“You’ll understand when you’re older,” I was told by someone I’m close to, after voting differently than them on Tuesday.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” I think while nervously refreshing my computer browser on Tuesday night.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” I think while staring at my uneaten bowl of Cheerios, as my nausea sets in on Wednesday morning.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” I think as I break down crying in one of my classes after reading a Facebook post from a friend who is afraid to leave her apartment.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” I think while laying in bed, unable to sleep.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” I think while scrolling through post after post of scared people afraid to live their lives.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” I think while my friend snapchats me with tears streaming down her eyes, wondering what will happen to her friends and loved ones.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” I think to myself while staring blankly at my computer screen, unable to think about anything but the situation America is now in.
The truth is, I hope I don’t understand this when I’m older, because if I am somehow able to understand why there is so much hatred towards people of different colors, backgrounds, religions and sexualities, then I have truly lost myself.
I am not willing to risk the safety of innocent Americans for the hope of lowering taxes. I am not willing to take away the basic human rights of Americans in the hope of “Making America Great Again.” I am not willing to deport people who risked their lives just to come to this country looking for a better future. And I will never change my stance on these issues.
This is not a problem between political parties, or even a problem with the government, this is a problem between people. You don’t have to be a certain age to understand that. We are an extremely informed generation, with incredible knowledge of the world around us, simply because we have to be informed. We have access to so much information at our fingertips, and we have a very real view of the tough lives ahead of us, battling problems with our economy, our natural resources, and our job market. We are in charge of the future of America, and we know that wholeheartedly, so don’t tell us that we don’t understand yet.
We have lost ourselves as a nation, and now we are losing ourselves as people. We have let taxes replace our morals, prejudice replace our tolerance, and pure hatred replace our dignity. Please, no matter who you voted for, remember that no person is greater than another. A human life should not be disparaged because it is different… It should be embraced, cherished, accepted.
While some people may see the election as a “win,” I see my friends terrified to go in public, feeling like strangers in the country they have grown up in. I see civilians shifting in their chairs, scared they will be profiled for who they are. I see my friends pleading on social media, with many people turning a blind eye to their basic human rights.
Through this nightmare, we will find hope, but the struggle will be much greater than anticipated. I am worried for the future, but I am hopeful. We have to have the strength to rise above the hatred, and love one another, or else this country will dive into a chaos greater than what we are suffering through now.
We are older. We understand. And we won’t stand for it.
Thumbnail courtesy of Elliott Stallion on Unsplash