Dear future generations,

I want to apologize. I really am sorry. For you and myself too, honestly. This is my first election to vote, and it sure isn’t how I imagined it would be.

I’m sorry the United States is at this point. The phrase “choosing the lesser evil” may have never been more accurate or meant more harshly than it is now that our nation has to choose between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. I’m sorry that there is so much hatred surrounding this election. I’m sorry you’re growing up in a world where political campaigns are basically giant spending competitions. I’m sorry, too, if you’re growing up in a lower income household or even a middle class household and you can’t begin to fathom the money that is used in these - sorry for the language - pissing contests. It creates a very real barrier between you and the candidates that are supposed to represent you when they talk of experiences you know they haven’t actually experienced themselves.

I’m sorry that the word “politician” has such a bad connotation, people are willing to vote for anyone who claims to be different just for difference's sake. I’m sorry that there is confusion between embracing differences and helping minorities, and spreading some of that hatred we have too much of.

Mostly, I’m sorry this election is so scary, it’s almost funny. Almost. Because the fact that our 2016 presidential election looks like one big joke stopped being humorous a long time ago. I’m sorry that media focuses on which snide remarks and stupid facial expressions can be made into memes and that those unflattering photos are shared and retweeted and laughed at. I’m sorry that this deprecating practice is so appealing to the people in our country because it takes away from the terror and uncertainty we all feel.

I’m also sorry that I can’t explain how or why we got here; I don’t know. I can guess it had a lot to do with greed and an insatiable hunger for power. I don’t know when the divide started, when politicians deemed themselves celebrities and wanted all the other material things that come with fame and the attitude that common people are below them. Our country is made of middle class people, a lot of whom are only getting poorer as the rich get richer, a good chunk of politicians included. To some, this may just make me a conspiracy theorist, but I believe our country is run by corporations, ya know, whichever ones are willing to pay our politicians the most. There is proof to this, but that isn’t what matters today.

Today, what matters is that you future generations are growing up in a world powered by technology, money and fame. In a world somehow created by those before you.

I want to leave you with my hopes for you. I hope you take one look at the kind of mudslinging and scandal surrounding the 2016 election and you stay away from it. I hope you see that hatred for those who are different from you, like a minority or religious group, and even hatred for opponents you face, is useless. Hate is useless. The only thing I can see hate being useful for is as an igniting point for a deadly, mostly likely nuclear, third world war. I hope you grow up in a world with less war, less terror and more tolerance.

To you future generations, I hope you get past this. Better yet, I hope you show our generation and those before how to get past this. How to get over ourselves and our differences and our narcissistic, material ideals. I hope you influence our society in a positive way, no matter your beliefs.

I hope you hold politicians to the beliefs they claim, because in a lot of ways, we’ve failed to do so. Learn from our mistakes.

Sincerely,