These past few days, a few pretty important things have happened. Whether you're celebrating or lamenting, it's been a life-changing week. I wanted to write something that would go beyond just Republicans, Democrats, Independents; I wanted to write something that was about more than skin color or sexual orientation. I wanted to write something that wasn't exclusive to one group. I don't want this to be a message for only Christians, only Americans, only white people, only straight people: this is a message for humanity.
Whether we like it or not, we're all on this planet, together. Now, you can go off to Mars and live there, completely separated from the rest of humanity, but I want this to be a message for all who identify as a human being. This is a call to action.
The fact of the matter is, we're all this sinking ship. Things are dying, going extinct -- the world is not better for having us. Either we can sit here and examine and highlight and embolden our differences, or we can come together and fight for what actually matters.
This needs to be the end of hatred. I know that's a tall order to fill, but it's an important one. This needs to be the generation that ends the oppression of others, based on something that doesn't affect us anyway. We need to be proud of who we are, without being ignorant to where we've come from. We need to find the love and peace within our hearts to move forward, instead of being stuck in the past. We need to look at the desired outcome and start bracing ourselves for the discomfort that comes with change. Because we can't keep living this way.
There's so much hatred. And for as much love as I see exchanged in my life, I see just as much hate just outside of it. It's time to dig deep within our souls and recognize that we only have one life, one planet, and one chance.
As you're sitting here, digesting this new reality, think about what you want, and what you want your legacy to be after you're gone. Someday we'll all be dead and gone. We have only the marks we leave on the world to make us truly immortal.
So this is your call to action. Figure out what you want most, and figure out a way to achieve it. You can cry. You can scream. But you can never quit. This life is your only life. What do you want to be remembered for?