Many Americans envision the future of our country with gloom and despair. They live in a faltering economy that may continue struggling for many years to come. They see a government full of corruption and with trillions of dollars of debt. Most of all, they find the next generation preoccupied with entertainment and disgusted with learning.
This last issue is one that many people think about, but few are willing to discuss. The predominant feelings towards the upcoming generation include despair and hoplessness. However, despite these feelings towards "adolescents," "teenagers," and young people in general, there is still evidence that even though the next generation has some maturing to do, not all is lost.
While facts show much of American education is of mediocre quality and that many of the next generation would rather go to a party than make a good grade in a class, applying these to the whole of the next generation would be a hasty generalization. Not all young people are settling for inadequate education; they are not all so narrow-minded that momentary enjoyment is the focus of all their time. Generation Next has both the opportunity and passion to change their world positively.
Opportunity
Unlike any generation before, the upcoming generation has an unprecedented access to information. While just two centuries ago, a piece of news might take weeks and even months to travel through the world on ships and horses, that same piece of news would take not more than a few seconds to reach the ears of the public via the internet and cell phones.
Not only are the internet and cell phones useful for sharing and learning information, they have created a completely new source of public dialogue: a place where public opinion can be formed, debated, and influenced. Resources such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogging bring together groups of like-minded people from across the nation and even across the world, creating powerful entities that can voice their opinion and influence others.
Passion
Opportunities without passionate people to take them are worthless. While a majority of adolescents and young adults may not be motivated, a surprising number of young people have shown enthusiasm to play a part in the political process. These individuals have used their eloquence, passion, and critical thinking to further liberty and encourage thoughtful public debate on important societal issues.
Examples range far and wide of the young firebrands who, instead of sitting around complaining about the government, are running for and winning positions where they can influence policy.
Alex Morse, the youngest mayor of Holyoke, Massechusetts at 22, was elected just this past month against a heavyweight incumbent as an opponent to a local casino and a proponent of investing in promising local businesses.*
Other examples include Ricky Gill, who at 17 was appointed to serve on the California state board of education. He is now running for Congress with his 25th birthday making him eligible for election just a month before primaries.**
Such stories, and the plethora of others, give inspiration and hope that the next generation is taking the opportunities given them with eagerness. The passion that many of them possess is one that is willing to serve and change our country for the better.
*http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/11/alex_morse_elected_youngest_ma.html
**http://www.worldmag.com/articles/18870
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Morally Hazardous?
Some of the most fragmenting issues in American society today revolve around ideological differences. Should abortion be legal? Should homosexuals be able to marry? What role do Muslims play in our culture? It is no surprise that people, as individuals, have differing ideas about these issues and that these ideas creep into our political system.
In a recent blog post, one of my fellow government classmates argues that such ideologies, specifically Christian ones, should be kept out of our government and laws. But even more than ideologies, he writes that Christian morals should be abolished from politics. While many can agree that separation of church and state is necessary for a country that promotes freedom of religion and that ideologies without facts should be kept out of politics as much as possible, we must be careful that we are not, "throwing the baby out with the bath water." Are 'Christian' morals really such a bad thing to have in government?
Before this issue can be fully understood, we must be careful that we are not equating the terms "ideology", "morals", and "religion". Ideology and religion are both things derived from moral standards and it is generally agreed that both should be kept from law-making; however, morals are different in that they are the basic standards by which we as humans decide what is right and wrong. They are even more basic than those proposed by my classmate as, "life, liberty, and security." Is it right for a human to murder another human? Is it right to do nothing when you see evil happening towards another human being? Morality in this sense is not something that "varies wildly from person to person."
While morals are often labelled as "Christian", they are usually basic to all religions and value sets. The golden rule, "do to others as you would have them do to you" may be of Christian origin, but is quoted and personally desired by those of all sorts of beliefs, including Atheists. Is this sort of morality system such a problem in government? What if our political system was free from morality?
An amoral system of government is in reality impossible. All human-made governments are going to act off of some sort of moral system. Whether it is a communist regime acting off of the principal that equality matters more than individual rights, or a religious state, every government must have some set of basic principals upon which to set their laws. A government without morals leads to anarchy and chaos, and ultimately tyranny.
As can be attested throughout history, not all moral systems acknowledge the dignity of humans equally. Millions have been killed under communist, atheistic governments as well as under theocratic governments. We can find examples of America's misuse of power, but our government, based on Christian morals yet not a Christian theocracy, has created more freedom, equality, and dignity for humans than any other government in history.
In a recent blog post, one of my fellow government classmates argues that such ideologies, specifically Christian ones, should be kept out of our government and laws. But even more than ideologies, he writes that Christian morals should be abolished from politics. While many can agree that separation of church and state is necessary for a country that promotes freedom of religion and that ideologies without facts should be kept out of politics as much as possible, we must be careful that we are not, "throwing the baby out with the bath water." Are 'Christian' morals really such a bad thing to have in government?
Before this issue can be fully understood, we must be careful that we are not equating the terms "ideology", "morals", and "religion". Ideology and religion are both things derived from moral standards and it is generally agreed that both should be kept from law-making; however, morals are different in that they are the basic standards by which we as humans decide what is right and wrong. They are even more basic than those proposed by my classmate as, "life, liberty, and security." Is it right for a human to murder another human? Is it right to do nothing when you see evil happening towards another human being? Morality in this sense is not something that "varies wildly from person to person."
While morals are often labelled as "Christian", they are usually basic to all religions and value sets. The golden rule, "do to others as you would have them do to you" may be of Christian origin, but is quoted and personally desired by those of all sorts of beliefs, including Atheists. Is this sort of morality system such a problem in government? What if our political system was free from morality?
An amoral system of government is in reality impossible. All human-made governments are going to act off of some sort of moral system. Whether it is a communist regime acting off of the principal that equality matters more than individual rights, or a religious state, every government must have some set of basic principals upon which to set their laws. A government without morals leads to anarchy and chaos, and ultimately tyranny.
As can be attested throughout history, not all moral systems acknowledge the dignity of humans equally. Millions have been killed under communist, atheistic governments as well as under theocratic governments. We can find examples of America's misuse of power, but our government, based on Christian morals yet not a Christian theocracy, has created more freedom, equality, and dignity for humans than any other government in history.
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