The “Chosen One” archetype is a cliché at this point.

With characters like Harry Potter, Anakin Skywalker, Neo, and countless other boring, forgettable protagonists it seems everyone these days are searching for Jesus equivalents.

And it’s easy to see why.

In a world where we’re hyper aware of all the injustices and wrongs going on, there’s something comforting in the idea that this is all planned somehow, and that eventually a single person will step in and save us all.

It’s also a powerful narrative given our Judeo-Christian culture, for obvious reasons.

It’s not all too surprising that we see this narrative pop up in politics every so often. It seems to be in full force this election cycle as the Left pins its hopes on Bernie Sanders while the Right seems to have settled on Trump for the time being.

Of course, this could change within a week. Regardless of staying power, I think both men, more so Sanders, have managed to tap into a lot of people’s hopes that one man could change the whole system and bring us some form of “political salvation”.

This is foolish, plain and simple.

I say this as a fairly idealistic person. A person who fully supports and believes in the rather lofty ideals of liberal democracy, a system of government built around the idea that one person having enough power to change the system singlehandedly is a very, very bad idea.

Yet people, lots of people, are putting lots of faith in Sanders and Trump. They are undoubtedly expecting big things, but they will only find themselves disillusioned and disappointed when neither wins, or if by miracle of miracles, they do win, but are unable to implement even a fraction of their platforms.

This has certainly happened before; just look back to 2008 when Barack Obama was the anointed national savior of the Left.

A messiah that would get us out of two failing and costly wars, jump start the economy, take on the big banks, dismantle the security state, and ultimately lead us into a brighter, more progressive era in the aftermath of the Bush Administration all while healing our deep racial wounds.

Yet 7 years later whistleblower Edward Snowden is hiding out in Russia, we still have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, healthcare reform was messy to say the least, racial tensions have increased, and the economy is still far from stellar.

None of which is to say that President Obama is a failure; I’ll let history judge that when he’s actually left office and we’ve had some time to see the consequences of his administration.

I’m only saying that he didn’t live up to a role that was given to him, and indeed, couldn’t.

I’m not fond of this idea of “political saviors.”

Maybe it’s because I’ve been a political minority since I was 15 in a state where political corruption is a punch line. Maybe it’s my study of history, where I see that every major figure that has ever led anything is simply human, and thus far from perfect.

Regardless, I plan on changing my party affiliation this year so I can vote for Sanders in the Democratic primary come March. I’m voting for him not because I like him, or even agree with him on everything, or because I think he can magically change the country.

I’m voting for him because I want our national debate to move to the center, and not be dominated by the right wing. Because I believe that higher education is a right, as is a living wage.

Because I’m concerned about the state of race and income inequality in this country. Because the fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people is far from over. And because, well, I am kind of a stereotypical vaguely liberal college student.

I highly encourage people to vote for Sanders in the primaries if they hold similar views. I highly encourage people to vote for Trump if they agree with his views.

I highly encourage people to vote for whomever you think will be best to lead to country. Honestly, if nothing else, just vote.

But don’t put individual candidates on pedestals, because they have a tendency to fall.