Always United: The American Way

On Thursday something terrible happened in Dallas. Five officers were shot dead in the streets with 9 other officers and civilians critically wounded. This attack was carried out by at least one madman who worked to provoke a race war just as this country was coming together to talk about issues that for too long had gone unaddressed.

Instead, we have devolved into anarchy and fear.

Dallas was an unfair target. One of the things that leaves me the saddest is how far Dallas has gone to reduce their police shootings. They were one of the first jurisdictions to create a task force between police and community leaders in the expressed attempt to kill less of their citizens and it was working. Then this happens…

The man the police blew up  was a cornered, cowardly animal, who wanted to lash out at white police officers for what he perceived as a national injustice in a hope to get us to turn on each other. But the men and women attacked didn’t deserve this, no one does and we cannot let him win by going down the same dark path and turning into the same cowardly animal that he was.

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We are Americans and we must act like it.

To me being American above all is shouldering the weight and responsibility of what is right, not because it is easy or fair, but because it is needed.

As Americans, we must constantly strive to be the example set for all of civilization. We must preach what is right with this world while swiftly and justly addressing what is wrong.

Above all, we must not become the things we seek to undo. We must not act out of fear or pain. We must always do what is right BECAUSE it is not easy. We must show the rest of the world how we overcome tragedy, together.

There have already reports of further violence to police. I don’t know what the future holds and it is easy to fall into the trap of predicting more doom and gloom. But I remember that the United States is a nation of good, hard working people who truly believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Remember to always strive for what we want to become, not what we fear we are. Always remember that America can only stand if united.

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” – Abraham Lincoln