In the eyes of some, teenagers are young and it brings about a much-lamented truth for adolescents. As Santosh Kalwar, a Nepalese writer, once said, “I am too young to be called wise, and too old to be called young.”  As young children, we are told to be quiet, to listen, to not question what we have been told. However, as we mature, we still hold on to those ideals, but should we really?

Teenage activism is not a passing fad. It has been going strong since the 1940s during the difficult days of war and throughout the rest of the 20th century. In 2017, we are living in an age of especially stubborn teenagers, not in the sense that youth don’t listen when someone tells them to silence their phones. Instead, teenagers will not back down when they are told to do so. When they are told to stay in, they will go out. When it concerns an issue they care deeply about, they will hold their ground.

An excellent example of this is Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani schoolgirl. She became known all over the world after being shot by the Taliban for daring to go to school. Yet, the attack didn’t quell her passion for the education of children all over the world, and she is still an activist for the cause. This led her to being a co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. On her 18th birthday on July 12, 2015, she opened up a school in Lebanon, close to the Syrian border.

Times have not altered themselves for the rising generation. We are living in an era of terrorism and mass murders, some that occur in places that are supposed to protect us. Cinemas, schools and workplaces have all become violent targeted attacks. It is our prerogative as the rising generation to silence terrorism or at the very least, shuffle along in the right direction.

Currently, we don’t have a heightened awareness of living in a time of war, however this must be a time when true courage comes out. During the two world wars, some teenagers would fake their age on enlistment forms just so they could go fight. Throughout the later wars, such as the Vietnam and Korean wars, some teenagers would put long-stemmed flowers into the barrels of guns to show their thoughts on war. We can still have acts of bravery such as those. No one’s life is one without difficulty. Everyone is fighting his or her own battle. However, the people have one large responsibility — mainly to advocate for social changes progressing toward the end of this era of terror. We need to hear the stories of Holocaust survivors before their voices are forever silenced. We need to work to quell terrorism and acts of violence. And we need to work to make sure that the coming world is one that is worth living in. We need to speak up, not shut up. We need to raise our voices and prove to the world just how powerful teenagers can be.

All in a day’s work, right?