric on topics that sell. It is because throughout every tragedy we have faced, we have created an “Us vs. Them” mentality. In the wake of white vs black police shootings, we rioted at injustice. In the wake of 9/11 we sought to attack Islamic extremist. In the wake of the Sandy hook we attacked gun rights. Every time we furthered the divide between us. White vs. black, Christian vs. Muslim, Pro-life vs. Pro-choice, “Haves vs. Have Nots”; we pit ourselves against one another time and again. We wonder, “How can this continue to happen?”. The fact is we are ALL responsible.

What if, just once, in the face of tragedy we stood together? Not together against some evil, or to fight back, but simply together. We put aside our calls for justice, and hoped for peace. If in the face of these terrible moments we didn’t search to glorify the aggressors by analyzing their lives and their past. What they watched, who the talked to, who they were. The fact is they were human. They were a son or daughter, they were a neighbor or coworker,  maybe they even were loved or loved deeply. And yet, somehow they found hate. They found something to become so impassioned about they found no better way to express themselves than act out in violence. And every time we divide ourselves further.

I ask you reading this now; despite your color, or gender, or religious preference to turn to hope. Stand together with those family’s that mourn. While we grieve as a nation, use this as a remembrance to be better. Be better when it is hard. Be better to those who disagree with you or you may not like. This is a time to love those who may have done you wrong. Love knows no color, race, or religion. It is only in love that we will conquer hate. It is in love that we be united.