by Ryan Almodovar
It’s currently 2am, I’m sitting in my pajamas, and like most nights, I’m desperately trying to write. It’s dark in my tiny bedroom, save for the light from my laptop and the TV behind me. My desk is cluttered, a mess of papers, bills, cheap bank pens, burned CDs, and a Budweiser I’ve been nursing for the past hour. It’s a little bit chilly, and they’re expecting snow here tomorrow, sending Lancaster into a bread, milk, and eggs panic that I’ve come to refer to as a “French Toast Alert.” I’ve been writing for an hour but the only thing that I can even come up with is: I’m tired. Not sleepy yet, although I can assure you, I’ll be hitting the sheets in a few minutes. I’m tired of the way my country is heading, and for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m too tired to do anything about it.
The United States is, whether you care to admit it or not, in a time of turmoil, created and fueled by never ending finger pointing and name calling. We have a political system that is dysfunctional at its best, with two sides vying for control for their own reasons, playing games with the safety and the well being of the entire nation at risk. We have a 24 hour news cycle that never sleeps, constantly enforcing negative rhetoric for either party, and destroying our brains with garbage 
the rest of the time (I’d like to take this time to thank CNN, because without CNN, I’d never know what’s going on in Twitter). A congresswoman and her constituents were gunned down, and the only thing that Democrats, Republicans, and the media could do is find a way that would spin the event to their advantage. Good to know that those people died for something. We’ve all gone mad. Whether we can own up to it or not—this place has gone crazy.
So I find myself, 23 years old, a recent college graduate, entering a time where I supposedly have the world at my feet and student loans to start repaying. People try to teach you that the world is yours, that it is your responsibility to get out there and make a difference. My only complaint is that I feel that things are so wrong, I couldn’t even tell you where to begin. I’m not the only one out there that feels this way, with all the potential
in the world and no idea how to use it. Am I apathetic? I don’t think so. I’d save the whole world if I could just figure out how to do it. So until I figure out how, I’ll wait, and hope that I get my chance at one point. I can’t predict or even fathom what’s going to come next for this country or myself, but I’ll be ready to stand up when I can. But for now, I’m just tired.
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Contributor, Ryan Almodovar
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.
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About Ryan Almodovar
I think we’re all a little tired and disheartened with current events and attitudes. Don’t worry, we will change the world, one person at a time.
Ryan,
It is great that you are sharing your thoughts. I think many of us have felt that way when they came out of college. I came out of college worried to be sent to Iraq and Afghanistan since I was finishing my time in the military just a little after September 11.
I guess there is really no great moment to start. The moment becomes great way after you have already started something.
I have been a fan of Robbie Vorhaus since a few months ago he introduced me to his philosophy of one less one more.
Just do one more thing you like and one less thing you don’t like.
Everytime you see an obstacle do one more thing that can make you overcome it and one less thing that can hinder you from being succesful.
A good example is how every time I someone negative on my timeline in twitter I remove them then I go and look for someone that has great awesome tweets and I follow them.
Don’t Give up. 1 less 1 more
best regards,
Raul
Dear Ryan,
just look over the rim of your tea cup. Lately, you cannot think of a way to heal the situation in the US? Neither do I and there is no shame in admitting. But then go out and try to change something, someone somewhere else. There is 6.7 billion people outside the US waiting for encouragement and help. Join AMNESTY or Transparency, help journalists in dangerous situations or just join an emergency aid network. But most important: Keep blogging and sharing your view.
Good to hear from people like you.
The feeling of apathy that you write about is something all of us can relate to. I stopped watching the “talking heads” realizing that they spoke nothing of substance, and no one appeared to be offering any real solutions to bring the country together. It continually confounds me how much attention those people get.
When I was a child my mother would try to lift my spirit if I were constant state of negativity. These men and women need some positive folks in their life.
Ryan, if this is how you write when tired, I’m looking forward to reading future articles by you.
Raul, I like your “1 less, 1 more” philosophy and will start trying it out.