A Grown-Up's Nightmare

         If teenagers ruled the world, eh? Hmmm...I'm assuming that this is a contest to give anyone over the age of 20 nightmares forever, right? Well, in order to add to the cause, I shall relay to you my opinions on the matter. So, sit down, relax, get some popcorn, and prepare yourself a pillow and blanket because I can be really long winded and here we go!

         Even at the tender age of 15, I have aspirations of changing the world; becoming the president and doing something to make this planet a better place. And, in the risk of sounding like a Beauty Pageant contestant, world peace, or at least something close to it, is one of my many plans. Sure, there are plenty of people out there who are against this person or that person, this country is against that country, and human nature just doesn't allow for a completely peaceful existence, but nothing will ever get done unless someone at least attempts to make it work. That person, in my own little world, would be me! And, of course, my lovely VP, ladyandpen.

         What sort of world would this be without freedom. That ideal which the entire United States is based on and works so hard to keep going is necessary for a perfect teenage world. Freedom to ask questions, to read what you want to read, to listen to what you want to listen, and to say what you want to say are essential to the world, at least to me. The freedom to worship as you wish, to have any religious feelings that you want and be able to share them with the world without fear of being stereotyped and hated- just that would almost be enough for me. A world of tolerance and kindness, where the Age of the Good Samaritan would never end, that would be a dream.

         Sure, I may not be thinking the parties and the no legal drinking age thoughts that most teenagers think and perhaps my ideals sound a lot like what America is based on, but that would be perfect to me. A world without fear, without hatred, stereotypes; a place where people can be who they are without worrying about whether they are what the rest of the world wants them to be. A place of diverse emotional, psychological, intellectual giants where the physical appearance is not what a person is based on. Popularity will no longer be a contest, as everyone will be popular in their own right. People can be who they are, not who other people want them to be. In essence, independence from the brain washing of the outside world is what perfection is to me.

         Perhaps I am not being as long winded as a usually am, but for me, imperfection is the key to having a perfect world. Mistakes, diversity, clashing opinions, debates, freedom to seek the truth, I want all of these! To me, the world as it is now is well on its way to perfection. Sure, there are a lot of people who cannot see past the declining stock market, the threat of war with Iraq, the possibility of more terrorism and the rest of the long list of possible evils which could threaten us, but what is perfection without imperfection? The only changes I would make are the end of the outside world affecting people who they are psychologically and the peoples' ability to take things as they come. Another country disagrees with your country? Ok! That is a good thing! But don't take military action to try and make the rest of the world exactly like you. In my perfect world, people would accept the differences and the imperfections of the world and just go on living without fear. All I want is tolerance, acceptance, imperfection, and some amount of peace in the world. Otherwise, I wouldn't change this world at all.

         This world has a long way to go before it could ever achieve any of this. The good thing is that it can be accomplished at all, without some magical spell to make the world perfect. World leaders always seem to make things more complicated than they really are, which is something that I hope not to do if I someday become the president. And, who knows, maybe this can become my campaign speech? All I know is that, in my opinion, a perfect world can be reached in embracing the imperfections that this world already has and taking those blemishes and pushing them forward proudly, not covering them up behind a mask of words and bomb smoke. The road to perfection is paved with the acceptance of imperfection and I, for one, hope that this world walks that road.

For the contest:

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