Out of control

During the recent tumultuous times in our country, I have gained a new sense of understanding and awareness of the way the world works. Along with that realization comes the discovery that I have a free-thinking, independent self, as illustrated by my strong opinions about the war and our government, among other things.

These days, I find that the daily discussions at lunch and after school no longer revolve around unimportant topics like cafeteria food, but rather are around America and what America stands for as a nation.

I no longer look at our country with an overwhelming sense of pride, pictures of bald eagles and idealistic forefathers flashing in my head. Rather, I realize that our country was founded not only on freedom, but on war and destruction.

I’ve witnessed the intense emotions that occur with a controversial war, and I received a great shock when I realized that there’s little I can do about it. As a 16-year-old American, I have few rights, and I can make no demands upon the government. Sure, I can go to protests and hold up my signs, and I can write what I want without suffering retaliation by my government, but who’s listening?

I saw many millions of people around the world march in protest of the war—even people of voting age—and who listened to them? It makes me feel powerless.

Many people my age are experiencing this overwhelming feeling of resignation. It doesn’t matter whether they feel this war is unjust and brutal if they aren’t old enough to vote, nor does it matter if they support the president whole-heartedly but aren’t old enough to enlist in the military—many people my age feel like they can do little to affect change.

Teenagers in Iraq are feeling helpless as well, but I can only imagine how intense that emotion must be when it’s mixed with the fear of losing everything, even life.

Those teenagers don’t deserve death. Why do they deserve to lose their homes, to have their education put on hold, to lose their families simply because they happened to live in a place that was ruled by a man with questionable motives?

If living in a country run by men who don’t care about their people is enough, why isn’t my life at risk? My country is run by a man who’s willing to risk the lives of many of his young fellow countrymen. He has sent them overseas for reasons that I still don’t understand—and I had no say in it.

No, I don’t have 30 years of voting behind me. No, I don’t wake up every morning and run to read the latest on Salon.com, and, no, I have never fallen asleep in front of my computer screen in attempt to absorb everything the Patriot Act Two entails, but I do have an opinion.

I realize my opinion as a 16-year-old makes little difference, and my opinion as a 50-year-old probably will have the same impact, but I feel it’s important, as an American and a human being, to express that opinion.