I was born four weeks after 9/11 seven miles from Ground Zero. In the first weeks of my life, our country came together. But after the shock and grief wore off, we began the descent into our current state of all-out partisan war, and it’s even reached high school. My generation – Gen Z – must demand a cease-fire or we’ll be the first in our nation’s history that’s poorer and less secure than our predecessors.

Polls confirm that there’s a national consensus that our country faces severe long-term problems – a $22 trillion national debt, the growing gap between rich and poor, climate change, and decaying infrastructure. However, our entitled Baby Boomer leaders, who benefited from the prosperity created by the Greatest Generation’s sacrifice, refuse to work together. Instead, they selfishly demonize their opponents to try to win the next news cycle – and hopefully the next election. No wonder the presidency has swung from George W. Bush to Barack Obama to Donald Trump, and our existential problems keep getting worse.

My generation has become the foot soldiers in the war between red and blue states – and we’re the most likely casualties. Even in high school, we now mimic what we see on Fox and MSNBC in treating each other. I recently posted on Instagram criticizing celebrities who tell their teenage fans to vote for “progressives” instead of urging us to be informed voters when we turn 18. Immediately, my friends texted me to take down my post. “Your reputation will get hurt,” they warned.

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Growing up in a Republican family in the bluest of blue cities has pulled me in both directions. My family has taught me conservative values, but my high school promotes 21st-century progressivism. At school, I was pressured to exalt Barack and Hillary. At home, we longed for Reagan’s shining city on a hill.

Over the past two years, I’ve spent hundreds of hours trying to learn both sides of the issues. Now that I’m finally ready, my peers don’t want to debate me. They turn their backs and call me crazy. “Ugh, she’s a Republican.” In New York City, it’s only socially acceptable for a 17-year-old girl to be a super fan of RBG and Bernie. But in red states, teens love their MAGA hats.

Young and old all want a better future. But the only way to create a better America is by considering blue, red, and purple solutions and trying to see if there’s common ground. How can we hope for a better future when we refuse to listen to the other side on how to create it? How can we dream of a “free” world while bullying peers for what they believe?

Young and old all want a better future. But the only way to create a better America is by considering blue, red, and purple solutions and trying to see if there’s common ground.

Over the past 75 years, Democrats and Republicans worked together to rebuild Europe after World War II, to fund our national highway system, to reduce discrimination, and to protect our environment. There’s broad support for Social Security and Medicare, but Obamacare, which passed on a party-line vote, remains on life support.

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My generation should not mirror our Baby Boomer elders. We must speak civilly with each other about politics. Teenage Trump supporter, stop calling your liberal friends, “snowflakes.” Do not endorse people who perpetuate hate. Buy a subscription to The New Republic. Bernie fans, Republicans are not all racists. Republicans provided the votes to pass our civil rights laws and to honor MLK with a national holiday. Government is not always the solution.

Gen Z can’t let hatred for President Trump, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Elizabeth Warren translate into contempt for our peers who align with the other side. Our Baby Boomer leaders need to realize that their partisan war is hurting my generation. We can all make America great if we learn how to be civil to each other.