I woke up on a Saturday morning and knew that it was an important day. It was an initiation for some new sorority sisters.

I sang and went through the motions of initiation at 9 a.m. and enjoyed myself, despite my sleep deprivation.

Then, when it ended, I walked outside of the Raleigh convention center to get back to my car and saw that I was right, today was a big day. It was not just initiation as I had thought, it was also the day that the March for Our Lives happened.

I walked outside into the street of downtown Raleigh, with sorority songs still in my head, and saw a colorful sea of people holding signs and walking in the street.

I fully support the March for Our Lives Movement, as I believe that it is an issue that needs to, not only to be addressed but to have actual change happen in regard to it.

I was, however, unaware of the march, as I was being a self-absorbed college student— only concerned with what I needed to get done that day.

I am so happy though, that I ended up there.

I learned so much about myself and our country as a whole.

I learned that I was a spectator. I do care about issues, such as this, that are occurring in the world, but like many, I turn my eye and do not act. I will voice my opinion and share the occasional Facebook post about issues I feel passionately about, but I never actually take the action to DO something about it.

I saw all of these people out there, coming together to support a much-needed change, but I was not part of it because I have never been a person who has actively taken measures to try and make a change. Instead, I would just complain about the issue.

I am ashamed of my self for being a spectator in this aspect, but I know that I am not alone. I feel there are many people out there that are like me, who care but never actually take the steps to do anything about it. From this article, I hope they take away the idea that for change to happen, we can’t just be silent bystanders, hiding behind our social media usernames, but rather we need to stand up and join the movement.

I was so amazed by the number of people, not only in my community, that joined this movement, but the number of people that joined it in our nation as a whole.

As I stood and watched the people marching, I saw people of all ages and ethnicities there. I saw the youthful little hands of children holding up homemade posters, as they walked proudly next to their parents. I saw the smile on the wise and worn faces of the elderly who were participating in making a change for a future generation.

From this, I learned just how big of an impact the events, such as the Parkland School shooting, had on people. It affected parents who were concerned for their children’s safety. It scared kids. It touched grandparents who wanted their children to be safe.

It was clear that this march was for everyone, including the future generation so that they may be safer and a tragedy, such as the Parkland shooting, will not happen again.

The important issue of gun control brought people of all backgrounds together because at the end of the day we all just want what is best for our children and what will make us feel safe.

My favorite poster that I saw said, “You're scared we will take your gun away, but I am scared that you’ll take my son away.”

This really touched me because it summed up exactly what was going on. People's lives are in danger, especially innocent children's lives, and just because some people are afraid to have their guns ripped away, they feel that everyone should be able to own guns, even at the cost of another child’s life.

All in all, this is about fear. No matter what side you are on. People are scared. They are scared of what the Parkland shooting might spur up in troubled kids seeking to imitate it. They are scared of another kids blood spilling. They are scared of getting shot in places that they should feel safe. And then there are some who are scared of getting their gun rights taken from them.

It is time that we all rise against this and those who have already marched keep holding on to their faith because change needs to come.

It is not an option anymore.