Dear apathetic citizen,

I understand why you'd rather not bother yourself with politics; they're nasty and ugly, and they always have a knack for making any social interaction awkward or tense. However, I think you should reconsider.

I'm assuming you're an American, which means your political atmosphere is even more dense than usual because of the recent inauguration of Donald Trump. I understand how this fact furthered your apathy and desire to distance yourself from anything political, but now is the time to take a stand.

I'm going to go out on a hunch and say you have political beliefs whether you like to believe it or not. Odds are, you believe in something. You have a moral code that's specific and unique to you. You probably have an opinion on the big, scary topics that buzz around in politics but would prefer to keep them to yourself to avoid any conflict. I know this because I used to be the same way.

I used to hide from my underlying political identity and not want to put my voice out there, but then I took my first political science class in college. That class opened my eyes in that I found myself taking a hard stance on every situation we'd discuss. Some of the topics outraged me, some of them made me feel incredibly proud to be an American. Regardless, I realized that the only way things were going to change was if someone spoke up, and then I realized that I could be that someone. Sure, I'm only one person, but there are others who feel the way that I do, who feel the way that you do, and there's strength in numbers.

Again, I see how you could think that the fact that there are lots of other people out there who are using their voices for the things you stand for would be a reason not to use yours. Why should you have to do anything and contribute since someone else is already out there doing it for you? Here's my rebuttal: there's only one you. Your mind could bring new ideas to the cause and revolutionize it. You could motivate someone else to use their voice. You could inspire someone to listen.

You have far more power than you know, and it would be a shame to waste it. Use the Constitution to your advantage and make a difference, no matter how big or how small.