An election should pique your interest, raise concerns, propose opportunity, inspire a hopeful “what-if” kind of thinking.

It shouldn’t make you feel like a cat on a hot tin roof.

Just as you should never be afraid to vote, you should never be fearful that the world will unravel if your candidate doesn’t win.

And yet here we are. Worried, panicked, running in place, cleaning closets, losing sleep and binge watching “The Great British Baking Show.”

All while fantasizing about a perfect world.

They say idealism is the vocation of youth, that as we age, a narrower, more cynical pulse begins to course through our veins, and we become more into ourselves and less trusting of others, perhaps more afraid of losing what is “ours” — faculties, belongings, hard-earned money, loved ones.

But in the end the only thing that was ever truly “ours” was the time we spent here on Earth and what we did with it.

We can’t take anything with us. But we can pass a torch of hope for a better world. Even in the darkest of times, humans have relied on hope to get them through, to keep them alive, to keep moving forward.

The older I get, the more I want humans to be their best selves, the more I want them to empathize and care as only humans can, the more I want them to deserve to be at the top of the food chain.

Humans are the only animals who don’t need a reason to be cruel. But they also are the only animals capable of moving mountains, lifting communities and inspiring movements.

I want them to recognize their privilege and their responsibility, their opportunity and their duty. I want them to strive to leave this world better than they found it.

The older I get, the more I want the world to be a place:

Where every parent is capable, caring, comforting and constant.

Where, by day’s end, every child is hugged and told they are loved.

Where every human is treated to art, music and literature from an early age so that one day, they too can create magic.

Where we love life more than weapons.

Where we can drink from the tap with confidence it won’t harm us.

Where we see food as a delicious opportunity for sustenance, connection and creation, instead of a bag of salt passed through a drive-thru.

Where kindness, acceptance and support are at the heart of every religion and where every congregation embraces that.

Where social media is a sidekick and no one’s sole means of contact or self-evaluation.

Where elections are determined on the actions and intentions of the candidate, and not the person’s access to special interest funding.

Where books and art are not seen as threats but as ideas, thoughts, signs of the times and another person’s truth.

Where nature is respected and protected and recognized as the core of our very existence.

Where new mothers are supported emotionally and financially so they can focus on the well-being of their baby and not worry that their job is only protected for six weeks even though we all know it takes at least eight weeks to recover from a cesarean birth.

Where the elderly are included, seen, heard and cared for instead of being relegated to a lonely, diminutive existence.

Where career paths offer part-time bridges to retirement much the way they often offer introductory internships or apprenticeships.

Where education is not only affordable, but encouraged, enabled and celebrated.

Where we recognize that at the core of most substance abuse problems is trauma and, instead of shaming, we focus on healing.

Where adults are free to follow their hearts and love who they love without judgment.

Where all humans are valued equally because they’re humans, regardless of skin color, gender, intellect, ethnicity and ability.

Where celebrity is assigned to good deeds instead of loudness or wealth.

Where every child completes high school.

Where every high school graduate enters adulthood filled with ambition and passion and the opportunity to pursue them.

Where those who stumble on their path find many hands to help them up.

Where access to mental health care is day or night because mental anguish abides no clock.

Where all nations agree on a bill of human rights so that people emigrate because they want to, not because they have no choice.

Where people fleeing hardship and despair in their homeland are not further victimized by the people they turn to for help.

Where problems are addressed by communication, brainstorming and compromise, not threats, bullying and intimidation.

Where billionaires get help for their hoarding problem and become community heroes.

Where legislators and politicians understand they work for the people, not for corporations, special interests or personal gain.

Where despots and tyrants are regarded as sociopaths.

Where a national fact-checking service red flags officials’ lies immediately.

Where all of us find a way to realize our potential without having to deflate someone else.

Where fear does not define us, isolate us, limit us or keep us from self-fulfillment and joy.

Where I am as important as you and you are as important as me.

Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist.

donnavickroy4@gmail.com