In a world where gun violence, sexual assault and other heinous crimes have become the norm; let us all be kind.  

After the Apalachee High School shooting that occurred on Wednesday, Sept. 4, in Winder, Georgia, I sit here and wonder when and if these tragedies will occur close to me and I am scared. 

I am scared for my little sister who is in elementary school, I am scared for my friends who are still in high school and I am scared for my friends on this very campus.  

After the crimes that occurred on the University of Kentucky’s campus this past month, it makes me realize now more than ever that we could all be victims at any point, and I hate it.  

I hate how as college students we must walk in fear of being shot at or robbed or sexually assaulted. I hate that this world has turned into a place of left vs. right wing agendas and hate in our hearts.  

I hate that this is the route our world is going down, but one thing I know for certain is that we can all be kinder to one another.  

Kind to the stranger at Starbucks who holds the door open for everyone, kind to the classmate who asks for your notes because they need the extra help, kind to your mom, sister or roommates.  

To me, kindness can go above the hate in our hearts: kindness can inspire, motivate and challenge society to be better people, and that is exactly what I think this world needs right now. 

No one knows what could happen, and while that might be ominous to think about, it is true. So, let us be kinder to the people we see every day and to the people we don’t. At the end of the day people will not remember what clothes you wore or what your grades were, they will remember if you were kind.