Last weekend I made a day-trip with a student organization to Toledo, a town about an hour south of Madrid. This was the most quaint and historic little town I have been to and it was absolutely awesome.

To put it in perspective, Toledo is about two-thirds the size of Fargo and it takes 20 minutes to walk it end to end. This ancient city was settled by three different civilizations in medieval times. Being that I went with a group, we started with a tour and a history lesson.

I was completely blown away to learn that within this city the Arabs, Jews and Christians all settled, and lived peacefully (more or less) for 400 years. Granted, each new group of occupants tore down the previous monuments and houses of worship to build their own as a sign of dominance.

I had a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of peace between religions which hated each other during many points in history. Religious tensions were prevelant for such a long period of time when our world is currently experiencing such incredible times of unrest. I know it’s not quite as easy as “let’s just all get along,” but in a time of great religious differences and opposition, three different groups of people were able to cohabitate in peace, so why can’t we now?

The conclusion that I have come to is that nothing changes unless we do. So regardless of the politics, the media and whatever else, it’s ultimately up to the citizens of our state, country and world to take it upon themselves to change.

Choose to be nice to your neighbor, choose to smile at the old man crossing the street, get out of your own head, put away your phone and actively take in what is around you.

You have the power to change the world, one person at a time, and as Uncle Ben in Spider-Man said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Currently, there are two synagogues, one mosque and 62 Christian churches and convents in Toledo, though most are now museums. I am already planning a return trip to this enchanting city to tour a few cathedrals and the El Greco museum.

After a preliminary tour, we toured a sword-making factory. It turns out that tiny Toledo was rather involved with Hollywood and made all the swords for “The Lord of the Rings.” It was amazing to see how swords are made flexible. We had the opportunity of watching a master craftsman inlay gold in the handle of the sword by hand.

In addition to that, the walls of the city are used as The Wall of the North in the “Game of Thrones” series. This juxtaposition between historic roots and modern involvement was crazy to think about.