When I was younger, I was an ignorant child. It wasn't my fault. I grew up in a strict household and any news from the “outside world” would go through my parents or my school first. My parents and teachers wanted to raise a sweet innocent child. They thought I wouldn't be reached by the crudeness of this world. But alas, everybody's innocent little child shrivels up and is left alone for it to decay once your eyes see the world for what it truly is. My eyes were opened and the innocence I once possessed was ripped away from me.

First came the cruel way the police treated some civilians. I've always looked up to police officers.( Literally, i'm like super short.) They were like the at home defenders of the streets. But instead they shed blood onto our streets and murdered innocent people. The once sweet streets that I knew of, were painted in blood and piled with bodies and riots. I was shocked and enraged. The ones who defended the streets from danger, were the ones inflicting it to innocent souls. It made me think “Am I safe?”
Then the second wave of self awareness came. LGBTQ people all over the United States were murdered because of who they were. Women and men dead now because of the people who aren't accepting of others. Younger me probably wouldn't of accepted those people. But times change and people change and I've learned to accept them for who they are. The people who were murdered had families and people who cared about them and now, they mourn over their loss.
The co-director of an anti violence group said that 2015 has already seen an “alarming epidemic of deadly violence against LGBTQ communities, especially transgender women of color.” I felt disgusted that one of the murders of these women, was in San Francisco. The city that you'd think would be accepting of these people, would be responsible for murdering someone. Once again I thought to myself, “Am I safe? As a human being, am I safe from the dangers of man?” I've felt terrified of the nature of some human beings and how they think they are higher than others, and are willing to kill the people below them so that they themselves can feel “safe”. Although the world is truly a dark place, there are some people that are the light that shine through the darkness. I tend to look at both sides because you can't just look at one thing and ignore the other. You have to look at the full picture to understand the painting. But humans aren't going to behave as we think we always should. We can be bad as we can be good.
One example that really affected me and my school was the proposal of the Archbishop. He wanted to bring back and reinforce old catholic teachings that kinda weren't relevant anymore. For example, adultery, masturbation, fornication, the viewing of pornography and homosexual relations are gravely evil. Times have changed and people have changed and we are more accepting. Even the pope says, “Who am I to judge?” to everyone. I think that people have to change to adapt to the current situations. Because if you don't, and everybody else has, you will be the minority. I take the pope's message and use it every day. It is like don't judge a book by its cover. I feel confident and strong that in a few years, people won't be ignorant and selfish and accept people for who they are. Just like I have accepted people for who they are. There will come a time when we will be accepted, and I absolutely can't wait for that time.