Why Young People need to Care

I attend a liberal arts college where most people are aware of what is happening in the world. People reading the newspaper is not an unusual sight, nor is having the television switched to CNN in the Commons. However, some people I know have said they do not think it is important for them to know what is happening in the world or who is running for the presidency. They justify this by saying they do not live in the real world. They believe owning a house or having a job are the qualifying factors for being in the real world. Their belief of not being in the real world and not having a responsibility to care about what is happening in the world is by far the most ignorant view I have come across to date.

Young people need to care about what is happening in the world. The events that happen now will influence what will happen in the future. For example, whoever wins the 2012 presidency will create policies that will affect the ability of young people to find jobs in the future. One of the many jobs that could be influenced by upcoming presidential policies are educators. A person who wants to become a teacher ought to be aware of the presidential candidates standing on education. If the candidates are willing to cut funding for education, it will likely inhibit the individuals ability to get a job as a teacher. This is why young people cannot hide behind the belief that they are not in the real world. The longer they try to stay out of the real world, the harder the real world will hit them when they begin to enter it.