An open letter to humanity:

Let’s all just take a second and think. Think about getting ready to go out with your friends for the night. Think about getting to the club and having a few drinks. You’re a little drunk and are feeling loose so you start dancing with your friends. You’re on the dance floor, being silly, having fun, and feeling infinite until the music suddenly stops. People start screaming and rushing to the exits. Gunshots explode throughout the club. You watch your friends fall to the floor and then the gunman walks to you and BAM.

This is sad to think about, isn’t it? Well, that’s one possible experience that someone had at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub on that fateful night. This massacre was devastating to the American people and insulting to our integrity as a nation. This is not a letter to debate about gun laws or whether or not the attack was terroristic or a hate crime. This letter is a call to fix humanity. The Orlando shooting is just one example of the horrible things that are happening in this world and it needs to stop. This does not start in the White House, but with people like you and me. There are infinite ways to be a decent person, but the things that humanity needs more than ever is compassion, love, and peace. In order for this to be achieved, I am asking only a few things from every one of you reading this.

The first thing I ask from all of you is to listen. It is so easy to lose track of what is really important with social media and technology dominating our lives. So just for a few minutes, stop Instagramming your dinner, stop taking SnapChats with the puppy filter, and actually listen to what is going on in the world around you. Learn why horrible things are happening, understand what you can do to fix them, and educate yourselves. Do not believe everything you read online because not all news articles are true.

The second thing I ask from all of you is to care. Care more about things that matter and less about who likes the pictures you post. Stop with the negative attitude by saying “my voice does not make a difference anyway so why bother caring” because it does. No matter who you are, your voice can be heard so believe in something. Care about this world. Care about the future of humanity. Love and respect one another. Find what you are passionate about so that caring becomes effortless. Without people caring for the world and one another, humanity will fall apart.

The third and final thing I ask from all of you is to use that voice. Speak out about what is wrong in this world and do not suppress your opinion out of fear of opposition. Even if you believe in something that no one else agrees with, your voice still has value. Use your voice to educate others and help them listen, care and use their own voice. Change starts with you. As the late Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in this world.” Get out there and advocate for what you believe in. You matter and so does everyone else in this world so speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

You may still be convinced that doing these things will not fix humanity. I am going to be honest: listening, caring, and using your voice will not stop people from killing one another, but it will sure help to change the way we all think and behave as a society. If we all educate ourselves and develop a passion for change then we can be a revolutionary generation. Humanity cannot be fixed until everyone gets on board with the concept of compassion and acceptance for one another. We are all on this earth for such a short amount of time so please, let’s live it peacefully—together.