I used to think the world was going to hell in a hand-basket. I used to think the United States was going to be hated by the rest of the world. I also used to think the upcoming war would tear our nation apart, but I was wrong again.

President Bush always talked about bringing unity to the country for a cause, and he did. The United States and many other countries around the world are united, against him. The protests on Saturday drew in millions from all corners of the earth, and I’ve never seen such unity in all my life. It’s actually very ironic. Finally, peace has a standing voice. I applaud the American people who protest, for they still hold the ideals that the Declaration of Independence held dear, and I quote, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” I’m not trying to incite a revolt against the government, but sometimes our government makes some wrong moves, and it’s the right of the American people to protest them.

However, what I do not applaud is the growing anti-Americanism. Most Americans are not immoral, greedy, evil or anything else that other countries perceive an average American to be. I get afraid of what my government does because it will make more countries hate Americans for being Americans, and more innocent people could be hurt. I read many accounts of people spewing their hatred for Americans, only when it is our government that is at fault, not us. I don’t approve of any race, ethnicity or culture being hated for something their government or a small lot of them did. The Germans and Japanese shouldn’t be hated for things their people did decades ago, especially if they have apologized for their crimes. Muslims shouldn’t be hated for what happened to us. What happened to us was an absolute tragedy and shall never be forgotten, but such a normally peaceful and devoted religion shouldn’t be persecuted.

Unfortunately, everyone is not as rational as us, and can be easily manipulated into becoming a tool to attack other people. That is why extremist Muslims attacked the United States on Sept. 11. Even extremist Christians try to bomb abortion clinics, so for some people to say Christianity is a better religion than Islam is wrong. The extremist Christians and Muslims are so irrational that they are blinded by hate and won’t listen to both sides of the story.

Things should be solved by reason, not always by religious dogma or cultural rules. What plagues our nation and other countries is the loss of ability to negotiate and find common similarities with others, where only prejudice and violence consumes them. Israelis and Palestinians fight over the holy land of Jerusalem, yet for some reason, they don’t see any similarities in their faiths so they can sit down and both embrace their faiths. Divestment or military might won’t do anything but make things worse. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are like sibling religions in a sense, just with different stories, dogma and practices. People just lack the reason to understand and see how they are alike. I try to be a faithful Christian, but I don’t let religion alter my view of the world’s troubles. We as Americans should try to embrace more foreign cultures so we can understand their point of view.

Learn a language, listen to foreign music, try foreign cuisine or study another country’s history. Learn about the world’s various religions: Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Ba’Hai, Shintoism, Buddhism, Wicca and many more. Only by learning about diversity can we embrace it. Let go of past prejudices and realize that we are on this world for a short time, and spending our time hating other people for ridiculous or past reasons is stupid. Past generations and past prejudices restrain us from accepting or tolerating one another. I have had my prejudices, but now I’m trying to be more accepting of others. I don’t want to be an ignorant person, binding to my own culture instead of mixing mine with others.

I ask that you try to use reason instead of blind patriotism, religious convictions or illogical loyalty to a cause. I ask the future leaders, workers and soldiers, of America and other nations, to have a call to reason. It is only by using reason that we can finally gain something instead of losing more than we have already lost.