Juliet McDermott

In November 2023, the New York Times profiled the Tallac Hotshots, a group of firefighters employed by the federal government to fight the fires engulfing our national forests across the West Coast.

Among those profiled was Bowdoin College graduate Chris Kingston ’22. I don’t know Kingston, but the minute I saw he was from Bowdoin, I immediately felt a sense of connection with his story. The Tallac Hotshots, far from being distant figures, became people whose footsteps I’ve quite literally walked in.

When people fled the fires, Kingston was part of the group who walked into them.

It’s October 2024, and right now, it feels like all of America is on fire.

I could try to come up with a list of America’s cultural and political woes à la Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” but that would quickly surpass my word limit on this column. And even then, I would still miss some things. The point is, it’s been decades since Joel wrote that catchy song, yet we’re still in the same fiery mess.

So it’s not surprising that during my time abroad this semester, I’ve overheard Americans discussing their plans to leave the United States if Donald Trump is elected president. And it makes sense why I’ve listened to tourists share their plans to get new jobs and heard from students who plan on applying for special visas.

I understand where these people are coming from, and I know it’s from a place of frustration. But I don’t think we should evacuate our ablaze country. Like the national parks Kingston protected, when a country is on fire, we don’t just abandon it. Sometimes, like right now, we have to stay behind and fight the fires, daunting as that may seem.

Kingston’s story resonated with me when I read it a year ago, and it strikes me even more today. We will always live in a country lit up in flames. Sometimes, it will burn stronger than others—right now, the fire feels like it’s reaching explosive levels.

But, in the face of fire, I propose that instead of choosing to leave, we choose to stay. I propose we think about all of the things we dislike about this country and let our indignation kindle our passions for change.

If you’re scared about where our country is headed, stoke that fear until it becomes a different kind of fire.

Kingston showed us that Bowdoin students can fight fires. I’m not asking you to walk into literal flames like he did—I’m just asking you to stay and fight for what you believe in.

When this column comes out, we will be 11 days away from the election. I wish I knew who the winner is going to be. Even more so, I wish I knew how our country will react to whoever wins. Fingers crossed that the country doesn’t actually end up in flames.

Nevertheless, no matter how November turns out, let’s choose to stay. Let’s choose to fight the fire.