I am not big on politics.
They stress me out, if anything. I find that my mind is much healthier without being polluted with the nonsense that our country's politicians throw around. There was a point in time I actually showed a bit of interest in the scene, and that was when I had just turned 18 and could vote. I still didn't understand a lot, and I mostly let people talk me into the way I viewed politics. Letting someone talk you into the way you feel about something is never a good idea. But that is what happens sometimes when you are young and naive.
Election Day is mere weeks away, and everyone around me is getting hyped up and excited about it.
Bellingham, Washington is a very liberal city full of Western Washington University's students that are young, full of opinions, and very active. Being submerged in such an atmosphere has compelled me to do something that I never thought would happen: Care about the U.S. government.
This election is going to decide how the country of my occupancy will be ran during some of the most vital years of my life. I began to think about all the things that a president has the capacity to change. It's a crazy position to fill, and everyone knows that half the promises that the president-to-be makes in the presidential debates will never be fulfilled... but why not at least attempt to get someone in office who appears to give more of a crap than the rest?
The lack of faith I have in this country is pathetic. It doesn't help that I have spent a quarter of a year in Sweden and seeing that all the citizens get free college, and have health care benefits. Those are two major things that I would love to have right now.
If I was to get sick right now, I would be completely screwed. I would have to starve myself for a while and use food money to even be able to afford a walk-in clinic visit. If I want to go back to school anytime soon, I will have to work full time somehow to manage paying all my bills, rent, and tuition. Not to mention the price of books these days. Sure, there is financial aid, but that doesn't help me much. They portion out financial aid according to your parents' income until you are 24 years old. Do they assume that all parents that can afford it help their kids out when it comes time to pay for college? Because mine definitely do not. The thought of having to work full time and go to class and have hours of homework sounds like hell, not to mention a recipe for depression. No time for rest, no time for social activities, and barely time to study. Shouldn't a country want it's young citizens to be educated? Are the elders forgetting that we will be the ones in charge one day? I feel like education should be a lot more accessible and convenient than it is, and I am sure millions agree with me. A happy and well rested student is probably more likely to succeed in the end than a stressed out, strapped-for-time-and-money student.
Also, the next president is going to shape and prep this country for whatever it will become for my generations' children. I have always wanted a family, and I absolutely love kids, but I might change my mind. The future of my possible offspring is in the hands of whatever baboon that takes the chair. If I were at the point right now in my life where I would be able to contemplate reproducing, I really think that it would be almost selfish to bring a child into the world the way it is now. Just another way of realizing that big changes need to happen NOW.
About a week and a half ago, I looked up and read over a series of debates and attempted to form an opinion of my own about anything at all. Unfortunately, I was not convinced of anything. Neither of our two leading candidates has me feeling like they are going to pull this country out of the deep hole it is in.
I work with a few activists that seem to have a lot more hope for this country's future than I do, and that helps a lot with keeping my interest and keeping my own hope alive. So thank you, work mates... you guys give me hope that maybe this country has a few smart people in it, and it is people like you that I would love to see take over the leadership in this country. I was at the point where I felt that my opinion, and my vote, didn't really matter in the scheme of things. But maybe it just takes more than a half-hearted vote to really make a difference. I am beginning to see that. I hope that more young people that hate politics have their interest sparked by amazing people that are really out there to put the people first.
Here's to the people that care, and are willing to put up a fight to keep and better the rights that we have as citizens of the United States. You have truly impacted me. Thank you.
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Nice post Bridgett. Living in a college town, we are surrounded by people who educate themselves about the world around them and then go about thinking about the future and what they want it to look like. Our generation is the distracted generation, there are too many video games, Ipods, text messages, and the like. While these things are all fine in moderation, they distract people from creating a viewpoint on the world and acting on it. I think our generation is coming of age at a very challenging time in human history, and we need to be on top of our shit because we are going to be handed a mess.
It is hard to convince yourself that your vote on a national level makes a difference, and in my opinion it probably doesn't make a difference. What does make a difference is your contribution to the group conciousness of the people around you and from there, the people around them. In this way you can contribute exponentially. Everyone needs distractions, they make life fun, one just needs to be wary of a general decay of conciousness. If people are too distracted, their decisions will be made for them. This is the key to not feeling helpless and powerless. Keep yourself engaged.
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