Politics, on a basic level, should not be like sports.

Some may not like or care for sports, which is totally fine. They live life blissfully unaware of the Cubs, the Patriots, and root for teams strictly based on color and cute butts. Unfortunately, people also think this way about politics.

Not only is this detrimental to society, there also aren't very many cute butts to choose from.

Basic knowledge and understanding of politics, and our world today, is so important. Politicians make decisions and choices every day that won't just affect us immediately, but will affect us and our children for many years down the road.

Even though we are now more connected to the worldaround us than we ever have been, we have become disconnected from the things weshould be worried about.

Almost every high school and college student today could look at a picture of the Kardashians and name every single one of them, but ask them to name their senator or state representative or even the vice president – many will fall short.

These are officials that are voted in by us – the people – a luxury and right that many people are not given. A right we seriously take for granted.

When I plead with you to get involved, I'm not saying you need to pick up your protest signs or volunteer for a local elected official.

I'm asking you to start reading news articles and watching the news.

Get to know your local representatives and vote, vote, vote.

If you don't vote, you have no say in the changes happening in your community or your country. So, if you want to be a part of making your community into a better one, you need to be involved and vote.

At the same time though, it's important to stay informed and know what's 'real news' and what is 'fake news.' Unfortunately, most networks nowadays are biased, even if you get your news from non-network sources.

Journalism, for the most part, no longer upholds honesty as a value, and will do what they can to sell you a story.

A lot of it is just using your judgement and doing outside research. I get "breaking news" notifications from CNN and Fox, and I follow a lot of 'underground' news sources from both sides of the political fence. I then make my judgements and decisions based on that.

Unfortunately, Facebook has become the biggest hub of 'fake news' – half of the articles I see friends posting are from BS sites and it's so disheartening that they don't/won't to take the time to find quality news.

Yes, sometimes it's hard to watch the news, and a lot of times you just turn into one huge eye roll watching the media do their thing, but it pays off in the end to have a basic understanding of what's going on around us today.

It is our duty as citizens of this country to know how it works and how it is run.

What will you tell your children when their world falls apart?

"Sorry, I just wasn't interested."

Stand up. Get Involved.

A really easy way to start getting involved and interested in Politics or Government is to watch videos from Prager University. Started by Dennis Prager, Prager University showcases ideals and knowledge from a wide range of speakers from all over the world. Take 5 minutes and watch one today.