The Children of Hebe: Power in unity

Miguel Cole

In his famous line from “Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions”, John Donne said “No man is an island entire of itself.”

This line encompasses the idea that no one is entirely independent. We are all bound together in some form or another.

Whether we chose to be grouped together or not, the fact of the matter is that everyone is connected.

One thing that is certain and has been proven time and time again is that there is power in unity. Unity spurs enough power to change aspects of reality, to bend and shape our world. The question is, however, is the youth truly unified? It has been shown in our time that we can be if we are passionate enough.

Youths came together to march for Black Lives Matter, March For Our Lives, Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring and other movements all within the past decade. We brought ourselves to fight economic inequality, social inequality and political inequality.

I have mentioned the importance of finding your voice and using it. But we can be even louder if we use them together as a unit.

One of the fatal flaws of youth today is the presence of apathy. Many people live in a world where problems that do not directly affect them are ignored and put aside. That is the crippling attitude that will keep the youth divided. As said in the Bible and Abraham Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech, “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.”

In August, the United Nations passed a new declaration in which youth will become more active in creating a peaceful and sustainable world. This can only happen if the youth come together to fight and advocate for what’s important. This is just one example of how the youth have begun to band together.

This is just a start, but the possibilities for change are endless and the power behind the voices of the unified youth is limitless. When coming together to make a change, there are a few things the youth must understand.

We have rights, and no one can stop us from exercising them. If we can learn about local issues, we can start small and grow as we progress to make a difference. The use of our voice can be used to speak out, network and spread the word.

Also, with social media it is easier now, more than ever, to join online campaigns and research opportunities that need youth participation.

Youth can attend summits and meetings to share their thoughts and ideas and find solutions. If one cannot be found, young people can organize meetings themselves. The youth are bursting with creativity and that can be used to be an inspiration to others.

It just takes one to strike a match that can ignite a movement.

Kurt Cobain once said, “The duty of youth is to challenge corruption.” The strongest power the world has is the youth. However, if that strength goes unused, the world could continue to descend into a reality lost on the youth. It is our world, our reality and we must fight for it together.

This isn’t a contest of who’s better at saving the world. It’s about how we can work together to achieve a common goal that will benefit not only us, but those who may follow after. Like an unbreakable chain, the youth must link together and defend the world.

This is our job now, and it is solely a question of who will accept it. Who will come together and be pioneers on the forefront of change?

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Miguel Cole, ’21, is a columnist for The Brown and White. He can be reached at [email protected].