Teenagers are, by nature, more open-minded than adults. We have an ability to see everything in an innocent light, unlike adults who have a preconceived notion of everything they encounter. It is this ability, to be unbiased and open, that makes us teenagers the most receptive people on the planet. Sadly, this is not how we are viewed. I’m constantly hearing about the stereotypical lazy teenager that doesn’t care about anything. I often hear adults speak of their teenage years as a kind of joke, an unimportant part of their life, before they grew up. Well, I see a lot of “grown ups” that still have a lot of growing up to do. We teenagers are not an unimportant, useless portion of society. I know that we do care, that we are passionate, and that we are willing to work hard. We can overturn this forgetful, ignorant bias, and show the world that we teenagers are the next generation; that we can be and will be the best generation. We don’t have to “grow up” and fit into the current mesh of society.

The world seems to be headed in a pretty bad direction right now, with economic collapse, nuclear armament, and a severely unequal distribution of resources. However, there is hope. We can put our open-mindedness to use, and collaborate with our human peers with tolerance. We do not have to follow in our elders’ footsteps; we do not have to settle for division. If we embrace, instead of rejecting, our open-mindedness, we can work together to achieve this united world.

Society teaches us to grow up fast, to move into the fast-paced, unforgiving world. We are forced to join the ranks of the relentlessly uncaring. But, we do not need to join these ranks. Instead of following complicity, we can create our own world. We have that power. In numbers, anything can be accomplished. Together, we will change the trajectory of our world. Step out of the way adults, here we come.