Close your eyes, and picture our world. What do you see?

This is a world that we are slowly destroying each day. Every tree cut down, every bottle we don't recycle, every light we keep switched on, every faucet that continues to run; it all keeps building up. Earth is supposed to be our home, and yet we can barely keep it alive.

This is a world where innocent people are killed in unspeakable acts of terror. People who had their whole lives ahead of them, people with hopes, fears, dreams, and experiences just like ours, people who may have gone out for a night of fun, or traveling, or to classes, never expecting that they would face such horror. And then just like that, gone.

This is a world where we constantly have to look over our shoulders to make sure we aren't being followed, where we never feel like we have privacy, safety, and security, where fear and paranoia are always looming over our heads and hiding in the corners of our minds.

This is a world where celebrity cat-fights and double-colored dresses flood our social media platforms and news sites, stories that are unimportant and frivolous. And yet we spend much of our time fixated on them, so much so that they overshadow what's truly important.

This is a world where hatred and intolerance fuel too much, affect too much, influence too much. Individuals are judged more on the color of their skin, their accent, and their dress rather than on the measure of their character, who they truly are, and what they have to offer.

Open your eyes.

This is our world.

Now close your eyes again, and picture it again. What do you see?

This is a world that we are slowly bringing back to life every day. Every tree planted, every bottle we recycle, ever light we switch off, every faucet that stops dripping; it all keeps building up. Earth is our home, and we are trying our very best to keep it alive.

This is a world where people stand together in solidarity, in every country, on every continent. People who work towards saving, rather than destroying one another. People who stop individuals who have lost loved ones in horrific attacks to offer their condolences, their embraces, their tears, and their hope. And we remember those who have been killed, for though they are gone, they will never be forgotten.

This is a world where we refuse to live in fear, where we refuse to let paranoia loom over our heads and hide in the corners of our minds. We will not bow under the evil in our world; rather, we will walk forth with courage and our heads held high.

This is a world where current events and breaking news are shared with individuals from all over on social media sites. We discuss and focus on real problems, rather than let them be overshadowed by frivolity, because we know what's truly important.

This is a world where love and acceptance are beginning to fuel so much, affect so much, influence so much. Individuals are judged more on the measure of their character, who they truly are, and what they have to offer rather than the color of their skin, their accent, and their dress. Yes, we still have a way to go, but we have come a long way as well.

Open your eyes.

This is our world.

You see, there is evil, and there is good. People have the power to cut each other down, and raise each other up. We can discourage and we can inspire, we can hate and we can love, we can hurt and we can heal. When it comes down to it, the fate of our world is in my hands, and in yours.

What do you choose to do about it today?