With all of the events that have transpired over the last year or so I have learned a lot- I have learned that politics truly do bring out the worst in people. I have learned that people my age have a problem with anything and everything that has to do with someone’s opinion that they do not agree with. And with that, here is mine.

We are all human individuals entitled to our own opinion. Although we are “entitled” to our personal opinions, we are not entitled to be correct all of the time. We have all heard so many different things coming from election news, “fake news," twitter news, literally all of social media.

I have friends and have seen classmates that were good “friends” absolutely bash one another on social media for posting articles that have to do with his or her beliefs. I have been walking through the hallways and been called “the privileged white girl”, and I have seen adults act like children. Really, guys? Come on.

Most of the ones doing the bashing are usually the ones sitting behind their phones in their “safe place”. The others who choose to say things to people’s face do not truly know the people and groups they have labeled and do not have facts to base their opinions upon, they just want to feel “cool” and to “fit in”.

I am sure that some parents have no idea what is taking place, and others that do I will apologize on their behalf. I am sorry that your parents don’t watch you more closely; that they don’t correct you when you are wrong, and that they tell you that everyone is a winner. Shocker alert: everyone is NOT a winner, and losers don’t get sprinkles.

The people my age and of my generation have lost the ability to agree to disagree, compromise or to pick their battles. You do not have to comment on every Facebook post you don’t agree with just to call someone ignorant for their beliefs, especially without providing any facts to back it up. You do not have to quit speaking to your best friend just because she exercised her right to vote based on what she believes, not what you believe.

I write this because it is extremely upsetting and frustrating to see a generation and a people who are so divided over two political parties. It is so disheartening because of we, as a generation and society, have the potential to impact the future in a positive and effective way.

We have so many more opportunities and resources than our parents and grandparents did at our age already. We have the ability to do great things and to expand more horizons than anyone ever imagined. These great things will be brought to life when we can find our identity in who we are, not what we do.

We are not defined by whether we are “Democrat” or “Republican,” our race, our ethnicity, or the background of which we come. We are not defined by what sports we play, what college we attend, or even how many Super Bowls we have won. We are simply defined by how we impact others.

Right now there are many of us who are at an all-time low at impacting and making a difference in other people’s lives in a positive way.

We all need to take a step back and realize that we aren’t always promised a tomorrow and certainly not next year, so we should start now. Quit blaming every single issue on racial differences, political parties, and look at the man in the mirror.

Each and every one of us walking this earth are fighting battles that no one else knows about. It is time we come together from all corners and throw around kindness like we have thrown support for “our candidate”. The election is over. There is no changing the results. The only way to change the circumstances at hand is to change the way we think, so let’s join together and make a change to be proud of.