Alright, kids. We have a critical election on Tuesday. Here are two things we can do:
- Vote.
- Have The Talk with your parents.
The second item applies however you think your parents will be voting. If you are on the same page, great. Encourage them and thank them. But if you disagree, talk to them. I know it sucks and is way easier not to. Your siblings may get angry with you and wish you’d keep your mouth shut (may I recommend a time other than dinner?). But it’s important. You may not change their minds or sway their vote, but they need to hear your voice. Tell them you are worried. Give them reasons why. Show them evidence. Don’t resort to name-calling. Tell them you love them instead. Donald Trump has split up enough families.
Maybe they are also troubled by the current climate, but they think we are too far down the path of corruption to make any difference. They’ve thrown in the towel. Tell them how strange it is to hear them say such things, when you’ve been so accustomed to them telling you to never give up. Ask them where we would be if that had been the attitude of their parents in the 1940s. Tell them you will not give up without a fight, because that is how they raised you and how their parents raised them.
Tell them what you see of your generation. I see optimism, inventiveness, and determination. We have big ideas and big hearts. We crave the freedom and opportunity that is our inheritance from this great nation—the nation you will hand over to us, even if we have to claw it from your cold, dead fingers. We will make it new again. Because you taught us to participate. We weren’t out there buying those participation trophies for ourselves. You gave them to us. You enrolled us in softball and dance and scouts and summer camp. You taught us to participate because you knew its value. We learned participation is not just valuable—it is essential. Healthy society cannot function without it. Democracy cannot function without it.
Happy voting, friends.
 |
| Only 2 years ago? What a wild ride. |
