The madness is finally over. Whether you voted for Obama or Romney, heck even Goode or Johnson, the point is YOU voted. WE voted. This election was like no other in the sense that it motivated more people to get educated and vote than ever. Young people came in numbers never seen before and hopefully that is a trend that will continue in our country.
It was great to see my generation of young adults really step up and be heard. Though some people took it more personal than others, I loved seeing all the small debates on FB and Twitter with my friends and associates going back and forth on who should be elected and why. Even my close group of friends, who 99% of time are talking about sports or girls, got into some pretty heated argument's about their political beliefs during nights out! Now that is truly amazing stuff.
I'm sure the race of our President played a big factor in the huge turnout and interest of young people and minorities, but that's okay. Sometimes it takes a big reason for someone to want to get involved or change their outlook on something. Whether that reason is 'right or wrong' is not for any of us to judge. If 50,000 young African Americans between 22-30 never cared about the elections or politics until 4 years ago when Obama was elected, well hey, so be it. At least they are involved now, and most of them will continue to stay educated and involved, and that will trickle down to their kids. So regardless if "race" was the reason so many more people got involved with this election, It is a GREAT thing for our country.
I myself never voted before. I always felt like no matter who is in office we don't have any real say in whats going on. I truly thought my voice didn't matter. I mean I'm 1 of 3 billion, who really cares what I have to say. I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt like that, and I'm sure some people still do.
Thankfully for me however, a light bulb went off in the past few years. I recently started to feel different about the situation. I mean if everyone else has an opinion why shouldn't I? If all these people are slandering a guy who I believe in and I support, then I better get educated so I can articulate why I feel how I do about my President and make sure I'm supporting the right person. I started to understand that the man in office really does affect me, my family, and my future. I do have a voice and I will be heard.
I still don't know for sure what brought that change upon me. Could it have been because the President is a minority for the first time? Or maybe because I am 25 years old now and I finally matured and saw the real world for what it is. Honestly, I'm not 100 percent sure. One thing I am sure on is how glad I am I got educated and made a difference. I never realized it could be such a good feeling being so knowledgeable about whats really going on in this country, going to vote, and watching the election play out. I will never forget the past few months of my life, culminating with an amazing day yesterday. Whether our President comes through and turns this country around, no one knows for sure. What I do know is that this has been a life-changing experience for me, and I will continue to educate myself more and more on this country and my beliefs on how it should be led. That is my right as an American. That is your right too. We should ALL take advantage of it. I'm sure glad I did.
No comments:
Post a Comment