There’s a lot to be upset about these days. Most people do not feel that their needs are being met. The world is suffering with loss of life, infection of many, overworked first responders and, in many cases, frozen economies. It’s scary and the unknown scares us, it’s not a surprise.

Wars are conflicts escalated to acts of violence. However, violence is not always physical. Conflicts can be cultural or religious. They can be about class, race, or socioeconomic status. There are individuals who face personal conflicts as a result of their position in the world and feel helpless and hopeless. How did we get to the point where we are so volatile?

Let’s go back in history to the struggles or conflicts that plagued the country. Slavery affected many and the genetic trauma persists. Segregation is something we still face. Last week I saw a story about an African American delivery man being held up by representatives of a homeowners association from a white community. How about the manager of an Olive Garden who was fired because a guest didn’t want a black server and the manager gave in to the customer’s request?

In the future, our country has taken care of women’s rights. Women earn less than men doing the same jobs. Women’s reproductive health and rights have torn the country apart, with each side fighting in court. We are the richest and most powerful country in the world, and yet we have never had a female president, and the number of women in Congress is not representative of the population.

The LGBTQ community only received the “right” to marry in 2015. We overlap values ​​and pass it off as a means to save our country. Why is oppression passed off as an act of protection? How have we gotten so good at disguising hate as sacrificial acts for the common good?

Those who have and those who have not, those who have access to education and those who do not. We face food insecurity where 1 in 6 children face hunger. Today, food banks are finding ways to feed those most at risk, and the number of families served has increased exponentially.

Yes, there is a war in our culture, but we are not all fighting the same war. What wars/conflicts are you fighting in your life? How do you combat the negativity we face on a daily basis? Where has your own oppression appeared as a tipping point for your actions?