Being politically aware has become pivotal to academia. Especially with the 2016 election quickly approaching, the media is bursting at the seams with updates revolving around the current candidates. And with this media attention, you can’t avoid the constant discussion of the political madness in both classroom settings and among peers.

As an individual who does stand by their core values, morals, and opinions, I do pride myself on understanding differing views. This does not mean I never disagree or argue with people, because trust me, I do. But I will never flat out tell a person they’re “wrong” for their beliefs. A belief is an opinion, and your opinion truly can’t be incorrect.

In politics, it’s pretty essential to be able to not only understand other viewpoints but respect them to some degree. In order to fully understand an issue, you need to be able to view it through a lens of various perspectives.

I’ve encountered so many discussions that have turned into waves of ad-hominem attacks simply because a person can’t dismount their high horse and say: “I disagree with you. I believe this, but I still understand why you believe what you do.”

I think a major issue with the teenage and young-adult age group is that so many of us do not understand many of the issues being discussed regarding our nation, either because we’re misinformed or have no interest in attempting to educate ourselves.

I’m not saying I’m some sort of political champion or that I have never encountered a moment of ignorance coming from my own self. But what I am saying is that the pervasive disinterest to eliminate our own ignorance and become more politically aware is a tad alarming.

I often encounter people who either have no interest in becoming more politically aware or only hold certain beliefs because of their family members and have not attempted to form their personal stances. This situation confuses me a great deal. As someone who for the longest time held certain stances only because of the beliefs of my family and parents, I can say it is important to mold and create your own.

My parents and I hold quite differing opinions on a multitude of platforms. This does not mean that we have ill feelings because of that or engage in verbal brawls every time we discuss an issue. We’re part of different generations -- have had different experiences and have viewed the world through different perspectives -- so it’s only expected for our opinions to vary to some degree.

This does not go to say that it's wrong if your views are similar to those of your family, parents, or any other group whom you’ve spent a great deal of time around. It is saying that if you do hold these beliefs solely because you were told to believe them, and not because you actually do, your outlook may be a tad narrow.

Forming your own opinions and being educated on issues that will directly affect your way of life is important. And as I said before, this is not a “you’re right” or “you’re wrong” problem. As millennials, we make up around 31.5 percent of our nation, and our input makes a vast impact on our way of life. We should stop diminishing or belittling our ability to make a difference.