by Connor Vasu
As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” As the Class of 2012 graduates amid a turbulent time, this quotation rings true.
The only way the world will change for the better is if citizens like us put in a little bit of effort.
So, Class of 2012, plant a tree, go for a jog or vote in next year’s presidential elections.
The environment could be preserved if every person on the planet consciously does his part to save it.
Yes, most of us know what “global warming” is. And a good deal of us high schoolers have watched An Inconvenient Truth, which warns viewers that the world will go up in smoke and flames in a few generations.
To prevent an untimely demise of the Earth and to ensure that our great-great-great-grandchildren will still be able to step foot outside, we should help out the planet.
For example, when many students walk by litter, they immediately turn their head and pretend it is not there. Instead of averting your eyes, pick up the trash and toss it in the recycle bin. Your great-great-great-grandchildren will thank you for it.
Or, do something as simple as voting in the next presidential election. In the 2008 presidential election, only 51 percent of eligible young adults voted, according to The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).
However, that number lags behind the national average of 57 percent, according to Infoplease.
In the 2010 midterm elections, only a quarter of young adults voted, according to CIRCLE. Even taking into account that the president was not on the ballot, that is still a dismal number.
Class of 2012, go out and vote.
One vote for one candidate may not make a difference, but a burgeoning number of young adults voting will.
Get off your iPods, your iPads and iPhones and instead serve the community. Community service helps the less fortunate and is even beneficial to the participant.
According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, “Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer.”
To change how the world works, we need every citizen to help out the environment, community and country in every way they can.
Graduating seniors, start positive trends. The world will be a better place because of it.