Using where you were raised as an excuse for what you believe is ignorant. Simply because you were raised in the ways of something does not mean that is how your beliefs have to remain the rest of your adult life. I was raised near Monroeville, Ala. If you live under a rock that shields you from all literature and you do not know where that is, it is the town that the fictional town of Maycomb was based on in Harper Lee’s, "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Lee and Truman Capote, author of "In Cold Blood," both grew up in Monroeville and ended up being wildly successful writers. (I won’t get into the debate about whether or not Capote wrote TKAM, but if you haven’t read all about that scandal, you should.) With that being said, I feel like everyone who has read the novel automatically knows how I view the world based off of that one book. When Lee published "To Go Set a Watchman" in the summer of 2015, which was the biggest scandal our sleepy town had faced in years, I had never seen so many people from around the world on the square of my tiny town.

Thirty million people have bought "To Kill a Mockingbird" and it remains a best seller. The story teaches that you should step out of your comfort zone in order to stand up for what is right. Since I was raised in a closed-minded, traditionally conservative community, I was always being told what I should believe and how I should act. Once I moved away to college, I had the opportunity to become my own person with ideas and values that I actually believe and find comfort in. I didn’t change my views drastically, but they definitely differ from how my hometown peers would like me to believe. Does this make me wrong? Absolutely not!

We as Americans need to stop following the ways of our society and start making a path for ourselves. When our government, that is supposed to be “of the people, by the people, [and] for the people,” decides things like it is legal for innocent lives to be aborted before they have a chance to speak for themselves, it is time for us to stand up and fight for their rights as human beings.

When our President refuses to acknowledge the unsettling amount of radical Islamic people in our nation and around the world, something needs to be said. Every person in America is entitled to the rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." We can no longer be afraid to stand up for what is right because our next generation is depending on us. I do not want my children or grandchildren living in a nation where they are genuinely scared to speak out on behalf of their beliefs or forced to abide by laws they do not agree with.

Alabama’s Declaration of Rights states,

That all political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their benefit; and that, therefore, they have at all times an inalienable and indefeasible right to change their form of government in such manner as they may deem expedient.

Changing our form of government would be a drastic decision, but maybe that is something people should consider? Make your voice known and do whatever is necessary to get the results you seek. Your parents, friends, and colleagues will never always agree with your decisions, but that is not a bad thing.

Do not feel like you have to believe the same things as the people around you. Society will always try to sway you to believe the most popular idea or at least the one that fits some underlying agenda. Fight for a change. Be different and stand out. Make your own decisions and don’t let people influence the choices you make that could change the course of your life.