Published November 6, 2026
I searched for the term “blue wave” on Google Images, and this was one of the first results. It truly is incredible; some real miracles happened in our nation, and they're very worthy of celebration! It made me so happy that I sang a bit of Newsies on social media (and I am EXTREMELY shy about singing in front of people, despite my choral background…your girl has changed).
Miracles happened, but our political landscape is nowhere near perfection (and likely never will be). There is still significant work to be done, but I hope you felt a glimmer of joy this week as the blue wave rode through the nation.
One common conversation I have seen on social media lately is people’s disappointment in younger generations of voters. I’ve even had some bold and, quite frankly, rude people say to my face that they are annoyed by people my age (umm…thanks?). I’ve seen the statistics; I know where these generalizations are coming from, but just as we all beg for society to not stereotype based on religion, gender, or race, we need to follow that example and not stereotype by age.
Have you ever chatted with someone and, regardless of how well you know them, you know they don’t actually like you, or are judging you for some reason? Feels gross, right? Young people are paying more attention than you think, and remember, no one likes being judged, disliked, or stereotyped.
I’ve always found it more productive to actively engage in issues and try to improve situations rather than fester in grumpiness about them. In this case, if you see low voter turnout in a demographic and it disappoints you, I encourage you to do something about it. Volunteer with an organization to help educate others on voting, engage in conversations with the young people in your life, and, most importantly, speak life into the younger generations.
Everyone has their own beliefs about manifesting. Personally, it’s not my favorite word, but I believe there is power in the words we speak and in our actions, and that we can use them to build up or tear down. When we choose to build up, I think we can ultimately be part of a bigger effort that increases goodness in our world.
Through my job writing about the arts, I have had the opportunity to interview young people as young as 5 and as old as I am. I’ve learned more from people younger than me than older than me. Don’t get me wrong, I think each generation has wisdom to offer, and I celebrate, embrace, and want to learn it all, but younger people are much smarter and wiser than people tend to believe. In just the last couple of weeks, I’ve written articles highlighting that very fact. Before you are tempted to stereotype, I encourage you to read these articles — we have remarkable young people in our community.
Being a Christian (and liberal and democrat), I cannot help but think of this scripture, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example […] in speech, in conduct, in love [...]” (1 Timothy 4:12). We as young people have a great opportunity. Still, we need people to be willing to receive what we have to offer, and vice versa.
Even when young people have voted, I have heard a select group of older people remark something along the lines of “they're too immature; the way they vote will change the older and more mature they get.” Someone said this very thing about me to my mom, who defended me, so this kind of blatantly rude conversation isn't just hypothetical.
Our political world is consistently changing; whether it is for good or bad is up to the individual. Either way, change is evident, and if we ever want to coexist in peace, we need to support one another. Let this be a moment when we all choose a different way to play this game, and let us try to learn from one another, embrace the good before we judge, and avoid stereotyping.