Imagine, waking up to your heart palpitating, brow covered in a cold sweat, and throat clenched tight as a scream is escaping past your lips. What happened?

It was a dream, but it still felt all too real to me. A handful of good friends and I were on a vacation. Sitting in the sun, swimming in creature-filled waters like some sort of mermaid—we were at peace. We swam with dolphins, orcas, nurse sharks, and other creatures in a clear blue ocean. Then suddenly it wasn't an ocean, it was a resort. We were by a pool which was connected, awkwardly, to a pool full of those same animals. To put it into a couple words; we were at peace. One with nature, one with each other and loving life.

Bomb.

I was on one side of the pool, dancing in circles under the water as my friends laughed and watched from the far side of the pool. We were oblivious to what was to come and how our lives would change drastically. Luckily it was a dream.

Bomb.

There it was. A large, slender missile that looked almost like it had come straight out of a movie set and fallen into our serene, daily life. I paused for a moment, almost certain that this massive piece of destructive metal was fake. So I blinked. Once, twice, three times to be sure; it stayed, lodged in place by some invisible force.

Bomb.

There it is. The choked scream, the panic to get out of the water. The cold sweat breaking as a SWAT team descended from nowhere, their solemn faces without a sign of reassurance. Oh no, this was no ordinary bomb. It was the bomb that we had dropped on Hiroshima during the accursed World War Two: The End All. The Atomic Bomb. Why hadn't it gone off? Why was it here? Were they mad?

This bomb meant the end of the world. Mutually assured destruction meant that whoever we knew had bombs like these and could have set them off would see a return in fire. Or something. I wasn't sure because my mind was racing so fast, my legs were trying to carry me through the crowd.

And that's when I woke up. I was at home, in a warm bed, with my sister and dog. Nothing had changed. Nothing had destroyed my home or hurt those close to me. I was safe.

We were safe.

But there wasn't any comfort in this safety. This safety had me questioning a lot of things. Why was it okay and normal for other people to live surrounded by fear, whether it be by kidnappings, bombings, or a corrupt government? Why was it okay for hundred of thousands of people to suffer in the way that I had in this one instance? And how long until this horrible nightmare becomes a reality? I, a child of America, have witnessed so much abuse and questioning in this supposed free land. Questions to which there are no certain answers.

So, I ask again. Why is it okay for people to suffer? For people to be ridiculed because they are immigrants, refugees, black, gay, or anything other than "normal?" How can we all sleep well at night knowing that in places like Syria, innocent men, women, and children are being quite literally shaken from their peaceful nights by explosives, raids, and ongoing fighting?

Is it our job to fix this? No, I wouldn't say that. I don't want anyone to think that I expect America to be the defender of justice and impose our "democracy" on others. I want to invite you, the reader, to think about the world outside of your bedroom window, your state, heck – out of the country, and try to imagine a day in their shoes. If you can't quite picture that, then just imagine being a minority in your state, country, so on and so forth.

How does it make you feel – stepping back from your privilege, from your comfort zone and walking a mile in someone's cemented shoes? Do you feel the constricted chest? The seized vocal chords that don't allow you to scream? Maybe you feel the shame or depression, the anxiety and the pressure.

This message isn't to anyone in particular. Not for the blacks of America, not for the whites, the latinos, or whatever race you may be/ identify as. This is just the thoughts of a young person as she goes through daily life wondering why so many people can't see just how lucky they are to be "safe".