Next Tuesday is Election Day in the United States. Without exaggeration, I can say that this is the most important midterm election in our lifetimes, in that the fate of our American democracy and way of life is at stake.

I never thought I’d see happen what has happened to this country since Donald Trump became president. He has nearly torn the very fabric of America apart. And the only option we have to stop him from tearing it to shreds is to go out and vote on or before next Tuesday. Vote to elect people to Congress who will enable it function, as the Constitution requires, as an appropriate check and balance on Trump, something the Republican-led Congress has refused to do.

So if we care for this country, we must vote. We can’t afford to sit on the sidelines and depend upon others. Voting is our civic responsibility, our duty.

But, hey, I’m just an old man. I may not be alive a decade from now, so while it breaks my heart to witness the events of the past two years, I won’t suffer the brunt of the damage Trump has done and, if left unchecked, will continue to do.

But my children and grandchildren will. So I implore you millennials (and post-millennials who are old enough to vote) — you whose future is on the line — to stand up and be counted. You need to be Supermen and Superwomen. I know it’s a corny cliche, but you need to fight for truth, justice, and the American way.

Written for Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday prompt.