It is interesting living and viewing the world as a 16-year-old. As I move towards adulthood and begin to understand the pressures and problems of the real world, not one I have simply curated based on my experiences, I start to come to the realization that I can impact nearly nothing that goes on in my life. 

We are told time and time again that “our voices are important” and “we can all make a change” and simply, I am sick of it. Because, at the same time, I am reminded that obedience is good and compliance is necessary to run an organized society. 

As a 16-year-old, I can’t vote, but I am reminded to stay educated on issues of importance because I am impacted by them. This forces me to wish I had still been granted the ignorance of my earliest childhood and the escape that it offers. Truthfully, what does understanding issues do if I feel helpless in solving them?

Choices I don’t even know are being made are being made for me. My parents, the school, the world—you name it, they are making choices for me.

For me, the health of the world has always been important to me, and I think that it probably always will be. The earth is something that I can’t keep to myself. We all breathe the same air and drink the same water. In the grand scheme of things, me going vegetarian, not running the water while I brush my teeth, and turning lights off as I leave the room has virtually no effect on the grand scheme of things. Because, while I am doing all of these things not just for me but for everyone else, people continue to prioritize themselves and the luxuries that they deserve.

Warming up the water before you wash your face and drinking out of plastic water bottles—these things have a miniscule impact on the trajectory of your life. If you didn’t have the luxury to do these few things, I guarantee that your life would remain the exact same. But, it’s these little luxuries we deserve that we simply can’t live without. 

I cannot care enough for anyone beyond myself; I probably shouldn’t have to. Because even if you don’t care, and even if you believe climate change is fake or you will die before it affects you, why won’t you change these simple little things? Do you care so little that even if you don’t care, you can’t change for me? 

No one is asking much. I can’t force you to wash your face in cold water or drink from a stainless steel water bottle; all I can do is ask, and your refusal is simply making me feel helpless.