Growing up I recall hearing how the generation after us would be the “new frontier”, a new century of technological wonder and excitement as everywhere on the news people focused on the children starting kindergarten who would graduate in the year 2000. The generation before us was the “age of exploration” and the “wild child” era. They broke the rules and decided that things weren’t going to continue as they had, just because they had always been that way. Our generation, on the other hand, just existed. We had no rock “king” (Michael Jackson just doesn’t count), no JFK, nothing that really made us stand out. Apparently no one expected much from us.

But today it appears that we have a huge burden and responsibility. As the “middle-aged” generation we have to figure out how to get our parents through to retirement, without breaking the social security system and leaving our own retirement in question. We have to figure out how to fix the global environmental mess, to protect the planet so there is something for our children to inherit, and at the same time, we’re still struggling to work, raise our children, and still have time for ourselves.

Now I’m not saying that these problems weren’t created, in part, by us (we’re not that innocent after all), but it does seem that we will be taking on a larger share of the responsibilities of fixing it all, just because, well, that’s life!

So if anyone believes that this election year is just like all the others, that the stakes aren’t that high, you need a wake-up call! The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the implications for our future have never before been more intense. Can any of us truly afford NOT to vote this election year? I don’t think so.

But, don’t take my word for it – listen to the students in the video below. Sometimes, the smartest thing we can do as adults is take pause and listen to truly unquestionable, heart-felt advise from our youth. I believe by doing so, we allow ourselves to untangle from the nasty, downright stupidity of the political process, and to just realize that we are as much a part of this process as anyone.

The video below was created by 7th and 8th grade students in Mr. Macfarlane’s class at Templeton Middle School in California. It was found on the CNN website, iReports. In it students look at whats at stake in this election from a students point of view. Take a minute to really listen, and to think about the implications and what they stand for. Many of us have children their age, so we can relate to their needs, and dreams for their own future. If nothing else, don’t vote for you, but vote for THEM!