Last week, surrounded by unsurpassed and tangible political divisions across our entire country, we witnessed a frightening and unusual act of domestic terrorism that targeted some of the most well-known figures in our nation.

As we watched this unsettling scene unfold, we learned, one by one, of the perpetrator’s targets; ultimately, to name a few, notable individuals including billionaire donor George Soros, former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and current Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Maxine Waters received packaged explosive devices in the mail.

With an apparent end to this scheme on Friday afternoon — marked by the arrest of the suspect by authorities in South Florida — it became strikingly clear that the sender of these dangerous packages sought to incite fear in, and potentially cause far-reaching damage to, an opposing set of beliefs.

And amid our current divisive and hostile political environment — marked by serious controversy between parties and contradictory ideals — this intolerable terrorism is clearly a deadly symptom of a grave disease that we as a nation are suffering from.

As indicated by these attacks, as well as by other signs of our bitter political tensions, we as Americans, at this very instant, seem to be victims of this increasingly-aggressive illness, something that has infected nearly every element of our nation.

Seemingly to all, it is obvious that the intensity of our disagreements has reached an unacceptable point.

Examining this terrorism — an extreme example of our unprecedented political landscape — as well as everyday instances of the striking conflict between opposing parties (consider Washington D.C.), we are experiencing something unparalleled in American history.

We are undoubtedly in a deeply concerning position when an individual in our nation is this strongly compelled to precipitate destruction to a group solely on the basis of their political beliefs.

The perilous effects of our disagreements today have poisoned our lives and everyday interactions beyond belief; politics has become a threatening and omnipresent force that has pervaded everything, from our conversations with friends to our studies.

And this is a clear fact far beyond these attacks on these prominent figures. It is evident when we turn on the news and watch dirty political commercials; it is evident when we hear the violent screams of protesters on Capitol Hill; it is evident when we stand by our party before our ideals as Americans.

Ultimately, we have become a people sharply divided by political lines and have forgotten that we are a united people in the United States of America. We have forgotten that above all, our national identity transcends our political one. We have forgotten that we are Americans.

As one country, it is imperative, for the welfare of ourselves and generations to come, that we set aside our political differences and unite as one strong people, bound together by our freedom and the values we hold most dear.