This morning I woke up in my hotel room in downtown Orlando.
This morning I learned that 20+ people had been killed in a shooting the night before; the night I was considering going out with one of my best friends (who, thankfully, is safe).
This afternoon, the news was updated to 50 people killed and 53 people injured.
50 families will never see their sons, daughters, cousins, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, mothers, and fathers ever again.
So, what does America do? We post on Facebook, Tweet how we stand with the people in Orlando, write articles like this one, and call our loved ones.
But, where were we when this was happening? Were we fighting for gun control and equality? For some people, yes, this is a daily struggle. For most, we "wait" for something like this to happen, and then express our views on the situation.
It's time for the United States of America, for our country, for our nation, for our home, to do more.
Don't spend a few hours posting and liking news clips about a horrid situation. Spend your life working to make sure it never happens again. This is a crime of hate, an issue on gun control, mental illness, and pure humanity.
When will it end?
Unfortunately, probably never. However, that doesn't mean we stop believing in a new world, in a world where it's ok to be who you are and not feel afraid to go out to a club with your friends for a drink in the hopes of staying alive.
The world is full of people, bad and good, straight and gay, black and white, hispanic and Israeli, but do you know what those people have in common? All of their ancestors came here for freedom; to live a life they were promised by news articles and radio hearings and blurry TV clips in black and white.
This isn't the life they were promised.
This is the life they escaped from.
If you want to make a difference, look at every single day like a challenge and an opportunity to save the world. You don't need to stage a riot or publish a book or be on the news. All you need to do, all a lot of us can only do, is go out into the world and treat each and every person with the respect and decency they deserve, that every human being deserves.
We may be different on the outside, America, but we are exactly the same on the inside.
To all the friends and families of victims in Orlando and to all the people affected by this event, aka the entire world, we pray for you, for your recovery, and we live now to fight for you.
Fight for Orlando. Fight for America. Fight for Change.
