Think about this – it’s 2016. We’re in our twenties. By the time we have kids and they’re starting school it will be about 2026. Do you remember what 2006 was like? Now compare that to 2016. Different, right? So, what will 2026 be like? Everything is constantly changing; technology, the environment, social media, government, politics, foreign politics, and more. There was a time when those changes were for the better. In the early 2000s everything was so new and exciting. Now I look around and, honestly, I’m scared about our world’s future.

First and foremost, there might not even be a world left to care for in a few years’ time. We are killing our planet every day, slowly but surely. Just in our oceans alone, there is about 8 million tons of plastic waste that are dumped into it each year. Plastic takes anywhere from 100 to 100,000 years to decompose. That means that it will be here a lot longer than you and I. That plastic accumulates toxic pollutants which are then eaten by marine animals. We then eat said marine animals and ingest that plastic into our own bodies. At this point in history, all humans contain plastic inside their bodies.

We are also losing land faster than we realize due to urban development and oil, gas, and pipeline companies cutting rivers. By doing so, these companies are removing the sediment that makes up rivers which rob it of its natural nutrients and causes the overflow of water. Coastal Louisiana is losing 24 square miles of wetland per year. This also contributed to the disastrous effects of Hurricane Katrina because there were no wetland trees or marsh grasses to reduce the intensity of the storm.

Let’s also not forget the gas emissions we let off into the world due to manufacturing, industry, power plants, refineries, and transportation. We are treating the world as if it is our garbage can and sooner or later we are going to have to pay the consequences of it.

Even if we still have a world in a few years, will there even be enough decency or morality left in mankind to save as well? How you were raised as a child is different for a lot of people, but I think it’s safe to assume a few things. One assumption could be that many children didn’t know cuss words by the time they were in third grade. Or that most of us didn’t have a cell phone until we were in high school. Or that we didn’t take selfies, have social media accounts, or think that we were older than what we really were. I mean, seriously, these young girls in today’s society are completely skipping over that awkward middle school phase and somehow going straight to the name brand, boho, chic, hipster phase. Their idea of beauty is not gained through humility or humbleness, but on how many likes they get on their Instagram pictures.

Adults also do their fair share of horrors. I feel as if when I read the news in the morning I’m literally watching our world burning to the ground; “ISIS attacks” … “riots in the streets” … “hundreds dead” … “Syrians fleeing” … “boat capsizes” … “3-year-old refugee found dead on beach.” That is simply what we hear on the news. What about what we don't hear on the news? Currently, there are more people enslaved in the world today than at any other time in human history; 27 million people are being forced to perform hard labor, dig mines, sew clothes, sell drugs, have sex, sell their bodies, and many more unspeakable acts. The worst part is, many people don’t even know that it’s going on. They’re either too ignorant to know better or do know, but choose to ignore it.

However, there are people who are keeping hope alive. Environmental lawyers fight to protect land rights, organizations such as the International Justice Mission (IJM) are fighting to end modern day slavery, and even high school aged kids are inventing new ways to clean our oceans. I'm not saying that everything is bad. There are still good things and good people out there in the world. They simply need to be more of a priority. My hope is to be one of those people. I want to make a difference. Help someone. Change something. That is what I am looking forward to for our future. Things may be bad, I may be scared, but the world and the people in it are worth fighting for.