My Responsibility to America
by Lyra Bailey
One of my favorite times of the year is when my aunt and uncle come to visit. They travel a lot and have a huge appreciation for history. They always have a cool story to tell from their most recent vacation, whether it be shopping in Paris, whale-watching off the coast of Maine, or exploring the Pacific Northwest. After dinner, we have conversations that last for hours, and usually a political or social issue will come up. And the general consensus is usually, “Well, it’ll be up to your generation to fix that.” And while my aunt and uncle may be right, I cannot imagine that cleaning up the previous generation’s messes is the only responsibility I have. My responsibility to America is not only to save it, like a young Captain America of sorts, but to use my own personal talents to make it better than it ever has been.
My talents have never put me down the path of occupations that people associate with fixing America’s problems. I’m sure there are “people people” destined to be great politicians, leaders, judges, and lawyers, but I am certainly not one of them. I would prefer to work more on the grassroots level through engineering and design. America has always been a land of innovation, hard work, and creativity. These values have shaped my life and education. Perhaps something I create will make life easier and people happier, which will lead to real, positive change in this already great nation. When there is more happiness in this country than anger, and anger is not the default emotion, we as a people can have a real impact and move forward together, but it starts with everyone, “people people” or not, putting in the work.
Which brings me to my second responsibility to America: my vote. The vote of the people is the foundation of our Constitution. The vote allows us as a nation to see into the future and into the minds of the public. And even though voting is a fundamental duty of the American citizen, only about fifty eight percent of eligible citizens voted in the 2012 election. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” I will not sit idly by and let others decide my future. My responsibility to America is to make the decision and let my voice be heard. In 1775, we rebelled against silence. It is my responsibility to uphold those values.
My responsibility to America is not to save it or to revolutionize it. My responsibility to America is to keep it moving forward. Because the second we take one step backwards, we have to stop and regroup before we continue. So it is my responsibility, as well as everyone else’s, to always move forward in our thinking, progress, and motivation. We can never be complacent with our current state. Nothing is perfect, but we can strive for perfection. It is our right; it is our duty, and it is our responsibility.
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