by Cassidy Kelly

As a group of people, a nation, a planet, a race—what unites us together? As one, the human race has experienced a lot. From conquering nations, coming together in religion, and crying over the loss of loved ones, we are united. Aren’t we? In the past, we’ve had our ups and downs. There have been disagreements that have led to wars, assassinations and devastating changes to the state of us—of all of us together—as a whole. We’ve been through a lot of bad things as well as amazing accomplishments and achievements. We’ve studied the universe, created rockets to the moon, come up with the most complicated math equations and have seen the very atoms that make us. However, today in modern society, even through all of our achievements, we struggle to be equal.

Today in modern society we still have problems with discrimination: racial, religious, gender, and identity. We have managed the notion of freedom of speech, while we have denied others around us theirs. We have managed war and terrorism over regretted words said. Today we fight, we kill each other—people from the same race, people made from the same flesh and blood as our own—just because we want to or because we’re told to as an order from a leader with “the best intentions in mind.” We know the things we do are wrong. We know that we are capable of doing things right. So why don’t we?

We as a people, we have a responsibility to take care of each other and the planet on which we live. We as a people, we are capable of many a great things. Look at what we’ve done so far? We’ve been to the moon, we’ve looked at stars across the galaxy and others beyond. As a human race, we’ve walked to the highest point on the earth, and sank down into its deepest depths. We’ve discovered how the world was made, and we’ve come to believe in so many different things. That is what makes us unique.

Humankind is unbelieveable. We have our faults, yes, but we are capable of many things. We’ve done so many things that have brought people to their knees. The human race, we are the most creative, most innovative, and most compassionate race there is we know. Yeah, the dolphins might be giving us a little competition on who’s smarter, but there is no denying the aptitude of us. We as a race believe in so any things, we have all kinds of religions, beliefs, traditions from all over the world, and isn’t that just astonishing? We’re of the same race, and yet we are so different. Why can’t we embrace that?

I believe that we, as a people, as a nation, as a race, we are capable of anything. I believe that we have the power to stop war and terrorism. That we, together, can stop judging each other for what we believe in, for believing in what makes us – US. I believe that we can save the endangered species of the earth, clean the oceans, and mend the hearts of our brethren. Whether we believe in the same God, whether we have the same skin tone, or the same eyes, nose, hair… Or if we come from the same  family, the same portion of the globe, whether or not we like Coke or Pepsi. I know that we are capable of getting past all of our disagreements and helping each other. I believe in a race that is capable of anything. I believe in a people who can do anything. And that is us.