I avoided watching Forrest Gump growing up. It looked too sad for my innocent childish mind; I'll stick with my cartoons, thank you very much.

But over the summer recently, I sat and finished it. Wow. What a shame about all that time I wasted not watching that movie. Though I seriously dislike Jenny, that movie is a classic for a reason. It seems like this reason needs to be evaluated and expressed more often.

Throughout the movie, there were people who doubted Forrest, who thought that he wasn't capable of being a proficient part of society. They treated him as though he wasn't a person who possessed feelings and didn't matter. Forrest didn't let this deter his spirit though. He continued to touch people's hearts and minds; he continued to make a difference and fight for what he believed in.

The United States of America could really use some lessons.

History has begun to repeat itself. How does a country that's so widely admired and considered a "Father Figure" to other countries continuously disappoint us by allowing ignorance to prosper? How does a country with so many resources manage to allow such negligence in times of need? How can a country that has so many laws and amendments pick and choose when justice is served?

This answer isn't always obvious, but it's corruption. It's everywhere, it's spreading, and it needs to be stopped. What more can we do, some might say. We post the videos to Facebook, we share the posts on Instagram, we retweet everything that claps back. You think people are as thoroughly impacted by these posts on social media as they are by a Kylie Jenner selfie or a Beyonce post? That answer is easy to see.

We need to find the Forrest Gump inside us all and start seeing the good and bad in everyone and doing something about it. Stop the injustice when we see it. Those who have lost their lives protesting aren't just tragedies that we share for recognition on social media and then forget about a week later. They are examples that we need to follow; these are the leaders we need to recognize. Hold those who have done wrong accountable, and don't quit until you see action.

Life is like a box of chocolates indeed, Forrest. We don't know what we're going to get. But when it's handed to us, we get to decide what we're going to take from that box.