As a 19 year old that is slowly, yet in a blink of an eye, discovering the world, I have a million questions and desires that I dream to see unraveled during my lifetime and the times to come.

Questions like, "How can we reevaluate our research towards medical issues? How can we decrease poverty and homelessness around the world? What can we even do to prevent mass shootings? What exactly can I do to contribute to the high stakes that the world needs to reach?"

How on earth can we accomplish any such things when human beings are falling from grace, that is, losing the drive to be optimistic, compassionate, open-minded, and motivated?

Not to say that there aren't those who are devoted to this graceful life, but to say that there aren't enough. We are becoming bystanders as the struggles we face as a human race become more and more real.

World, don't fall from grace. It's time we pick up our feet and move toward greatness.

No longer are we made to wait for the select few to make a statement; we can make the statements, we can stand for what is good and true, and we most certainly can become unified to create positive change.

We have homeless teenagers becoming high school valedictorians, we have women educated to become doctors and surgeons, we have minorities breaking stereotypes and creating remarkable successes in the world that make them far from a smaller portion of the rest of humanity.

Who we have become today is absolutely incredible, and I believe we deserve more than to be correlated with the tragedies and horrifying mistakes certain people commit. Rather, we can be the ones to change the norms; we have the power and endless abilities to erupt new ideas and approaches towards our world's biggest problems.

What does it take?

Commitment, hope, motivation, teamwork, confidence, selflessness, compassion, humility, and trustworthiness.

The problem with stating all these phrases and words is that they are simply words if we do not act on them. So let's be the ones that live by our word. Let's be the ones who represent the betterment of humanity. Let's be the ones who practice what we preach.

What good is a committed Mass-goer Christian if they do not strive with their greatest intentions to love unconditionally?

What good is a teacher that reads daily out of a given book or packet, yet expects students to think out-of-the-box about their class lessons?

I'm always tired of telling myself "I want to be this kind of person" or "I wish I could accomplish something like that."

The only thing stopping my heartfelt desires is my attitude against myself. Every day, in fact, every experience throughout the day contributes to the God-given graces to be more than what we think we can be. I wonder how I miss such opportunities, and it is likely that I choose to limit myself and my personal potential.

Maybe we all need to sit back and think about the greatness we want to see in our human race, and think about what we can do to contribute to that. It's time to break out of our bubbles of selfishness and think about the impact we can make on each other.

Whether you planted a tree in a local neighborhood, saved a strangers life, picked up your annoying brother's laundry, or discovered a cure for cancer, you're doing something good for the world.

I believe that now has never been a more perfect time to be that positive light in the midst of such defeating tragedies.

World, do not, I beg of you, do not fall from grace.