Dear Caring Human Being,

What have we seen in the news for the past couple of years?

Countless school shootings, police brutality and murders, unrealistic expectations of women’s bodies used to sell sex to consumers, trans folk being murdered for living out their lives with the identity they chose, students facing immense and growing student debt, among countless other tragedies.

This is not a world any of us should want to live in. This is a world full of injustices. Shouldn’t we want better? If we care about our fellow man, there needs to be a change.There needs to be a change in the way we think of how a society should be, how a government should govern its’ citizens, and how important the role of media should be in our daily lives. There needs to be a change in the way we think about politics, the two-party system leaves a lot of people out of the conversation. There needs to be a change in what we considered productivity and how we measure success. There needs to be a change in what we think constitutes an education. In the end, we humans needs to be more humane. And all of this starts with us, the people.

A question I have been struggling to answer recently has been this: If it is clear there are people out there who are educated, and care about the issues, why are they not getting involved? Why don’t people want to sacrifice their own time?

Our society is so focused on individualism, getting ahead for ourselves, that we forget there are more important things in the world than our own personal success. There are more important things in the world than getting an ‘A’ or making mass amounts of money. Instead of creating the competition of GPAs and class rank, education should be a collaborative experience, not about what major makes the most money. But I am aware in our capitalist system we need the funds to support ourselves, but instead of keeping our heads down and focusing solely on the me, wouldn’t it make sense to reach out to others who are fed up with this system in order to combat it together? It is also important to note that we all have busy lives. As students we take multiple classes and some of us have to work more than one job be able to get a higher education. It is hard to make time for outside clubs or organization; self-care is the most important thing. So, how do we expect to organize change, when are trying to organize our own lives? If everyone gets involved just a little bit, the work then will be spread around instead of on the shoulders of only certain people. It is about working together and supporting one another. One must do both.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, 2016 presidential candidate, is asking for a political revolution, forming a government that not only benefits the wealthy elite, but every American citizen. When it comes down to it, we are the ones who need to step up to his plan. We cannot just let our government continue to run the way it wants to run, without thinking “is this morally and ethically correct?” We must question, “how can things be different?” Sanders want us to be a vital part of our government, he has the phrase “vibrant democracy” jammed into our brains.

I mention Bernie Sanders here as more of a symbol, a representation of change and possibility. He of course is not perfect, we must question his policy just like every other Democratic or Republican candidate. We must push him to be better. And even if Senator Sanders does not win the presidency for this upcoming election, all the grassroots organizing and conscious raising will not be for nothing. People will have formed connections, started conversations, and began the process of educating ourselves and the people around us on the importance of societal issues. Nothing will ever be perfect. Bernie Sanders has been doing this for the majority of his life, I, on the other hand, am just getting started. And maybe so are you. Our perspectives change, we gain new information, experience new experiences, the world spins and tilts and there is nothing we can do about it. What we need to stay grounded in is the fact that the reason people speak out about injustices, stand up for what is right, partake in activism, is because they just want a better world. A safer world, a more equal world, a world where everyone can get the proper medical attention they need, a world where women are paid equal to men, a world that remains habitable with all its beauty.

I know I sound like a dreamer, and am known to be a highly positive human being, but I think this world is possible. For someone who believes in equality and fights against the injustices, why would you want to think that this world is only but a dream?

But nothing happens without progress and push. Bernie Sanders wants a political revolution, and again, the citizens of the United States are the only ones capable to make it happen. People have been fighting for their rights long before 2015, it took the suffragettes over fifty years years to get their right to vote. The momentum from this campaign will not be stopped, as long as we continue to work together, continue to think about the world around us, continue to question, and continue to be conscious.

So what this really all is about is simple: raising awareness. Though this in itself is not a simple task. Not everyone has the privilege and resources to receive an education. Though at the same time, an education is not the end all and be all of being socially aware. The educational system is setup to teach us certain topics from kindergarten, all the way up to senior year of high school. And even then during college only certain classes are created and only certain knowledge pumped into our brains. Raising awareness is more than just existing in a classroom setting. It is questioning what is in front of you. It is going out and finding the answers for yourself. Critical thinking should not just exist in the classroom, it is a skill necessary in life. There is a world outside of college campuses and high school classrooms. Education is not just one thing, it is many. It is learning experiences, conversations, and uncomfortableness. It is what we need to engage with and in in order to help one another, instead of looking down upon someone for being misinformed or unaware.

I will leave you with this: It is not enough just to be aware or knowledgeable, you must take what you know, share it with someone else, or do something about it. If you’re not creating a positive, you’re sustaining a negative. Desmond Tutu said, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” If everyone thinks their vote doesn’t count, if everyone thinks they can’t make a difference, if everyone thinks Sanders has no chance of being elected president, then they are right, none of those things will ever happen. So, we must not have doubts. We must have a sense of educated hope, intellect grounded in our passion. And as a student it is even easier to get involved in different types of activism. You care about the environment? There’s a club for that. You believe all women should be able to control their own bodies? There are people out there who meet every Wednesday at 7:00 and think the same thing. Find those people. Talk to them. Ask them what they think about this and that. We need to mobilize, and it all starts with you.