We're the young generation, and we've got something to say

After the Associated Press released a report detailing a new North Korean nuclear facility, my family (as we often do) sat in the living room and discussed how this latest development will affect the world and ultimately, the future. My parents are extremely conservative thinkers, and my brother is almost as conservative as they are. I'm the family "liberal" although I simply consider myself to be moderate. (Some of my classmates tell me instead that I'm a "liberal conservative," but labels work so much better on soup cans, right?) While I agree with my family on a lot, we also have our differences. Especially concerning nuclear capabilities.

This won't be a blog discussing the pros and cons of having a nuclear arsenal. This is a blog discussing what other topic came up in our debate: Why is my generation so idealistic and why do a lot of us have pacifist leanings?  My parents tried to figure this out after I mentioned that no human being has the right to create such a destructive weapon as an atomic bomb. Of course they disagreed with me and called me a pacifist, but we still came up with some answers to the aforementioned question that may or may not be true. Below is a list of theories that came up in our discussion (and in my brain).

1.) This recent "Peace, Love, and Happiness" fad is just "blowin' in the wind," as Bob Dylan would say, and we'll eventually forget about peace signs and war protests.


2.) The liberals in the American government have "brainwashed" the young people to believe that nuclear weapons, wars, and any kind of violence should be put to rest.  Unfortunately, this is not the real world, so we might as well realize that war gets stuff done.

3.) Hollywood (e.g. Michael Moore and Barbra Streisand) has leaked anti-war in Iraq views into movies and music, which of course does not represent real life.

4.) The parents and adults that govern the young generation were the original picket protesters, so they're the only reason we're so outspoken against war and the government.

and finally, my personal theory:

Young people have always been able to see what society is doing wrong.  It was young people who marched in the civil rights movement.  It was young people who protested the cruelties of the draft during the Vietnam War.  It was young men who fought in the Civil War.  It was young revolutionaries who fought in the ragtag armies that captured independence for the colonies.

So what is my generation doing now?

Are we trying to put an end to war as a whole?  Are we daring to dream that maybe a world without war could exist?  Could it be possible that war can one day be as outdated as segregation in America?

Could it be that like every other generation before us, the young people are one step ahead in our thinking?

I think it is certainly something to consider as the older generation is building nuclear facilities and drawing lines in the sand. Perhaps my generation won't be the one to stop all the fight, but maybe we'll plant the seeds in the hearts of the next generation.


You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one. 
--John Lennon