Hi. I'm Haley. I'm just your typical college student working a part time job as a barista to make ends meet and procrastinating constantly on schoolwork because a nap seems more important. I'm always dreaming about the future and asking myself where it'll take me. But, aside from all that, I'm also just like you. I dream, I cry, I laugh, and I make poor decisions, but I also make great ones. But enough about me, let's talk about us. Let's talk about you.
You've got your whole life ahead of you, whether you're still in high school, university, your twenties, middle aged, or just retiring. The rest of your life starts today. Think about that. It's a lot to take in, isn't it? So what do you want to do with the rest of that time? What do you want to accomplish? It doesn't have to be something extravagant to others' minds, it could be extravagant in your own. It could be just to get out of bed and go outside. It could be to start your own little coffee shop in your hometown, to explore the world, or to become an important figure in your society. The possibilities are endless.
We have the choice each and every morning on how we want to live our lives. So why do people choose to make a bad one? Why do people wake up and decide that they want to do harm? Why do people want to affect lives that are insignificant to their own for their own good? That's their good? I don't care about your religion, I don't care about the pigment of your skin or the nationality that you declare yourself as. I don't care. What I do care about is the goodness in people. I care about the ones that want to do good in this world. I care about the ones that are being pressured into choosing a life that they do not want to be their own. I care about you. I care about us. I know that I'm just one person out of billions, but I know that I am not the only one that feels this way. I know that these times are scary. These times are filled with this crippling fear that something, somewhere is going to go wrong. This is the new norm. This, for some people, has been the norm since they came out of their mother's womb. There is fear on every continent of this planet. There's fear in your home, my home, and every person's home on this planet.
Peace is something that I hear about so frequently. We all, well the majority of us, want peace. Others want harm. Others want to kill to feel superior, to feel that they are helping contribute in some way to their society or to themselves. But that is such a small minority of people. Peace will always prevail. There is so much more good in this world than there is bad. We have to stop living in fear. We have to stop thinking that our lives are being controlled, because they are not. If you live in a country where you are fortunate to speak your mind then, by all means, please do. You were given a voice, a life, and you have the power to try to enrich other people's lives aside from your own. You have the power to make a change no matter how big or how small.
Go travel. Go see the world. Go buy a plane ticket to a country that you said that you'd never visit. Go do something that you're scared of. I'm not asking you to put yourself in harm's way, but I am asking you to stop thinking that this planet is filled with monsters and that there is too much fear to take risks. Wouldn't you rather live your life than not live at all for fear of losing it? You've got just as much a chance of ending it all while driving to work each morning. This life of yours is precious despite what anyone tells you. You are here for a reason, it wasn't just by chance. The statistics of you even being conceived are so minuscule that the fact that there is air in your lungs is an extraordinary occurrence alone. So go and live your "best life." Every day doesn't have to be this spectacular adventure, but each day should be one that you are thankful for.
Dear world, just live. Just breathe. There is terror. There is hate. There is crime. There are questions left unanswered and there is pain on every continent and in every country. But please, no matter how hard life seems to get, just remember that it can get better. It might get bad at times, but you are still here. You are still a part of this planet, making history over time. You have the power to be whatever you want to be. Make the best of your life, make the most of your dreams, and don't be afraid of death or failure. Stay positive. Say "please" and "thank you." Wave to your neighbors. Have a dance session in your car. The sun is out, or the moon is shining through. Isn't it spectacular? Well, so are you.
-Haley
