The Global Conversation

Category: Generation New Age

  • Therapy for Therapy: Can we really change our behavior?

    Anxiety. Stress. Fear. These are just a few of the many ways that I have heard my classmates describe their high school experience. Yet these seemed to be the most common descriptions I have heard about this period of life for people between the ages of 14 and 18. As I look at my own high school experience, I too recognize that it has been anything but a carefree journey. Through the combination of social interactions and academic expectations, teens are becoming overloaded. But by how much?

    Apparently, it’s enough to drive us crazy. In a 2000 publication, the American Psychological Association (APA) reported that the average teenager will experience the same level of anxiety as that of a 1950s psychiatric patient. And this was just for the average teenager before the time of Twitter and Facebook. What would this data look like now? And, more importantly, why hasn’t anything been done about this teenage mental pandemic since?

    Though the level of anxiety teenagers feel has skyrocketed, the psychological treatments for this problem has remained virtually the same. Across the board, stress therapy has focused on the concept of coping with our stressors. Even the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has highly recommended stress management techniques that act as distraction to our mind from our stressors. The activities outlined by the CDC include participating on a sport, taking up a hobby, becoming socially involved, and of course, looking for professional help. By attempting to change our behavior, therapy tries to change our thoughts, and is often unsuccessful.  Though these activities do help alleviate stress, they are only temporary in their affect. After the activity has finished and the session is over, the fear, stress, and anxiety will still persist in our thoughts.

    This still means that we are trapped in the same cycle. What if I want to do more than just “deal” with my stress? What if I actually want to change the way I feel?

    By focusing purely on reaction, therapy has forgotten all about the creation side of the spectrum. We CAN choose whether we will simply react to the events of life or let our own decisions construct an entirely new concept on how to live life. By changing our thoughts, it changes our behavior.

    In this mindset (or rather, open mindedness), we employ the Core Message of the Be-Do-Have Paradigm. With Have-Do-Be state, we rely on outside factors to shape our journey for us, while in the Be-Do-Have Paradigm, we are the source of our own change. Though our beliefs in our Old Cultural Story still think it is rational that we must have things to do stuff to be stress-free, we know that this simply is not the way. To change our thoughts, we must BE the creative cycle of Be-Do-Have, rather than the reactionary Have-Do-Be. By just being what you truly wish to be, you can do things that reinforce that state of being. And by doing these behaviors, you will have the lifestyle that you want to live.

    If this sounds simple, it should. The entire concept of the Be-Do-Have Paradigm is that it is naturally applicable – it doesn’t require toiling hours or rigorous schedules. By being calm, by being flexible, by being controlled, we can take a look at our stress inducing environments with entirely new eyes. Suddenly, when you are being composed instead of acting composed, life’s unpredictability doesn’t seem that stressful anymore. So go ahead and try the Be-Do-Have Paradigm, and be your own triumph. At the very least, I know you will BE happier!

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)

  • Israel Hearts Iran? A New Type of Love

    As the news reels come out of the Middle East, we are seeing anything but happy images. Instead, we see images of war; bombs, guns, missiles, and leaders that stand to make sure the other side won’t last through the next morning. More often than not, our view of the Middle East is spite, hatred, and cruelty Especially when we look at Iran and Israel, we remember all the stories we’ve been told, of endless bloodshed and brutality. But is this really true? Is that all these two countries are?

    Ronny Edry doesn’t seem to think so. As a graphic designer in Israel, Edry wanted to make a statement about the Israeli-Iran conflict, and decided to create an extremely simple poster. The poster showed a picture of Edry and his daughter, with the message, “Iranians. We Will Never Bomb Your Country. We Heart You.” Shortly afterward, Edry posted the image on Facebook, and got far more of a reaction than he had expected. Edry begain responding to conversations all across the world – and even in Iran. The Iranians that sent back their own posters, including “Israelis, in the end, we are all brothers and sisters” and “I love that blue. I love that star. I love that flag.” Since then, Israelis and Iranians are becoming friends – on the internet and in real life. They share, they love, and they have a new message to their government “Not Ready to Die in Your War.” Just from the actions of one man, the world is already a better place.

    By expressing his highest definition of who he is, Ronny Edry began a global campaign for peace, understanding, and love for mankind. In a December 2012 TED TALK, Edry stated that “I was in the army. I was in the paratroopers for three years, and I know how it looks from the ground. I know how it can look really bad. So to me, this is the courageous thing to do, to try to reach the other side before it’s too late, because when it’s going to be too late, it’s going to be too late. And sometimes war is inevitable, sometimes, but maybe [with] effort, we can avoid it. And really, we can be our own ambassadors. We can just send a message.” And our message is our expression.

    So, no matter whether we look at affairs abroad or at home, we know that ‘enemy’ is all a relative term. As teens, can we honestly hate any person, once we have seen their hearts and loved their souls? If such a bridge can be made between two of the world’s most hostile countries, then how easy is it to make the bridge between each other? With the expression of our highest self, we can link with each other, no matter how different they may be. In America, we have our own problems. Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Liberals, all are more divisions that have created ‘the enemies’ at home. Expression of our higher selves, our higher intentions, our higher purpose, diminishes the ego’s desires and reveals the eternal truths: to live, to love, to share the wonderful experience of humanity. So send your message, express yourself, and reach out across the aisle. Defy what you’ve heard to be true, to be what you know to be true. When they see your highest message, the differences will disappear. And when they see teens do it, a single word will change the world.

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)

  • So You Want To Change The World? Series Part 3

    So You Want To Change the World? Series Part Three

    Part 3: Being Happy Now – The REAL American Dream  

    As teenagers go through the process of middle school, high school, and college, we often become completely focused on keeping ‘the eye on the prize’. We are told that all of our hard work, effort, and dedication will get us ‘the prize’, and that only the successful people can attain ‘the prize’ after years of constant demands and arduous journeys. Being an inquisitive teen, I ask all of you, what exactly is this ‘prize’ that we are told about? Is our definition of ‘prize’ different from their definition of ‘prize’?  And, can we get this ‘prize’ instantaneously, without having to suffer the continuous struggle?

    In the broadest sense, the Western American culture (or the Old Cultural Story), has defined ‘the prize’ to be the achievement of The American Dream, which may be seen as an even more elusive concept. As we look at history, its definition has changed quite dynamically over time. In 1931, historian James Truslow Addams first defined The American Dream in his book The Epic of America as “a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” This definition was refined to fit a new social order of the 1950s, as it then began to center around the image of the ‘perfect family’ with the father in a secure job and the mother at home in the picket fenced suburban home. Though the family roles have changed since then, the common ideal of having possessions (which got bigger and better each year) has carried throughout the decades to our current year. Or has it?

    As The American Dream has still remained ‘the prize’ for all generations, our generation of teens has taken it to mean something beyond its material definition. In a 2005 Harris Interactive Poll, 640 teens ranging from ages 13 to 18 chose their definition of The American Dream from a list of seven possible options. The majority of the teens determined that the definition of The American Dream is “Simply being happy, no matter what I do.” As other definitions, such as “being rich and famous”, fell far behind in the polls, it’s extremely clear that teens know that happiness, not symbols of wealth and status, is the true key to being successfully self-fulfilled. Whether it be in our interpersonal or intrapersonal lives, happiness is something that a large majority of teens are actively striving for.

    Unfortunately, the majority of people find image of happiness to still be a ‘prize’ that cannot be attained now, but rather after years and years of work. We still work hard now so that we can be happy with life later. But why? As we look back, we remember that the last and final step of the Three Way Path is Be Happy. I will go even further and say that it is Be Happy NOW. No matter what state, shape, or condition we are in, we can choose to be happy at any time of day. Why would we want to wait for years to enjoy something that we could choose to experience right now? Be happy purely for the sake of experiencing happiness. Choosing to be happy now will change your life, and just like the domino effect, will spread to an unimaginable amount of others. Forever and always, changing your choices changes your world.

    As over 75% of teens are sure that The American Dream is attainable, I dare them to attain it right now. I know I’ll hear a challenge accepted.  

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)

  • So You Want To Change The World? Series Part Two

    Part Two: Joy to the World (and We Mean It)

    Within the holiday season, it becomes very, very easy to be focused on everything but being happy. Much of the time and energy spent this time of the year is fixated on guilt about spending too little or too much, worry about future parties and plans, and relief only when the busyness season has come and gone. The only change we seem to want, is a change of pace. But is that all we really want?

    When we look to change our world, we first need to change our basic ideas about the holidays, and in turn, life and time itself. As noted in Conversations With God For Teens, the Three Way Path includes the extraordinary choice to Spread Joy. No matter how busy the moment, how rushed the event, we can easily find joy in it, and let it be known to the world. Regardless of what faith, culture, religion, or traditions that have been adopted, we can enJOY the holidays. By simply being happy, during Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, and every holiday in between, we can be joyful – and be merry.

    In the classic movie, Miracle on 34th Street, we are reminded that “Christmas isn’t just a day…it’s a state of mind”. I will go along further and say that the holidays are a state of being – one that we CHOOSE to embody and embellish.  We choose to embody joy, and so we choose to live in a state of blissful euphoria. By living in this state of joy, we live in the highest state of ourselves. As we become the pure manifestation of unconditional happiness, we love everything – and everyone – for who they are and what they choose to be. So why save it for only ourselves?

    Just as in Frank Capra’s motion picture It’s A Wonderful Life, sometimes we forget how often and how deeply we affect the lives of everyone around us. When we spread joy, the energy of the feeling ebbs and flows through the incredibly intricate patterns of our relationships. As we send out this feeling, it is received warmly by our friends, our family, and the universe itself. Whether we confirm our experiences with laws of physics or the ways of karma, we know that what we put into the world will be what we receive, and what the world will receive. When we share our giving and receiving, joy becomes a never-ending cycle, with no beginning and no end, that only circulates in the upmost elation of life itself. Sounds like a great gift for any generation.  

    In the remainder of the holidays, 2012 will come to pass. We are all set to make our New Year’s resolutions, and this year we will truly decide to change our world, and change ourselves. So for 2013, I will spread joy – I will be the grandest version of the greatest vision I ever held about how happy I truly am. And if we ALL spread that message, it will bring joy to every teen, across the nation and across the globe. In the new year and the new season, spread joy – because it’s contagious!   

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)

  • So You Want to Change the World? Series Part One

    Part One: Sharing Love in Newtown, and Beyond

    Last week, an incomprehensible tragedy occurred in Newtown, Connecticut. The effects of this devastating event could not only be felt in the community of Sandy Hook Elementary, but in the hearts and minds of teens all across the nation. I have heard my friends repeatedly ask and wonder, “Why did this happen? What made Adam Lanza do it? How can we stop this from ever happening again?”

    Though these questions have no easy answers, we do easily notice that teens don’t want to become a product of their society – we don’t want to align ourselves with a world filled with acts of thoughtless violence. We teens know that life can be so much more than what is now, but most of us just aren’t sure on the way we will achieve it. We want to change the world, but how?

    Changing the world sounds like a pretty difficult task, not to mention a HUGE burden of responsibility. But it doesn’t have to be. It CAN be incredibly simple, if we choose it to be. In our first steps towards creating a New Cultural Story, we don’t need to change the world; we just need to change a few things in ourselves. In Conversations With God For Teens, Neale presents the Three Way Path: Have fun. Spread joy. Share love. By just applying these three simple ideas in our own thought, word, and deed, we will bring more change in our world than we could have ever hoped for. By being the embodiment of fun, joy, and love, we can be the change we wish to see in the world.

    So, it’s not so tough after all. Teens across the nation are already changing the world, and they are doing it by sharing love with the residents of Newtown. One of the largely unpublished stories of the Sandy Hook Tragedy was a photograph from Reuters from the memorial of a floor-to-ceiling printout entitled “Stay Strong Newtown: 10,000 Teens Send Their Text Messages of Support.” For the single act of violence, 10,000 messages of love, comfort, and empathy were sent by these teens alone. These teens shared love, when love may seem hard to find. For the families involved in the tragedy, they are receiving and feeling that love. And that has made all the difference.

    I thank not only those teens, but every teen who has sent their messages of love to a world that so desperately needs more of them in its inbox. Sharing love has shown that our generation truly believes in a new path with a new direction. We just need to forge on.

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)

     

  • High School in 2014: Where Information Doesn’t Meet Imagination

    Something very disturbing is happening to America’s education system. Something so disturbing that most people don’t even know that it’s going on.

    I personally just happened to see the small, stub-like article in The Telegraph that was entitled “Classic Literature to be Dropped from High Schools in Favor for More ‘Informational Texts.’”  Bothered, I further read that in 46 out of 50 states, Common Core State Standards (otherwise known as state curriculum) in 2014 will require that 70% of books used in English classes will be be purely “informational” texts to prepare students to enter the workplace. This means that classic texts, poetry, and short stories will be virtually eliminated and replaced with government manuals, plant inventories, and dated dispatches.  As Shakespeare’s plays, Emerson’s prose, and Frost’s poems will be removed for titles such as “FedViews from the San Francisco Federal Reserve” and “Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management,” we can’t help but to feel that something very, very wrong is happening here.  But what?

    On the most basic level, this new curriculum shows that we have become too focused on our workplace “success” than on our humanistic “understanding.”  These new Common Core Standards aren’t thinking of the people, they are thinking for the people, as our society is now determining our “success” in the workplace is THE singular definition of our personal “success.”  From this viewpoint, we are being reinforced, both directly and indirectly, at young ages that if we don’t become the mighty CEO or the empowered politician, then we are considered failures. Achievement has become a truly artificial term, as it now only describes what we did with our growth, instead of what we have done to be able to grow.

    This, unfortunately, is not the only step back for Our New Cultural Story.  As a result of the new Common Core Standards, future teens are losing exposure to understanding their core. As literature throughout the ages and the pages have inspired brilliant insights on the Human Experience, we cannot help but feel our soul be moved by the first word of William Blake or the last verse of Emily Dickinson. The reason why these works are considered classics in the first place is that their message has spoken to generation after generation, sparking imagination and illumination in teens of all ages. Future teens might be more prepared for the workplace, but will they truly be more prepared for life? Some of our greatest insights on what our New Cultural Story should look like will be lost to a government pamphlet or investment guidebook. Is that really what we want for ourselves?

    We need to revise this book, and write our New Cultural Story. As Samuel Taylor Coleridge once wrote,

    “What if you slept?

    And what if,

    In your sleep,

    You dreamed?

    And what if,

    In your dream,

    You went to heaven

    And there plucked

    A strange and

    Beautiful flower?

    And what if,

    When you awoke,

    You had the flower

    In your hand?”

    The classics challenge us to use our imagination, to think beyond traditional logic, and become even more of Who We Are.  Continue to question your description of truth, to analyze you life’s deeper meaning, to interpret your motivations, and to create your ever-changing perspective of life.  Let’s not lose this valuable piece of humanity.

    There are literally volumes that could be written about this subject. If you have ever felt moved by any book, any poem, or anything period, continue to rewrite this rough draft of Our New Cultural Story. We are only our next greatest revision.

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com.)

  • I Only Intended to Make the Front Page!

    While reading the headlines, an interesting news story flashed across my computer screen: “Woman Accused of Robbing Bank and Bragging About It on YouTube.”  I clicked on the link, and then followed the eccentric story of 19-year-old Hannah Sabata, who decided that simply robbing a bank at gunpoint and stealing a car right after wasn’t enough of a victory for her. To completely call her escapade a success, Sabata decided that she needed to post a video on YouTube that flaunted her stolen $6,000 and her newfound abilities as a thief. Needless to say, the video became circulated wide enough to reach the police headquarters, and they were able to easily link the video and the incident together, and Sabata faces a December 26th date with court.

    After I read this, I was incredibly confused. Why would anyone lack that much foresight about their consequences? Why did she consciously decide to not only commit such a crime, but also let it be so publicly known? Why would she confess herself to the world, and allow her actions to so quickly face the harsh light of justice? Though still a teenager myself, I was incredibly confused, shocked, and quite disturbed that someone in my generation would be that mindless to link these two events. As the question of Why? Why? Why? kept spinning around in my mind, a moment of epiphany stuck my mind: this was the intention of Hannah Sabata. Her intention was not to go off free from these crimes, but be recognized and emblazoned as their perpetrator. Hanna Sabata intended to be known for her offense.

    So, is this really the society we live in? Is this really the message that our generation of teenagers has learned, that the fulfillment of our intentions can only be achieved by showcasing our dangerous behavior to generate enough “likes”, “followers”, and simple “attention”? Our intention for attention – pushed to the extreme by easy access to billions of others across the globe – has led us to forget about our much higher intentions. Do we really want to continue to be the culture that is driven by fame, by fortune, that does things purely for the roaring response of the people, to reach some undefined level of success through “popularity”? Is that really the message we want to send out about humanity itself?

    We can determine whether or not we will continue to have our intentions driven by our newly intensely cravings for attentions. We can choose to have different intentions – ones that are based on purpose, compassion, and understanding – that will have a far greater impact than the 15 minutes of fame that might, on culture’s whims, given you for completely changing the definition of Who You Are. By simply being aligned with higher intentions, you WILL gain far more attention that WILL make the world more aware and more conscious of its own miraculous journey. Instead of merely the front page of the Friday newspaper, you can find yourself with an entire book of your experiences to share with the world. With the very root of every thought, word, and deed stemming from sources of love, guidance, and joy, our own journey transforms itself from a burdened daily struggle into a magnificent adventure with wonder and awe around every corner. If this is the way we INTEND for life to be, then it CAN be that way.

    Teens, we have the choice to make. Will we change or continue our current intentions? We will make this decision, and we must also make sure we share this decision. Whether it be right here in the Global Conversation community or even in your own community, share your intentions, and let others be transformed as well. Let yourself be known, and so you face no difficulties expressing your new intentions. The higher they are, the stronger they be.

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)

  • Do You Really Know Your Enemy?

    As teenagers, young adults, old adults, and at every age in between, we have encountered at least a few obstacles that have impeded our progress. Some call it a mere nuisance, while others, when driven to the extreme, have sworn it to be an eternal enemy. No matter what story we are looking at, there always seems to be an antagonist in our great adventure – someone or something that seems to set us back, holds us from achieving our greatest desires, and prevents us from being truly happy.

    Or so we thought.

    In The Storm Before the Calm, Neale asks us one of the Seven Simple Questions, which is, “Is it possible that there is something that we do not understand about ourselves, about our own life and its purpose, the understanding of which would shift our reality and alter our experience for the better, forever?”   There certainly is, and it is simply that we are not recognizing the humanity in our enemies as a further extension of ourselves.  Just as in everything that occurs in our lives, our “enemies” give us the potential to grow in our spiritual development as well – if we choose to.  If we choose to create new relationships, ones not based on hate, or loathing, or animosity, but in love, forgiveness, and growth, then we can create the New Cultural Story that our world so desperately needs. No matter who or what you consider your enemy to be, you and the opposing force you face are always for the same end goal:  to obtain a higher understanding of Who You Are.  Quite often, embracing the “enemy” is the next step to be taken.

    Though changing our relationship with our “enemies” may seem improbable, it is indeed possible. A change of heart and a change of mind can be seen in the incredible story of Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix.  A November 2012 edition of Spirit Magazine details this journey to its beginning in 1995, where Ples Felix’s teen grandson, Tony Hicks, had shot Azim Khamisa’s only son, Tariq Khamisa, dead in cold blood.  Despite his mournful situation, Azim Khamisa did not look for vengeance against the Felix family, but ultimately recognized that “there were victims at both ends of the gun.” In their 1995 meeting, Azim Khamisa should have certainly saw Ples Felix as part of “the enemy,” but with the higher guidance of love and forgiveness, both men recognized the loss that each other felt as a result of the incident, and were able to form a communal bond over that experience. From this recognition of humanity in one another, Khamisa and Felix co-founded the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, which teaches nonviolence and individual responsibility to at-risk teens across the world.  As a result, nearly 9 million teens worldwide have heard this message of forgiveness. If just these two men were able to look beyond their personal vengeances and create a new relationship entirely based on forgiveness, awareness, and unity, then what would happen if we did this with all of our “enemies”? Now that’s an Overhaul of Humanity if I’ve ever experienced one.

    We as teenagers and future adults need to become responsible enough to know that there is always more behind the story. What may seem to be our greatest adversary is most likely one of our greatest stepping stones of higher awareness. By understanding our interactions with our “enemies,” we can choose to consciously shift our beliefs and attitudes so that we can create a more meaningful relationship with them, the world, and ourselves. No matter what stage of our life we are in, there will always continue to be people that challenge our choices and well-being. Will you recognize them for their choices, for their understanding, for their own journey that now is ultimately apart of your journey too? Will you grow with them on that journey, and will you become even more of who you are?  As always, the choice is yours.

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)

  • A Word of Thanks for Every Day

    Each year, the fourth Thursday of November is set aside as a day of giving. As we give our dishes, give our time, and give our thoughts, we come together on this day to give our love to our closest family and friends. If only once a year, we become aware of just how significant these people have been in co-creating our life story.  By giving our love, we become grateful of the love that has been given to us.  For the essence of this day, Thanksgiving Day, is the expression of gratitude.

    As we express our gratitude, we slowly begin to understand the Bigger Picture.  When we are grateful for all the little moments, with friends, with family, with ourselves, we begin to understand how each of these moments, occurring at exactly the same moment and instant of time, transformed our very definition of Who We Were into Who We Are.  By taking a single moment of gratitude for these moments, we are inspired by the incredible awe of how every decision, every occurrence, every conversation led us to become the very being we are today.  By taking an entire day of gratitude for these interactions, we are the source of ever-constant awareness that only seeks to expand love and compassion in everyone that crosses our path.  Within just this one day, we spread our gratitude into a world that needs further compassion.

    Within understanding the feeling and energy behind gratitude, we can’t help but to wonder about our time frame for giving the gift of gratitude.  Why can’t we nationally recognize gratitude on more than just one day in the year?  Why can’t our thankfulness for our family, friends, and community last longer than the second course of the dinner?  We can extend our gratitude beyond the calendar day and into every day and continue to feel that awe and wonder in every breath of life.  Loving another, or even loving yourself, has NO limitations in its magnitude or its duration.  Within our generation of teens, the gift of gratitude is one that is felt far beyond one day, but extends itself into lifetimes.  We, as the new generation, will decide our choice of expression.  Live the word.  The Word of Gratitude.

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com.)

  • Secede or Succeed?
    Choosing America’s New Path

    In the aftermath of the 2012 Presidential Race, emotions reached an all new level of political intensity. With the results of the election casted and counted, states across the US immediately began to petition for secession from their reelected leader and reelected government. In an article from the BBC dated November 12, 2012, it states that over 700,000 signatures from all 50 states have already contributed to the petition of their statehood removal. Though the petitions themselves are merely symbolic, just what exactly are we symbolizing with these petitions?

    As we look back on the course of the elections, we see that the people of the United States have been everything but unanimous on their political lines and boundaries. With such firm divisions over being “Right Wing” and “Left Wing,” “Conservative” and “Liberal,” we have chosen to isolate ourselves from an entire portion of the population simply because they support different ideas. Divisions within and among the people have only magnified our degree of separation.

    Are these divisions really progress? Is our continued isolation, and now even secession, from those who think different than we do a part of the path to creating the “perfect” society?  The “us versus them” illusion that has been applied by nearly every politician of every age has kept us from remembering the same humanity that lies within the other side. In the face of such separation, we need to redefine Who We Are as a nation – are we going to continue to live that separation or will we come together to love our nation and our brother?   

    The answers we search for to solve today’s greatest challenges are not found in one man living in a white house in Washington, but are found within the creative conversation and collaboration of the whole. With an understanding of Who We Are as individuals, we can integrate that same higher message into the collective decision of Who We Are as a Nation. By having an understanding of a unified vision, we can work toward that goal, instead of working against each other. As we all take a step in that singular direction, our purpose and our ideas become one. We can choose a New Path for America, one which brings people together under a common purpose and a common goal to face the challenges ahead.

    We, the teens, will be the next generation of leaders who will determine America’s New Path. By choosing to apply our greatest version of the grandest vision we ever had about our country, true progress and transformation can happen. We can let go of the old messages and move forward, towards new solutions for a new generation. By thinking above party lines, by living above party divisions, we can create our own agenda, which serves to fill the highest purposes of our highest thoughts. By simply redefining ourselves by our unity rather than our division, we are true change.

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)