‘my country ’tis of thee…’

” You know, it’s funny; when the world changed, I was outside in the sun reading a book under a tree, and I didn’t even know the world had changed until hours afterward.

But the world had indeed changed. We all had. Our innocence was officially over. We couldn’t pretend to be ignorant of world events anymore. We were forced to pay attention. We’d been smacked in the face and told in no uncertain terms that things weren’t as we thought they were and that things would never be the same again. I don’t just mean America in general. I mean the youth of America. I don’t think it was just me. I think it was a lot of us that finally woke up that day. As we were forced to pay attention to our country and our government and its response to world events, we began to see something really disturbing. Things that were happening didn’t make sense. We claimed things that didn’t seem right, we didn’t follow through on things that seemed obvious to follow through on, we went in directions that seemed to have nothing to do with anything else. And it kept getting worse.

Sometimes I wonder where our future went. I wonder where I can find that country I learned about in elementary school; the one that always did the right thing and was a beacon of hope and prosperity. I wonder if I can buy a plane ticket to that place they used to call America, because I sure don’t see it anywhere around here. Hope? Prosperity? What’s that? Upward mobility seems increasingly to be a myth, just like all the other things I learned in school that turned out not to be true. Things like presidents who are honest, wise, and strong. Presidents who are bold and compassionate and the best leaders the country has to offer. Presidents I can respect. You see, I don’t think they exist. I know I’ve never seen one.

I feel lied to. I feel deceived. I feel cheated. I feel robbed. I am sick and tired of a government that is not what it should be, not what it could be. I miss something I have never seen. I am angry and I am ready for a change. I am a young person in America.”

read all here

i know that this article has been circulating a bit around the net but it moved me. it moved me because i know young people. it’s weird for me to say that because it wasn’t that long ago when i was a young person. not that i am over the hill yet- but i digress. the young people i know are very much aware of what is going on in the world. and they don’t much like it and are a bit fearful of it- but they also have the ‘we have to do something about it’ outlook. they look at it as their world and we have messed things up so they have to clean up after us. and- they aren’t far from the truth. i have shared in the lives of my friend’s daughters since she took them in. her younger sister abandoned her 3 daughters and hasn’t been a part of their lives for years. my friend stepped in as a single mom of 3 children 4 and under- and raised these ladies in spite of the adversity. her oldest is married and expecting her first child this summer. her middle is graduating high school and entering college in the fall with scholarships and awards. her youngest is a junior in high school and a top bowler for her team. i couldn’t be prouder. her middle daughter’s boyfriend enlisted and is currently serving in the navy- although they tried to talk to him about other options. his family- well, i won’t go into that here. it isn’t my point. my point is- these girls came from a bad situation and have lived a middle class blue collar life- but were taught to think. they look at the world around them and see what needs to change. and from that- i feel the faint stirring of hope.

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