One of my favorite lyrics from the musical Hamilton is when the chorus sings:
“History has its eyes on you.”
Fifty years from today, kids will be in school—in their 9th grade American History class—and they’ll be studying us: “the people who lived during the early 2000s.”
What will be written about us? What will future generations say about us? Will they look back on 2017, 2018, and 2019 with wonder and amazement—or with shame?
Fifty years from today, I imagine kids in the classroom. I can see them raising their hands, getting the teacher’s attention, asking questions. So many questions.
Questions like these:
“Why did they let Trump get elected? How could that possibly happen? I don’t get it.”
“Wait, transgender people weren’t allowed to use the bathroom they wanted to use? But… why?”
“So you’re telling me, every year, they filled landfills with 27 billion glass bottles instead of recycling them? But that’s crazy!”
“They had 44 Presidents in a row and ALL of them were men? Not a single woman? You’re kidding, right?”
“They built a WALL between the US and Mexico? Uhhhhhhhh… what?”
History is being created right now—by people like you and me. We’re writing the story that will be printed in future history books.
Will it be a story of cowardice and apathy—or a story of bravery?
Will the kids of 2068 look back on 2018 with disgust and bafflement—or with pride?
It’s up to us.
You and me.
We’re the ones who decide.
PS. Today, pick a cause that you feel strongly about and give… something. Give your time, give your money, give your energy, add your voice, do something to move the cause forward. You don’t have to participate in 1,000 different causes, marches, or projects. Just pick 1 thing—for starters—and contribute what you can. Don’t overthink it. Don’t moan that you don’t have enough time. Just do it. For starters, consider: The #MeToo Movement, Black Lives Matter, She Should Run, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Hollaback. Remember that you are not just “contributing.” You are writing history.
