The Vehicle for Change
With the start of 2021, we have a world climate like no other, and I mean that literally as well as figuratively. With the sudden rise and awakening of individuals like bears out of their winter slumber, we have never had as many civically engaged citizens with a burning need for change.
Change, something that was once so rare, something we almost lost completely as the trail we blazed was magically erased by the events of these past four years. As one of my friends often said on the topic of Trump’s rise to power: “we let our guard down, and became too comfortable with our position without realizing the continuous need to move forward. And then he happened, and showed us the price of settling.”
And now, as a new era begins, we need more than ever to remember that price we paid for settling. Although Biden’s election comes as a huge relief, marking the end of an oppressive government’s tyrannical reign, it also reflects the deep, splitting divides within our country that took the most moderate of moderates, dare I say slightly conservative politician that is Joe Biden, to temporarily remedy.
If we settle now, we will sow only bad seeds for our nation’s future. This desolate, cracked field needs movement and it needs healing and it needs pushing and plowing and hard work.
And that brings us again to the vehicle upon which we have mounted our plows upon — the brazen youth, who have labored under the baking sun and through it all held our heads up high.
In the streets, we marched against the inevitably rising tide of injustices, raising our voices and our fists and our hurt, and bringing fire to the rain.
Through a lit-up screen, we spread information in time with the flames spreading through our mountainside forests, although at times brash and dangerous, when done right, beautiful and empowering.
Upon our faces, we plastered the newest piece of technology, more powerful than all the tanks and rifles and weaponry of the armed forces, more popular than flying cars or space shuttles — cotton masks, held by strings around our ears, and trademarked with love, for our family, for our community, for our country, and for ourselves.
That’s why, world, you must rely and lean heavily upon the youth. Remind us of the responsibility that lies on our shoulders, to shove and jostle and propel the past generations, because we’re the only ones with the sheer force and numbers to do it.
And youth-
Now’s the time, more than ever, to take action. We need to rise alongside these tides, as we become more and more aware and awake in the imperfect reality, we must not become comfortable or lower our standards. Even in the tiniest steps, our generation can revive and resurrect the peoples’ belief in the power of change. Every struggle is a challenge to see if we’ll stand our ground, every setback is a chance to prove our tenacity.
That’s why, young people, we need to be radical, we need to be, in solidarity, a wave of movement, we need to be the fuel that the engines of the future run on.
We need to be the vehicles for change.
Written and edited by TGP Creative Correspondent, Millie Liao.
