As the term draws to a close and we gear up for our impending finals, I began to reflect on what has been the most challenging or baffling to me this term. Surprisingly, what I find myself most unable to comprehend is not Russian declensional endings or the proper use of Aristotelian logic, but rather the way we treat one another.

Our campus community is a small world, where you know almost everyone in your classes. The more time I spend here, Mercyworld begins to get smaller and smaller, which has its ups and downs.

What I fail to understand is that as young adults, some are still unable to cherish these close interactions and are set on harboring feelings of intolerance and hatred.

We see examples of this in our everyday lives, from intolerant slurs, to persistent roommate conflicts and even to unnecessary drama over a relationship.

As a member of the junior class, I thought that our age group would be past this by this stage of our collegiate careers, but as evidenced by the actions of some, this is simply not the case.

While we have all had intolerant outbursts, this seems to be a moment when we can recognize the impact of our actions and come together as a community to rectify our treatment of others. Instead of harboring hate, I advocate for relationships permeated by peace.