The first time I was “grounded” (put in the time out corner) was when I was five years old.  After countless hours of sitting in front of my television watching “Sailor Moon”, I had found my first mission in life: being a superhero princess with a stellar rebellious streak.

My mother had told me to do something absolutely cruel, like clean my room or go to bed and I knew I had found my opportunity. I stood as tall as my 45-inches would allow, said, “Silence.”, and traipsed to the kitchen. This did not end well for me.

Time out corner aside, I look back at that memory quite fondly. I have never been all that great at blindly following anything but my dreams, and I think it’s probably one of my greatest qualities. I never really went through a “teen angst phase” because I was born with teenage angst in my bones.

I love it. I love breaking down barriers. I love fighting for the underdog. I love knowing every facet of the system, finding out what’s wrong with it, and fighting tooth and nail until there’s progress. Which, I think, is why I am shocked at how many teenagers choose a political affiliation based on what their parents have told them is correct.

I just don’t get it. Actually, I think I do; from day one to day of death, we’re told that compliance is awesome. To question something is to threaten it. As a young adult, I am scoffed at, reprimanded, and even punished for questioning people who are deemed intellectually superior because of an age difference.  It’s safe to say most teenagers are.  So we play it safe.

It’s easy to believe what we’re told, because we have people to come home to who will reassure us that yes, we are right and they are wrong. It’s all very “them vs. us”, even though we all have good intentions. Kind of odd, isn’t it?

I was raised in a southern Baptist, republican home. Ronald Reagan and George Bush are highly respected in our household, and I have spent most nights of my eighteen years on this planet listening to what Bill O’Reilly has said about pretty much everything.

Do I agree with it? Not at all. I am very liberal. I believe that everyone should be able to get married to whomever they love. I believe that women should be able to make decisions without the government telling her what to do. I believe that our country/world has a very long way to go before we reach total equality.

Those are my beliefs, and I will stand by them without shame or remorse. I am well read, well spoken, and very well aware of the environment I’m in. And even through all of the differences, I possess great respect for my family and people who make opinions independently.

This editorial is not based on a leftist agenda. It is not meant to undermine the sanctity of the all-American home. This is an invitation to my peers who have yet to be exposed to the world outside of Small Town, TX, USA.

Your own opinion is not just a privilege or right. You have an obligation to yourself and the world to go out and explore. This doesn’t just apply to being on the right or being on the left or being right-down-the-middle. If you do not explore politics, religion, careers, music, literature, films, culture, and everything in between, you are not only doing yourself a disservice, but you are doing the world a disservice.

You must understand: Our generation outnumbers the baby boomers. We have the power to change the fate of the world, if we so choose. So read. Explore. Dream. And for the love of all that is sparkly, question everything. Ask why and how and what and when, and never stop asking for more. Don’t give up on five-year old you, because he or she was probably pretty smart.