The government kind of sucks. Admit it. Celebrities run our country and social media treats politics like reality TV. We just experienced the longest government shutdown in history all because of a wall and our president spends his precious time turning to twitter to call out the democrats and complain about the lack of compliance. Our country is divided between meaningless red and blue; right and left, when we all should just be people; American citizens, fighting for a better future. States united. Right now, undoubtedly, America is a mess, but we have the right and we have the duty to change it.

I know what you're thinking. How can someone like me make a difference? How can some kid, young and barely significant initiate change? There is a whole country of adults who call us sensitive and lazy. Adults who think we don’t have the experiences or the knowledge to understand the “real world”. No one said taking action would be easy. But it's necessary and it’s worth it.

Recently, I read Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. It was a long and tedious read so here is a summary: It is the duty of the people to make the government work for them, rather than the other way around. This essay, though published in 1849, develops ideas that should still hold importance to us today. We must be advocates for change. If no one was ever willing to defy government standards and break a few rules, we would have never made any progress. Slavery would still exist, women would not be allowed to vote, the recent steps we have taken toward equality would not be reality. Slavery was abolished because people built up the courage and decided to fight for the basic rights of human beings. Women can vote because they took a stand and fought against society to make their voices heard. We have made so much progress since the birth of our nation because someone, somewhere decided enough is enough.

Our society is in the midst of a revolution. We have the wonderful opportunity to be the generation of change. Every day I am inspired by the people my age fighting so diligently to make this country better. We are a part of this beautiful generation of young people who decided we could not be silenced. The government kind of sucks. We’ve noticed. And now we’re fighting.

It is important to be a good citizen, but sometimes we must sacrifice following the rulebook word for word in order to be a good person and fight for the betterment of life. Students in Parkland, Florida raised a whole movement against gun violence. They walked out. They protested. They challenged the government, but because they spoke up, they had an impact on the rest of the world and led a nationwide struggle that is still being fought for today.

We all have a voice and the power and duty to use it. We are the future and soon we will be left with the responsibility of caring for this powerful country and all its wonderfully beautiful people. We, the people, were not made to serve the government, but rather the government was made to serve us. It is stated in the Constitution that this very country was forged from hundreds of years ago. The Constitution that so many Americans disobeyed England, protested, fought, and died for.

It is our duty as American citizens to fight. So make your voice heard every chance you get. Those of you who are able to vote in the upcoming 2020 election, join me at the polls. Take advantage of your freedoms and use your intricate and marvelous minds to team up with others and see a brighter future. Your opinions and your voice will never be heard if you don’t open your mouth. Join this beautiful and powerful generation of change. Yeah, the government kind of sucks. What are you gonna do about it?