Video after video on my facebook feed, I see the same tragedy being multiplied. I feel a sickness rooted deep within me in the part of my humanity that cannot stand to see such cruelty. My deep sadness that is perpetuated by our world began the day that Donald Trump won the primaries because, after that, Americans really showed how ugly they can be. Then, the results of November 8th added onto that sadness, and after that, it was the Aleppo tragedy. In between all of these events, there were unjust killings, mass-shootings, light sentences for heavy crimes, and so on and so forth. This isn’t even the first year that we have seen all of these things come to light, especially in the Aleppo massacres. We have all been aware of these things, it’s just that no one really wanted to speak out about it because it just seemed widely accepted to be wrong.

It just seems like we can’t really move on from the cruelties of our world anymore. Social media has become a blessing and curse for our generation, constantly informing us of the injustices of our world, while also constantly informing us of the injustices of our world. If you are anything like me––a perfectionist––you would be unable to move on with your daily life without having solved a problem that is so visibly there. I am unable to move on with my daily life without acknowledging that there are mothers crying in other countries because their children are being attacked by their own government. I feel helpless.

If you are also like me, then you must also hate when someone tells you to have hope about something that is so obviously not something to be optimistic about. But here I am, telling you that you must be hopeful for the future. We are a generation that is defined by our refusal to ignore such deeply rooted problems. We are a generation that popularized social media to the point that we forced our politicians to take into account what these different platforms have to say about them. We are a generation that can effect so much change if we put the energy and effort into doing so. I know it’s so hard to look at yourself now and think of yourself as a crusader into peace and justice, but you must realize the power of your voice as an individual as well as the power of your voice amongst like-minded people. Remain educated, not just academically, but socially and politically and any other way you can possibly be educated in. Being informed and aware is so important. I beg of you, do not be apathetic or complacent; do not see the news channel and see the tragedies that are replaying for the umpteenth time and turn a blind eye. This is real. This is someone’s life. This life could be yours, but you are so blessed and privileged to be living in a safe space where you can continue to be something that you choose to be. This world needs its future leaders to care about it.

Please, continue to speak about these issues. We cannot allow for things like mass-shootings, racial profiling, murder of the unarmed, and Aleppo to continue to be swept under the rug the way that it has been by the government for the past couple of years. If you do not know much about what is happening, please ask questions; please remain curiously passionate about the things that are tormenting the lives of other human beings like you and me. We owe them this much: to keep their stories alive and to bring the injustices that was done unto them out into the light, for everyone to see.

Obviously, our world does not work the way that I have just described it. Realistically speaking, by just saying words, one cannot make the change that is required to solve the problems in Syria or in any other place in the world. However, it is realistic in the fact that in the long run, our future will be secured by so many well-educated, open-minded leaders. As for the present, please keep praying to whichever god you believe in for a solution. Please continue to pester our politicians into making the change that would be best in the world. And to those of you who, like me, did not receive the calling to work in government, continue to remain aware of the issues at hand, and continue to have meaningful and productive conversations with the people around you. Our world seems to only be getting worse, but something we all can do––regardless of political affiliation, religion, job, etc––is have hope that someone in power will come to their senses and realize the terrible things that are occurring.