2,977

2,977.

I’m aware that I wasn’t alive to experience the full weight of those numbers. But I’m alive now and I know that I never got to exist on the same earth as 2,977 people.

I know that on average you cross paths with 42.5 million people you’ll never see again. 42.5 million faces you’ll never see again. And I know that I’m 15 and can’t possibly know the burden of that.

But 2,977?

Damn.

2,977 faces Some of us never got a chance to see. 2,977 human beings that never got to meet grand kids, nieces, nephews, soulmates.

There’s 2,977 floating people.

2,977 people who’s families still want them to come home.

2,977.

And I don’t even like math.

But I had to think about that.

So listen to me, America. I know you’re hurting, I know you’re scared. But don’t you cry now. There’s so much more for us to do.

We’re not done yet.

We’re not Rome.

We weren’t built in a single day.

It takes a lot more than that to make us fall either.

I know America feels like it’s on fire right now and that the ground is too hot to walk upon, but we got past that, didn’t we?

2,977 lost souls and we got past that.

It’s not over, it won’t be for a long time. The war is just beginning. You can feel the heat rise anytime someone mentions anything political.

This isn’t political.

This is emotion, and heat, and fire.

This is what it feels like to burn, burn, burn so hot that you can only possibly be human.

And I know I’m only 15 but I know what that feels like.

So 19 years in the future now, I know we can’t forget.

I know it feels like if just one more thing goes wrong that we’ll collapse.

But we’re doing it for them.

We’re holding out for 2,977 people who would have wanted us to.

2,977