I am 19 years old. I am old enough to see what is happening to my country. I am old enough to understand. I am old enough to see the future that these actions will lead us to. But my young voice will not yet be heard over the noise. But soon, you will have to listen.
I have been watching the news religiously for about two years now. I have followed this election year so closely I could write a book on it. I have read books upon books about how things are, how things used to be and how things could turn out. I am an educated voter. And that is all I can do. But I am coming.
As I sit and wait desperately for November 8th, I watch the anger unfurl. I watch police shoot black men because they are black and I watch black men shoot police because they are police. I watch terrorists pick off my countrymen and I watch my countrymen turn away those desperate for help, coming from a war torn land that we could not possibly understand. I watch as more guns kill more innocent people and more innocent people cling to their guns. I watch tear gas and bullets and bombs. I watch violence create more violence. But don’t worry, I am coming.
I watch greed and wealth destroy our natural planet. I watch my planet wither and burn for the sake of economic prosperity. I watch the few gain millions and millions gain nothing. I watch men of another time fight over my rights to my body and your rights to marry who you love. I watch non-violent protests receive death threats. I watch our national media cover a 24-hour news cycle with Hillary’s pneumonia and Donald’s facial expressions when there are people dying. But don’t worry, I am coming.
These are the things I see as I sit and wait for my turn. The chorus of yelling and explosions and cries is steadily growing louder than our national anthem. But my turn will come. I ask our leaders, when will you say enough is enough? How long can we sustain ourselves on a system that is unsustainable? How can we fight a common enemy when we are distracted fighting with each other? How long will you let things get worse before you make things get better? But I already know the answer.
Our futures rely on my generation’s shoulders. Even though all we can do now is wait for November, November still counts. Voting is the first step out of the Hell that we’ve been thrown into. This is not the country that I love. I’ve watched my illusion of my country shattered before my eyes but I am no longer blind. I too am angry and frustrated but I refuse to give up. Soon it will be our turn to make the decisions. Don’t worry America, we are coming. A generation with new ideas and open minds is coming to save you and we are getting there as fast as we can.
