After everything our country has been trying to adapt to since November 8, 2016, an entire new species of hope has ballooned in my chest, which is quite the opposite of a lot of people. So many have been so disheartened and hopeless after the election. When I look into acquaintances eyes, I see loneliness, abandonment, and fear. This absolutely breaks my heart. This is so avoidable, all depending on your perspective.
As millennials, those older than us never really expect anything of us. We are spoiled, rotten, and privileged. We are too lazy, too opinionated, and too egotistical to work for what we want. There have been those "I cannot believe these no-good kids are the ones that will be running the world someday!" jokes floating around for years. They hate the way we rely on electronics and social media to understand the world around us. They find that we have a lack of respect for "what's important." They assume that the only views we have are the ones we have adopted from our parents over the years.
But I am hoping that this election has changed the entire world's opinion of us. Never have I ever seen so many people my age so passionate and willing to work for something they want. It was absolutely beautiful. No matter what ridicule or opposition they were going to face and no matter what side they were supporting, students were outside of the classrooms, their homes, and their "safe places" to fight for what they want and what they believe in.
This is a major breakthrough. We are still living in the leadership of Generation X and the Baby Boomers. This means that we have found the heart to realize that yes, we will face disappointment and disgust from those more traditional, but we care too much to wait. As I walked through the Quad and Free Speech Area of Texas State University, I saw students from all walks of life. I saw students of different colors, students of different gender identities, and students holding signs supporting different candidates. There were students there not only to rally about politics, but to stand up for social injustices as well. For example: Racism, Feminism, Islamophobia, and Homophobia.
This went on for hours. For hours, these students stood in the weather, in the small space, and withstood the anger, hate, and tension to fight for what they believe in. To so many this comes across as us just whining about not getting what we want, but do we not deserve a little bit of credit? We gathered. We rallied. We protested for what we wanted to come of this country. This shows the older generations that we DO work for what we want and we CAN find purpose in this world. This shows those older than us that they do not have to jokingly, but kind of seriously, have to worry about leaving the future up to us because we are more than capable of being leaders in this world.
After seeing how intensely people my age have fought for what they believe in, I have so much hope for this world. New hope. Most of the population is taking all of this so negatively, but if you look at it from a perspective of new hope, you will notice how the millennial generation is here and they have something to say. Even though what we have to say may seem modern and maybe a little nontraditional at times, let us be heard. Listen with an open mind and respect our voices. We ARE caring about the world around us and we ARE going out and working for what we want; political and social justice.
