I wrote this because I’m tired — tired of watching the country I love tear itself apart. I’m only 22, but I’ve already seen how much things have changed — and not for the better. We’ve gone from arguing over policies to hating each other as people, all because of politics.

I’m not a politician. I’m not a professor. I’m not famous. I’m just an American that refuses to give up on America. I believe that my generation has a choice to make — we can either be the ones who choose to save this country by choosing unity, or the ones who lose it forever by clinging to hate.

I didn’t grow up in some ancient time where everyone got along — but I do remember a time when it didn’t matter who you voted for as much as it mattered who you were.

I look back on the Obama/McCain election. I also look back on the Obama/Romney election. Of course, politics was still messy then — but there was a line that most people wouldn’t cross. Disagreeing didn’t mean that you were evil, and voting differently didn’t make you enemies. That’s what changed — and that’s what we must fix.

Now? That feels like a lifetime ago.

Today we have politicians who treat political opponents like enemies of the state. We have citizens who think someone who voted differently is a traitor. We have both sides acting like they’re the only real Americans — and everyone else is destroying the country.

That’s a lie — a dangerous one. Loving your country doesn’t mean hating half the people in it.

This division isn’t just coming from Washington — its pouring into our homes, our churches, our communities, and especially our phones.

Social media has turned politics into a blood sport, where people don’t just disagree — they destroy.

Someone shares an opinion — and suddenly, their whole character is attacked.

Someone admits they voted differently — and suddenly, lifelong friendships are over.

Families stop talking, not because someone committed some unforgivable act — but because someone checked the wrong box on a ballot.

That is not strength. That is weakness — the kind of weakness that destroys nations from the inside out.

I grew up reading about Lincoln, FDR, Eisenhower, and Reagan — leaders that didn’t always get along with the people that they were working with but understood something deeper than party loyalty. They understood that the survival of the country mattered more than winning the next political fight.

Lincoln said “A house divided against itself cannot stand” — and proved it through blood and sacrifice.

FDR led a united America against fascism, without blaming his opponents at home for the world’s problems.

Eisenhower warned that if we ever valued privilege and power over principle, we’d lose both — and we’re watching that in real-time.

Reagan argued fiercely with Democrats all day, then worked with them after hours — because he knew America’s strength came from showing the world that democracy could work, even if it was hard.

That’s the kind of leadership we used to expect — and it’s the leadership that we deserve.

But today? Our leaders act like overgrown children, more interested in going viral than solving problems. They hold hearings that are really auditions for cable news gigs. They care more about performing for their base rather than leading the country.

And the truth is — we let them. We cheer for it when it’s our side doing it — and we call it disgraceful when the other side does the same thing. That’s the hypocrisy both parties are guilty of — and I’m tired of pretending only one side is to blame.

This isn’t who we’re supposed to be.

I’m a registered Republican — but I’m also an American first. That used to be common sense, not a radical statement. But today, saying you want to work with the other side gets you labeled as a sellout. Saying you want to find common ground makes you weak.

That’s not patriotism, that’s suicide.

Real patriotism means remembering that this country has always been a place where people disagree — and still find ways to build something together.

Unity doesn’t mean we all think the same.

Unity means that we all remember that the survival of this country matters more than winning an argument.

Now, what would real American unity look like today?

It would look like politicians who fight hard for their beliefs — but never forget their duty to the whole nation, not just their base.

It would look like citizens who care more about character than party affiliation.

It would look like families who argue at the dinner table — and still show up for each other the next day.

That kind of unity isn’t some soft, feel-good fantasy. It’s the only thing that’s ever made America strong.

America First means America United. Without unity, there is no strength. Without strength, there is no leadership. Without leadership, there is no future.

I’m Jorden Reed — I’m 22 years old, and from American Falls, Idaho. I don’t have a law degree. I’m not rich. I’m not a career politician. But I know my history. And I know my country.

And I’m telling you — if we don’t stop this, history will remember us not as the generation that saved America — but as the generation that lost it.

We don’t have to go down like this.

We can choose better.

We can remember who we are.

If my generation — if all of us — don’t wake up right now and start acting like Americans again, we will be remembered for one thing: losing the greatest country the world has ever known.

That’s not a warning. That’s a fact. And if you’re too proud, too stubborn, or too addicted to hating your fellow Americans to see it — then you are part of the problem.

History is watching. The world is watching. And future generations will ask what we did when our country was on the line.

What’s your answer going to be?

Because I know mine.