Life in a time of change. Life in a time of a stress. Life in a never-ending series of events. I can’t predict what’s next, much to my dismay, but I know this world isn’t right.
It’s a new year, a time of hope. But all around me, I see war, I see refugees, I see racism, I see discrimination. It is the year 2018. It is the year I turn 18; it is the year I graduate; it is the year I start college. These are all things that I don’t see as anything out of the ordinary or special, but for some, these things are foreign and will not happen — but why? Isn’t it 2018?
Why is something I have begun to ask myself so often. Why is my life like this? Why can I wear what I want? Why was I given the gift of clean running water and the opportunity for an education? Why is this my life, and why are others not given these same essential qualities of life. Isn’t it 2018?
I turn on the bright little screen that sadly controls every aspect of my life, and I am hurt by what I see. I see disregard for mental health and for people’s feelings. I see people shaming one another to make themselves feel better by posting their photo and comparing them to garbage. I don’t understand why. Isn’t it 2018?
I am confused when I see that woman, men and children are still getting raped and sexually harassed. I am even more confused when I realize that the abusive people doing this will most likely not face any repercussions. I wonder why people don’t care; why they don’t try harder to stop these awful things; and why they still blame the victim. Isn’t it 2018?
I am appalled when I remember that America elected a misogynistic, narrow-minded and cruel president. I am angered when he tweets things that get our country in hot water and endanger us all. I remember that he himself has been accused and known for sexually harassment, yet we don’t impeach him. The president is supposed to be a well-respected and honorable human being, and I wonder why our president is not. Isn’t it 2018?
“Isn’t it 2018” is a phrase I have said five times now. I say it over and over again, because part of me does not want to think about how, in this day and age, we are backtracking and losing sight of what this world should be. It may be 2018 — a time that was supposed to be filled with hope and change. The sad truth is that this is a year that started off without getting rid of or making any plans to rid the world of its ugliness. This is the world and the year we live in, and it’s sad that some don’t realize it.
