“I don’t have time to keep up on current events.”

In the past few years, I’ve become increasingly aware of a disturbing trend at Liberty: Very few students keep up on current events. And by and far, the biggest reason why is because they don’t have time. And I get it; there are certainly nights where I’m up until 2 am working on homework, where the latest situation in the Middle East is the last thing on my mind. And, yes, everyone has sports, dances, essays, and AP Classes that all have to be attended to. But regardless, as citizens we need to make an effort to stay at least relatively informed with what’s going on in the world—and here’s why.

When we all reach the long-awaited graduation date, we are expected to leave Liberty as

well-educated, functioning adults who can contribute to the world. In fact, the vast majority of this years seniors will vote in the next presidential election. And to be informed voter we need to be, well, informed. How can we be expected to contribute to our democracy if we don’t know what major issues face it—the debate about ISIS, or the problems with “Obamacare?

Most people have no problem getting fired up about how our government is ineffective at handling these issues. Yet, more than half of our country doesn’t turn out to vote for elections, and the number of people that watch the news or read the newspaper decreases with each passing year. By staying informed on issues, you can develop an opinion on those issues, and vote based on that opinion. Your vote sends a message to politicians, and can help change the problems with our democracy. Staying informed—believe it or not—is the first step to improve our democracy.

So, while I know it can be difficult, I’m urging you Patriots, to carve out a little time to keep up-to-date on current events. Watch the news a few times a week. Listen to NPR on the way to school. Join Model UN. Honestly, even watching the Daily Show or Last Week Tonight  is better than nothing. I’m certainly not perfect—I spend more time watching Netflix and less watching the news than I’d like to admit. But I still make an effort, and you should too.