This election cycle has not been exactly ideal for the majority of us for several reasons. We've been discussing who will become our next president for a little over a year now, but it never really felt real until now.
If I could use one word to describe my feelings towards this election, it'd be disappointed. After waiting 18 years to finally cast a ballot, none of my choices seem all that appealing. Now, picking the lesser of two evils isn't always bad when you're talking about doing a chore or picking a restaurant, but this is not the mentality that a majority of Americans should share when picking the next president.
Our president should be someone we can admire and be proud of, not someone who displays good qualities here or there, but whose bad qualities force us to turn a blind eye. Obviously we don't expect our President to be perfect, but to me it seems like we've really lowered our standards as a country as to what we expect our President to bring to the table in terms of their ultimate character.
Regardless of whose name is announced as victor on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, our country is going to be struggling quite a bit for the next 4 to 8 years. We've got a lot of growing to do and changes to make, and those changes start with us.
So on Wednesday morning, get up and go to class. Pay attention. Take notes. Ask questions. Remember that everything you're doing inside and outside the classroom right now are all things that you'll utilize to help our country in the future. You're paying thousands of dollars for this education and these experiences, so act like it.
Some day, it'll be one of us that will be running for President, so do all that you can to make sure our country doesn't have to go through this turmoil all over again.
No matter what other people may say, you're not too young to make a difference. Your age has nothing to do with your potential or your passion. If you see a problem, go and fix it. Your opinion and your voice matter, so make sure that they're heard. Don't be afraid to be wrong. Don't be afraid to listen more than you speak. Don't be afraid to ask the difficult questions; just because it's a difficult question doesn't mean the answer is difficult too.
As millennials, we are described as the generation that is attached to our phones. So what? Maybe it's because we understand that we're all connected in so many ways outside of the twitter-sphere, so liking each others tweets makes this big world seem a little bit smaller. Maybe it's because High School Musical taught us that we're all in this together, and that's something we've been holding onto since 2006 (a long time ago I know).
We are the generation that is attached to our phones, but we are also the generation of innovators and game changers and trailblazers. We can mourn over a dead gorilla for six months straight and some say that's a little crazy, but it definitely shows that we're dedicated.We gladly go where no man has gone before, and make sure to take photos of it for Instagram too. We are outspoken and opinionated and passionate. We understand that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. We are courageous and refuse to give up.
We are the generation that will spend our late teens and early 20's with a president that half of us will adore and the other half will despise. And even if we can't expect too much from our next president in fear of guaranteed disappointment, we sure as heck can expect a lot more from each other.
We've got a lot of work to do. But we've also got an incredible amount of open doors and opportunities awaiting for us. We've got a lot of work to do, but we don't have to wait until (Kanye) 2020 to get those things done.
We've got a lot of work to do. So let's start now.
