Violence. It has seemingly taken over our world. We hardly feel safe leaving our homes anymore because of the headlines we constantly read. We look at the world around us and wonder how things like this have become possible. We wonder why nothing is being done or how we can truly make a difference when everything we do is halted.

People are dying. Massively. All over the world. We try to talk about how we feel change should be made, but it’s met with offense. We want to have an open discussion but that never happens. People make it personal instead of discussing what we really need to do.

The largest shooting in modern American history just happened, but instead of discussing what to do people are arguing. There’s no compromise to see the finish line. People turn tragedy into things about themselves instead of realizing that lives were lost. We scream out on social media #PrayFor___ instead of calling our legislatures. It takes a tragedy for eyes to open, but that’s just the world, right?

A singer was shot outside of her own concert while she was meeting fans. She was chasing her dreams, and a man walked up with a gun in his hand. Her brother tackled the shooter, and the other band helped fans get away. Twitter lit up at the tragedy, but how many deaths will it take before more changes are made?

How many more have to die before we take each other’s hands and lift them up against the violence that is striking a nation? How many more have to die before we take it upon ourselves to demand change? How many more have to die before we look away from our phones for a few moments just to tell someone we love them?

Don’t worry, things will go back to normal soon. Tragedy will rock us for a week or so, maybe a month for some, but things will continue. We won’t be shaken again until more happens, and we’ll demand the same exact things as we do now, but things will return to normal again. History tends to repeat itself, and we’re making no real effort to change it. Corruption fills the world at it’s core, and we can’t even work together to make a change.

So, how many more have to die before we decide to come together? How many more have to die?