Rescued from foster care by her grandmother, Sage Brooks wrestled with anger and a victim mentality stemming from resentment toward her absent parents. A moment of clarity during a misguided college protest made Sage realize her current path did not lead to happiness. Determined to change her trajectory, Sage decided to use life's challenges to her advantage—to become a victor rather than a victim.
More From PragerU:
The “American Dream” is dead, say nearly half of America’s young people. This startling statistic comes from a recently released nationwide survey conducted by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, which polled Americans aged 18 to 29 regarding their attitudes on current political issues. The same survey also showed that while just 16 percent of youth believe that the U.S. government is offering solutions to current problems, only 20 percent describe themselves as “politically engaged,” and 58 percent acknowledge that they do not really follow national news. What a worrisome disconnect. How can anyone expect to change a dysfunctional government while abstaining from the political process? How can we restore faith in the “American Dream” if the next generation of Americans has already thrown up their hands? We now face the risk of self-fulfilling prophecies born of misplaced defeatism. The truth is, the “American Dream” will always be alive as long as Americans believe in the value of their own efforts, hold their freedom sacred, and work to elect responsible leaders who will do the same.
Young Americans today are the nation’s largest generation, and they will soon inherit control over the levers of power, whether they want it or not. If they maintain their current sense of faithlessness, the “American Dream” could be left to wither and die of neglect. That is why it is so critical that we find a way to cultivate political engagement and civic responsibility in future generations. This demands serious participation; we must not allow the ideological echo chamber of the blogosphere and retweet-style “slacktivism” to become a lazy substitute for the hard work of genuine dialogue and statesmanship. We desperately need efforts to reignite the spark of civic passion that drove our Founding Fathers, that has historically made this country great, and that forms the foundation of the “American Dream.” While no one program is a panacea, I am firmly convinced that tremendous potential can be found in the establishment of debate-based education and competitive debate teams in America’s schools.
More From Inside Sources:
Rss Feed