Chaos swept over the masses like wildfire.
People were screaming and crying and searching for their loved ones. Fear seized the crowd and people began trampling over one another is desperation for survival as bullets rained down from the sky killing and injuring the multitude. Sons. Daughters. Mothers. Fathers. Died that day. People sought refuge anywhere they could find cover. Scared and panicked, one couple ran into a nearby hotel and managed to make it up to the 23rd floor. They banged on the first door they saw and begged to come inside seeking medical help. They were turned down. Since the tragedy had just occured, many hotel guests in nearby hotels were already asleep and hadn't yet realized what had just taken place right outside their windows. The bleeding couple ran to a second door. The door of an Oklahoman named Sara Jensen. Sara hesitantly let them in and provided them with some bandages and water. Crying, they told her the story of what had just happened and she listened. As Sara told me this story via Skype, it had only been 24 hours after the calamity. She was shaken and from what I could tell, hadn't really come to grips with what she had been apart of. I want to stop here and recognize the power of one person in an instance such as this. In that moment, Sara did everything she could with what she had at her disposal. She aided to their needs, provided them shelter and listened to what they had to say. For the rest of their lives, this couple will remember what was referred to as the worst mass shooting in modern American history. But they will also remember the kindness of a woman named Sara who opened her door and said yes. Whether Sara realizes this or not, she had impacted their lives. How many times do we take for granted the power of one person? We think since we aren't as passionate as the people picketing in the streets or moving to third world countries that our voices don't matter. We believe that we can't make a difference. That we can't change minds. It's an overarching theme we let dominate if we aren't careful. We fear failure so we use that as a scapegoat. We don't even try. We stay paralyzed and put blinders on. We stay in our American bubbles and pretend that crap's not hitting the fan in other countries. If we stay ignorant, we won't feel guilty. If we don't feel guilty, we won't have to move. We can stay comfortable in our homes and in our jobs. I believe there is something we are all passionate about. Maybe you can't put your finger on it. Let me help you -- What bothers you? What makes you mad? What breaks your heart? You're welcome. You can do something. I'm not asking you to give a million dollars to charity or go picket at the White House. I'm challenging you to take the next right baby step. The next time an opportunity arises at school, work, home or at the gym, I encourage you to have a conversation. I encourage you to do research about what it is you're passionate about. Say you're bothered about the refugee crisis -- explore the UN Refugee Agency website, learn as much as you can and the next time someone brings it up, be able to speak knowledgeably on the topic. Buy a book, watch a documentary -- just take a baby step. This is important because if you talk to just one person and educate just one person, you have made a difference. That person tells someone who tells his or her brother who shares the information with his girlfriend who shares it with her dad and so on. People are naturally attracted to passion in other people. If you have a spouse whom you love think for a second why you love that person. Go beyond, "sweet, kind and funny." A lot of times, the things we admire most about these people are their zeal and passion for what they do. We admire heart. A wildfire begins with a spark. If you'd only light that little spark, your passion will spread.
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