Vent (Part 2)

Leaders

One of the biggest problems we face is leadership and responsibility. In this country, good leaders are very difficult to come by.

As we grow up, leadership opportunities are presented at an early age. In elementary school we have class elections for student council. While it is only a popularity contest, many of the kids vie for the position. Everyone wants the power and what they believe to be control of the classroom. There is no control or power in the job, so as a student representative, your main role is to report what happened at the meetings.

Along with class offices, responsibility is also presented. As one grows and matures, they quickly learn that actions have consequences. Many times no one wants to take the blame and everyone hides, just hoping they do not get in trouble.

In Middle School, we are surrounded by a larger student body, and student council is a less appealing job. Promises of longer lunch and more snacks are often made, but at this point there is still no power in the job. The number of potential candidates has shrunk, and instead of there being a good 25% of the school wanting to run, we are down to about 25 people out of 1000 or so. This trend continues through High School and often times it is the same people running who have always held office. There is more responsibility at this age, but very few opportunities for new leadership. Kids become afraid to run and let their ideas falter. Many are afraid of the public stage, but the majority do not want the responsibility of an entire high school.

So as you can see, the number of leaders that grow from our schools is very small. Past graduation, the number of leaders continue to fall. No one wants to make a stand for what they believe, so we are stuck with the same group running our world.

Through all this I am not saying new leaders do not exist, but I am saying that there isn't nearly enough. I think our schools need to put more emphasis on how our government works, but more so on the fact that we are the government. Many of us are scared of the rules and regulations the government imposes, but do not realize that they were created by people like you and me. Our schools need to teach that we can in fact make change and laws, and that we are not limited to what "they" impose over us. So while I may not always voice my opinion on every matter, I try to. If you feel you are being wronged, then stand up and say so. This country was earned, and if we want it to stay ours, we are going to have to fight for it back.