I sat in the living room with my parents on Friday night and I waited in anticipation with the rest of the world for the start of the opening ceremonies to begin the 2016 Olympic Games. I watched the festive dance party and I saw the pure vitality in the stadium bloom and take shape. There was a liveliness to the people, a pure, unrestrained happiness bounding forward from everyone in attendance. It was a light, in a world of political uncertainty, a spark in a world of tumult, and was a symbol of strength and resilience in the human spirit above all adversity. It was a celebration.

There was dancing.

There was singing.

There was liveliness and mirth.

And suddenly, there was a little boy in silver, standing alone on a vast stage.

The words of Carlos Drumond de Andrade’s poem “A Flor e a Nausea” (or Nausea and the Flora in the English translation for those of us not lucky enough to speak Portugese), echoed across the stadium as a hush fell over the crowd. From the ground, projected to look like concrete, a small stem began to grow and take shape. The boy sat next to it, shielding it and aiding in its growth as the poem was read. It told the story of a flower growing in a heavily polluted city, it’s closing, poignant line stating: “It's ugly. But it's a flower. It breached the asphalt, the ennui, the nausea and the hate.” The backdrop of this moving poem highlighted the sheer beauty of Brazil’s natural world, and of the world in general. It reminded us of our responsibility as nations, as communities, and as people to protect this beauty with everything that we have.

To say that I was moved would be an understatement.

As if this wasn’t enough to have my inner environmentalist jumping for joy, they continued to display a series of graphics meant to show the world exactly what kind of ecological disaster it would be facing if we didn’t change our actions soon. They included charts and visuals detailing the rise in the global temperature, the rate of the melting ice caps, and the increase in sea level, and while these may seem like fundamental facts to anyone that has been keeping up with the issues, the message was still there.

Let me repeat, the message was still there, and that is an accomplishment in itself.

As unbelievable as it is, some on this Earth remain blissfully unaware, or childishly ignorant, of the dangers of climate change. And on August 5^th, on a stage in front of millions, Rio forced them to come face to face with this issue. This was not a moment of celebration, nor a moment of national pride, this was more than that. This was a cry for change and connection in a world so desperate to pass blame onto anyone else. The message was greater than all of us individually, solely because it affects us as a whole. We are the ones who have inherited the Earth, and if we continue to progress the way that we do, we will be the ones to destroy it. This message was a true symbol of unity, a call to action not for personal greatness, but for a unified movement to bring about the change that our world so desperately needs.

However, some say Brazil has no right to preach a message of environmental preservation and sustainability given the state of its nation. Critics claim that the games are not in the least environmentally conscious, with the surrounding waters being polluted with sewage and what is being called a “super bacteria’. I believe that this gives Brazil all the more reason to speak out, for who can know more about this issue than a country that faces it every single day? It only makes sense for a country like this to be the one to call for change in the face of undeniable and irreparable ecological damage. It is important to promote a message of change, and the fact that Brazil encouraged that in the Opening Ceremony was a galvanizing and inspirational addition.

As I sat on my living room couch in little ole’ Welcome, North Carolina, I was reminded of how small I really was in the grand scheme of things. I thought of ways that I could make my own voice heard, how I myself could be an advocate for the Earth, and I began to write. I began to write, because I am a writer and that is what I do. I work to find the words to inspire others, to bring about change and pray that what I say will make a difference. So, I challenge you now, to find something that you can do to become an advocate. We all have strengths inside of us, and to employ those strengths in the pursuit of something greater than ourselves, is the most important mission that a person undergoes. We all leave our marks on this Earth, so work to make yours a positive one. If we all agree to be flowers instead of asphalt, then together, we are on the path to creating something great.