Let’s face it, Bernie Sanders’ chances of winning the democratic nomination are slim. He’s up against the Madonna of the democratic establishment. Mainstream media isn’t on his side. Even his betting odds have dwindled into the single-digit range.

Yet, for some reason, I found myself waiting in line to vote for him during New York’s primary.

Why expend a couple of hours of my day to vote for a candidate that virtually every news outlet (ahem, except Huffington Post) has neglected as having a shot at winning? Maybe, as a first time voter, I was just too inexperienced to make a meaningful vote. Maybe a birdie (Bernie’s birdie?!) told me. Maybe I was delusional. Maybe all this talk about $15 minimum wages and free college tuition has made me lose touch with reality.

Indeed, one of Bernie’s biggest criticisms is that his ideas are too “unrealistic.” In his A Future To Believe In rally at Washington Square Park (which I proudly waited in line for 5 hours to attend!), he reminded us of how his opponents considered his ideas to be too “yuge,” and that giving all this free stuff has made him akin to Santa Claus. Now, ignoring the fact that his ideas are really not that unrealistic (come on, even Canada has free healthcare for all; we can’t let Canada beat us guys!), should we be condemning candidates for thinking big?

Amro Harb The only thing "yuge" about Bernie is the attendance at his rallies. Photos taken at Washington Square Park

With the recent news of Vice President Joe Biden giving Bernie his praise for thinking big, I think it’s time we realize that when you think big, you get big results. Didn’t Martin Luther King end racial segregation by thinking big? Didn’t former President John F. Kennedy send a man to the moon by thinking big? Indeed, the old adage says that if you aim for the moon and miss, you’ll land among the stars. And I would be a lot more satisfied with landing among the stars than having my feet on the ground.

However, rather than being praised for thinking big, Bernie’s proposals have been heavily criticized to be unrealistic by mainstream media. A world with healthcare for all? Nonsense–of course, only if that “world” doesn’t include Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and others. Cities with a $15 minimum wage? Impossible–unless if you happen to live in Seattle, Los Angeles, and now even New York City. Free college tuition? Inconceivable–well, except for colleges in Germany, France, Sweden, and many more. You shouldn’t vote for the candidate that gives you hope through “unrealistic” proposals; you should vote for the candidate who can “get things done.”

You know, that candidate who touts her “realistic” ideas.

The problem is that we don’t know what “reality” is. For example, half a century ago, blacks and whites living in harmony was not considered reality. Landing on the moon was a proposal to be expected from a child. But hey, we ended racial segregation, and we landed on the moon. And you know why we accomplished the “impossible?”

Because we had hope, and I believe Bernie gives us that very same hope. Maybe that’s why he is performing well with the youngsters, who tend to be quite the hopeful bunch. Indeed, why is it that at age 5, we all wanted to be presidents, then at age 13, we decided to become movie stars, then at age 18, doctors or lawyers, and finally, at age 25, we have no idea what to do with our lives? It seems as we become more acquainted with “reality,” our hope attenuates.

Which, in my opinion, is ironic. I believe our world is infinite in possibility; reality can never be described in discrete terms, and we will perpetually be discovering it for ages to come. And similar to how René Descartes proposed that doubt precedes knowledge, I believe hope precedes reality. We can only shape our reality and discover the undiscovered when we have a vision to do so. A hope to create a change that we desire.

A hope that once paved a path to end racial segregation.

A hope that once accomplished the inconceivable and landed a man on the moon.

And now, a hope to create a government that works for all of its people, and not just the wealthy.

So yes, Bernie is down in the polls. He’s fighting against the political establishment. Corporate America is spending huge sums of money to ensure that he doesn’t end their tax evasion scandals. Granted, I’d be a foolish man to bet money that he will win the democratic nomination. But I’m going to think big. I’m going to remain hopeful. And just how he hasn’t given up on us, I’m not going to give up on him, and neither should you. So if you support Bernie, don’t listen to what mainstream media is telling you. He’s not out of this race. He still has a chance. And just how he deserved my vote, he deserves yours.

For more pictures & videos of Bernie's rallies, follow Amro Harb on Instagram.