It has been a year since the deadliest mass shooting in American history. An entire year has passed, yet it seems like reports of the horrific Las Vegas concert shooting were headlining the news just days ago.
Following the event, cries of rage for reform expectedly filled our feeds on the daily. Just like last time.
Rightfully so, many individuals hoped legislators would do something in terms of gun control.
With every mass shooting, people grow more and more exhausted from living in fear that their regularly scheduled events will turn into not the stuff of nightmares, but the repetitions of previously played footage.
So we stand up, we fight the good fight, and some people admirably continue fighting.
But if you were one of those begging for change last year, when is the last time you actively thought about your role in combating gun violence?
Complacency exists as the most frightening enemy to change.
Emotions run rampant following heinous crimes, and we are momentarily inspired to act. But, we are all living our own busy lives, and after days, possibly weeks, we push aside the issues that once made our blood boil.
I'm not asking you to take on the entire world. But as a country, as a country with frequent mass shootings, shouldn't we examine ways in which to solve our deadly problem?
Don't we owe it to the victims of these senseless acts of violence to not forget about the faults of the system that failed to prevent such acts?
Don't we owe it to future possible victims, to reduce the chances that this will happen again, and again, and again, and again and again…
I finally realized the extent of the issue we face when I stopped feeling surprised at headlines of mass gun violence. When you become numb to large-scale injustice, it becomes time to reexamine your involvement in advocacy.
I am not a politician. I do not have all the answers filed away in my brain. I can't argue a specific solution without a great deal of extensive research, but that does not make me any less of an advocate for change.
I'm not here to say "Put this law into practice," because I cannot with confidence push for a direct solution. I am not a legislator.
But I can't sit back and watch the conversation fizzle out until inevitably, another video clip of innocent people who don't have the chance to carry out their lives stares me in the face.
My purpose stands to reignite the conversations that follow such tragic events. We push for change until the system pushes us back, pushes us away and forgets about us.
To be remembered, we have to speak persistently, pushing, and pushing and pushing until there is a little bit of giving, followed by small reforms that lead to long-term progress.
Because this doesn't have to be the world we live in, and when you simply alleviate the personal pressures of thinking about a disheartening topic by attributing it to the world we live in, you lose.
The victims lose.
We all lose.
If we demand that this not be the new normal, then no matter how long it takes, this will not be the normal forever as long as we keep fighting.
But we cannot let the conversation die. We have to remember to continue talking with our lawmakers, talking with each other, putting in research and asking that our elected officials and members of authority not end their conversations on how they could assist in tackling the problem.
Each day, the world gets a little more frightening.
I can't walk home at night from the library without worrying, but my parents warned me of that a long time ago. Then, I became nervous trusting that anywhere I was I wouldn't be objectified, sometimes even by people once trusted.
Further still, I sit in class wondering when and where tragedy will strike next.
Sure, they say not to live in fear, and I firmly believe in that saying. Go on living, yes.
But don't ignore blatant problems in our society to make yourself more comfortable.
We can change our future if we acknowledge our discomfort and then raise our voices. This isn't just about you anymore. This is about all of us.
Let's start talking again.
