Let's Talk: The State of Our World and How to Help Yourself and Others

Tomorrow will be a day of great triumph or great loss depending on where you stand and what the outcome is. It will be the climax of an already devastating year. It could be frightening to some people who feel very overwhelmed by the events of this past year.

I have seen many people describe the year 2020 as 'apocalyptic' or 'dystopian.' As I reflected on these extreme words I was wondering about where these feelings might be coming from. I am now 19 years old which means this year is the first time I am of age to vote in a presidential election. Many of my peers are in the same situation where this is their first time voting. Upon reflection, one of my suspicions has been that the reason the election might seem more heightened or hostile is that people my age are finally involved. When you are actually involved in something, you begin to notice then the atmosphere that surrounds it. I am sure the 18-20-year-olds of 2016 felt what we are feeling now and assumed also that the year 2016 seemed very daunting.

Now, I understand that this year seems peculiar due to the involvement and coverage of all aspects regarding the election and voting. For starters, we are in the middle of an on-going global pandemic that has changed many lives in dramatic ways. For a long time, it seemed there was nothing really going on besides death and sickness. Therefore, it would make sense for a lot of media to turn towards the presidential election even more so than in previous years. Then after March, it seemed as though there was a new tragedy occurring each month making this year more and more insufferable.

Due to all of these reasons, I do not blame anyone who has described this year as the beginning of the end times. Although, I hope to change this mindset a little bit. One thing that has helped me is putting all of these unfortunate events in perspective. As tragic as this year has been, it is not an anomaly. The world has many times over seen widespread sickness, protests after terrible events, devastating natural disasters, etc. Yes, it is terrible when it happens, but it should not make us feel frightened for the future. These things happen and are eventually overcame and we come out even stronger.

Another fact that has been sad to witness is the critical division between our country based on politics. I'm not referring to debate over any human rights matters because that is not politics. Human rights should never be up for debate but rather universally seen as vital and deserving of every single human being. But the back and forth between parties should not make us forget that while we may have differences in opinion, at the end of the day we are all American.

If we were able to see past the blue and red and begin to see human beings, it would help the divide. There will always be people who shout louder than the rest that make this difficult but do not let them compromise your character and turn bitter. Shouting back will only make someone louder. Approaching someone with kindness and respect begins to create the unity we need. At the end of the day, despite what anyone tries to tell you, our overall day to day lives are going to be more or less unaffected.

Why spend your limited time on Earth constantly fighting others when instead you could work towards unification. It takes one kind conversation, one mended relationship to start making a difference.

Make sure to have voted by tomorrow and as always, I hope you enjoyed reading. Leave a like and/or comment to let me know what you think!