America Needs To Learn To Stand Together — Even When Things Are Going Well

America is bleeding. Now what?

When we think about the United States of America, the word freedom comes to mind. Freedom to be yourself, freedom to speak your mind, and freedom to do what makes you happy.

But lately, we’re not free; we are wounded. America is bleeding.

We stood together in a time when natural disasters mercilessly ripped people from their homes and loved ones, and we were brought together when all of those fallen angels were taken from us way too soon by a horrific beast in Las Vegas.

We’re experts at coming together when things are going wrong. But what about standing together when things are going right?

Maybe if we stood together when everything wasn’t already shredded to pieces, we could prevent terror from overtaking our home. Our country. Our freedom.

I know that not everyone is good; I’m not that naive. However, I thoroughly believe that good will, in fact, always win (when there is enough of it).

We must refuse to believe that the evil in the world outweighs the good. We must remind ourselves day after day that there is plenty of good out there so that we don’t lead a life in fear.

If we all spread just a little bit more love, and display a few more acts of kindness for others, even once a day, the power of light and unity will infuse hearts, our country, and we will be better.

Right now, better is exactly what we need— because America is bleeding.

Our hearts have been split open. We are beginning to feel drained. Now we have to heal — and just like every broken heart, we will come out on the other side stronger and more invincible than before. Our hearts are just a bit more calloused. And that’s okay.

Because here’s the thing about America: even when we are bleeding, “our flag (is) still there.”

So, even when we are being torn apart from the inside out, we must remain united. We must remain one.

If we want to maintain true freedom, race, color, ethnicity, political views, economic status, and gender cannot be a factor when we rise up again. This time, we can’t stray away from that feeling of unity. We need to keep the love and sorrow in our hearts to keep our neighbors, our family, and ourselves safe and sound.

Do something nice for someone today. Buy the person’s coffee in line behind you, hold the door for the person walking near you, tell someone they are beautiful (because we all are), or just tell the people in your life how much they mean to you—because yes, America is bleeding.

But America is also healing. And this time, we will do more.