I heard a statistic the other day on the radio

About apocalypses and ends

And according to the poll, 

Over eighty percent of Americans believe that in the next year there will be an apocalypse of some sort.

Now, I don’t know why or how so many people

Are convinced of this fact, 

But I do know it sounds like people in our country are hopeless.

 

With the way things are going 

The debt

The wars

The unrest

It’s easy to lose hope 

And to forget the light bulb flickering into existence, 

As a new generation of history-makers and artists

Are rising to take on the weight of this country.

 

Over our school career, we hear it all the time:

“You are not too young to make a difference,”

Even though it seems no one believes the very words they’re speaking.

And maybe not every one of us will create a charity, 

Or find a cure for cancer, 

Or provide technology for those who go without. 

But we’re changing the world nonetheless, 

And that’s why I’m optimistic about our nation’s future.

 

In a Starbucks in a big city,

A teenager just paid for the drink of a man who didn’t have the ability to.

On the bus, 

Someone stood up so a single mother and her children could sit.

In a cafeteria, 

A girl from a table of ten invited a lonely freshman to sit with them.

In a retirement home,

Someone spent the day with a grandparent they had been strangers to yesterday.

In a school,

A little boy stuck up for a girl that annoyed him when her friends were teasing her.

In a town,

A family donated piles of new clothes to those who needed them.

Last Christmas, 

A local church provided food and clothing to hundreds of families in need.

In the hallways, 

Someone offered a smile to someone who never received them at home.

In our world,

We are making a difference, no matter how small. 

We are letting an impact drop and ripple from one person to the next.

And we're making our world better with every unprompted act of kindness.

And that's why I'm optimistic about our nation's future.

 

For with every small act, we are pushing an agenda of care throughout our communities.

And as these actions circle throughout our world, we are slowly ensuring that everyone

Will have a better experience in our nation.

Because as a whole,

It is not our leadership,

Our money, 

Our defense,

Our constitution, 

Our past,

That defines our country.

It is the spirit of those living there.

And that's why I'm optimistic about our nation's future.

 

Because leadership, money, and laws are all important;

They ensure our days run as smoothly as possible.

But if everyone made an effort to brighten someone's day,

To make the world a little bit better for each citizen,

It would all concern us a little less.

And as a generation of people reach adulthood,

A generation

Who have learned to use small acts of kindness

To bring light to their fellow men and women,

The light in this country will grow a little stronger,

And that's why I'm optimistic about our nation's future.

 

As our generation,

And any others,

Find more ways to help make the country a better place,

One act at a time,

We will spread hope 

In a time when it seems no one has any.

We will remind our friends, family,

Even complete strangers,

Why they have millions of reasons

To see our future growing brighter and brighter

With every day.

It has already started,

Within certain communities,

Where students are challenged to carry out one act a day

To help someone else.

And if the general population

Stopped and paid attention 

To their youth,

They would see just how much has already been accomplished.

 

Because we have already changed the world,

And brought hope to millions of people,

And for that reason,

I am optimistic about our nation's future.