We all know what happened this past weekend.

A man in Orlando by the name of Omar Mateen came into a gay nightclub, armed with an assault rifle and a handgun and began shooting. Police on sight immediately reacted and exchanged shots with him, but Omar continued to fire inside of the club. He took hostages inside the club, pledged his allegiance to the terrorist group ISIS. SWAT teams soon came onto the scene, and decided to rescue the hostages by distracting him with a controlled explosion. Afterwards, their armored vehicle smashed through the wall, the SWAT team stormed the building, and Mateen was killed.

In this time, that man took at least 50 lives, and injured another 53, many of which remain in a critical condition. They are represented by the 103 white hearts in the center of this picture. That man, while having Afghan parents, was an american born citizen. His parents were utterly shocked at what had happened, for this terrible, terrible act of hate is now the worst, deadliest mass shooting the United States has ever seen, and the deadliest terror attack the United States has seen since September 11, 2001.

I am unsure if these details are all absolutely correct, so i urge you all to investigate what happened for yourself, using various websites and resources, not just one information source.

It now seems to me that we live in a nation of fear, of hate, of oppression, that reaches to every corner of it far deeper than I truly realized. Many of you out there probably have far more experience in how this nation is than myself. But, we have become desensitized to the concept of mass shooting, solely because they happen so often. The wave of change that tries to be heard in the US is continuously covered by increasing acts of violence and political stagnation.

I probably don't really know what im talking about. But i urge you, i beg of you, if you don't remember anything else, remember what i'm about to say. Please, be safe, think proactively. Our nation is at a tipping point, and we must be the voice of change that will define our future. This presidential race has sparked so much hatred and violence. And let me tell you this. Anyone who condones violence, who plays on fears, who starts fires of hate within a person, will always be wrong. (Yes im talking about trump)

We all mourn the loss of the many people killed in this tragedy, but we cannot idly sit by. No matter what your religion, your orientation, your background, your ethnicity, no matter what, we can all come together to be the change that we want to see.

Spread the word. Do not let anybody anger you in the immeasurably long process that is currently underway. Think smart, stay calm, always voice your opinions in ways that are not abrasive or insulting to others, and never stoop to their level should they come to mockery of any sort. For if we want to be the change we want to see, we all must set an example.

With all hearts beating as one, we move onward.