Something is broken in our country. You feel it. I feel it. Everywhere we look, our discourse is poisoned. Conversations that once could be spirited, even passionate, now carry a tone of venom. Families divide. Friendships dissolve. Neighbors glare at each other across fences. And today, we are living with the reality that opposition in politics, culture, and ideology has escalated to the point of murder.
The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk was not just the silencing of a voice. It was the eruption of a sickness that has been festering in our culture for years. What happened to Charlie did not occur in isolation. It happened because we have allowed our differences to become walls, and our disagreements to become weapons.
Something has to change.
Hate Has Become Normalized
For too long, hate has been normalized. Social media platforms reward outrage because anger drives clicks. News outlets amplify the most divisive voices because division attracts viewers. Politicians treat their opponents as enemies to be crushed rather than as fellow Americans to be persuaded.
In this environment, it is no surprise that violence has become an outcome. When words are sharpened into weapons, someone will eventually decide to take that next step.
But hatred does not need to be our destiny.
The Human Soul Is Starving
At the heart of this crisis lies something deeper than politics. It is a crisis of the soul.
Every human being longs for dignity, for respect, for the assurance that their life has meaning. When our society strips away that respect and replaces it with contempt, it wounds the soul. When people are told that their voice is invalid, their values are worthless, and their very identity is a problem to be solved, it leaves scars.
That scar tissue is everywhere in America today. You see it in the way people lash out online, hiding behind screens. You see it in the way people cut off lifelong friends over who they voted for. You see it in the way some individuals, consumed with bitterness, decide that taking a life is the answer.
Our souls are starving for something better.
We Must Carry the Torch
That is why Parler is launching the Carry the Torch Movement. This is not about politics. It is not about ideology. It is about reclaiming our humanity and choosing respect over hate.
The torch is a symbol of light, of guidance, of something eternal. To carry the torch means to keep alive what truly matters: the dignity of every human soul, the respect for differences, and the commitment to a shared future.
To carry the torch means:
- When you encounter someone you disagree with, you listen before you dismiss.
- When you feel anger rising in your chest, you pause and choose words that heal rather than cut.
- When the world tells you that the other side is your enemy, you choose to see them as a neighbor.
Carrying the torch does not mean you compromise your beliefs. It means you elevate the way you engage.
A Culture of Respect
We cannot wait for politicians to fix this. We cannot expect media corporations to suddenly grow a conscience. The change must come from us.
Every person who chooses respect plants a seed of healing. Every voice that speaks truth without contempt builds a bridge. Every act of dignity in the face of mockery is a step toward a new culture.
This is how movements begin. Not with laws or regulations, but with ordinary people refusing to let hate rule their lives.
Parler’s mission is to build a platform that reflects this conviction. We do not want to become another cesspool of echo chambers and hostility. We want to be a community where discourse sharpens ideas but does not dehumanize people. Where debate is fierce but not destructive. Where truth is spoken but souls are not crushed.
This is what it means to carry the torch.
From Division to Unity
The murder of Charlie Kirk was an alarm bell. It was a wake-up call that division has gone too far. Opposition is no longer about ideas; it has become about destroying people. That is not sustainable. No society can endure when its people treat one another as enemies to be eliminated.
History is filled with warnings. Nations that let hatred consume them eventually collapse from within. But history also offers hope. Movements of respect, dignity, and courage have always proven stronger than hatred. The torch of human dignity has never been extinguished.
We are at such a crossroads now.
A Call to the Soul
Ask yourself: What kind of world do you want your children to inherit? Do you want them growing up in a culture where disagreement means danger? Or do you want them to inherit a world where respect is the norm, even when we fiercely disagree?
The choice is ours. Every soul has the power to carry the torch. Every person can decide to replace hate with respect.
It starts small. In your home. In your conversations with friends. In how you speak online. In how you respond to the stranger who offends you. The world will not change overnight. But if millions of people carry the torch, the culture will shift.
We owe it to Charlie Kirk, and to every person who has been a victim of political violence, to make that choice.
The Movement Begins Now
Parler is committed to building the infrastructure for this movement. But it is not about us. It is about you.
Carry the torch in your posts. Carry the torch in your comments. Carry the torch in your everyday life. Let your words be different. Let your presence online be different. Refuse to descend into the mud of hate. Refuse to be manipulated by platforms that profit from division.
We believe that a new culture is possible. A culture where free speech and respect coexist. A culture where people are unafraid to speak but unwilling to hate. A culture that heals rather than destroys.
The torch is lit. It is time to carry it forward.
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