In a world such as this. . .

The Great Sand Dunes are located in Colorado. – David Peters

In a world such as this, in a time such as ours, we, the younger generation of American citizens, are faced with considering issues that are unlike the problems faced by our predecessors. A strong and tangible feeling of nervous angst is growing inside the minds of our young people.

It can be heard between the words in our conversations and read between the lines in our writing. It can be felt in our silence when we consider—while impending thoughts of doom creep into our minds—things like Global Warming, over-population, mass-shootings and violent protests.

On the forefront of our minds lately are thoughts of a baldness-denying, orange-skinned man as our supreme leader. We imagine him with his finger on the trigger waiting for some country to say the wrong words. We consider the economics of the future with little hope.

Can we not expect to see increasing divides between rich corporate overlords and the common man? Are we not expected to take on as much debt as possible? What role does cognitive dissonance play in our thoughts about the world we are about to inherit?

Before we abandon all hope of the “American Dream” and start a mass migration, let us consider some positive aspects of our situation. There is still beauty here. Places where one can go to muster the hope needed to make the positive changes. Places to where we can escape to catch our breath—
to gain perspective.

Our country is one of the most geographically diverse countries on the planet. We have the beauties of the world in our backyard. Places that will shield us, if only for a brief moment, from the mindless tweets of our politicians.

Vast empty spaces lay in wait for the student who’s tired of standing in line for every meal. Silent, snowy forests are standing by for the young person whose ears ache with the noise of modern life. Dusty desert plains are painted with pastel oranges and reds, ready to inspire all who need inspiring.

One might ask, “How does this help? How does this fix any of the aforementioned problems?” In truth, it obviously doesn’t fix any of those problems.

The problems mentioned above, however, are not always the real concern. Over a long enough period of time, prolonged pressures and anxiety can be just as damaging to our nation as rising flood waters.

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