Teenagers and young adults, the future of our country is in our hands. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear a classmate or friend mentioning something political or about the current presidential candidates. Having been raised by parents who are largely engaged in politics and taught me to be knowledgeable about the world around me, I am left frustrated by distinctly uninformed and ignorant statements regarding politics.

The issue is not whether they are in agreement with my views or not, what matters is the roots of the opinions we all hold. If, at the young age of eighteen, we are allowed to vote, we also must take it upon ourselves to be informed in order to vote based off of an honest, well-educated opinion. We are not just voting to vote. These elections are what is going to decide the future of our generation and generations to come. We simply must be aware of what we are voting for.

What I am not doing is advocating that we all be political experts on all the current issues and facts, but I am challenging all of us to know ourselves, our individual values, and explore what political candidate lines up with these values. I ask you to conduct even just a little bit of research, watch debates, and most importantly, try your best to stay informed.

It is daunting the direction our country is headed recently, even just regarding the startling number of mass shootings and unreasonable amounts of violence. I cannot imagine what this country will be like 10 or 15 years from now if we continue on this path of lack of knowledge concerning our own government. Again, you absolutely do not have to be “obsessed” or get too into it, but it’s OUR future (and present), so we need to start caring.

Start listening to politicians. Pay attention to what principles they hold. Keep up with current events. Figure out what YOU believe and be able to say you know what you voted for.