Commitment. Generally this word is used to refer to monogamous romantic relationships, but to delve deeply in the millennial commitment issue complex, we need to expand the use of this word to something more secular. Commitment isn't just a term that is used for relationships, but it applies to every aspect of life. Being committed to something just means that you are going to give it your all and will fight to keep it going. We often hear of how politicians are committed to fighting for the working class or how people are committed to their job. I argue that the stem of millennial commitment issues isn't just that we're young, but the society that we live in is to blame for it.
Talking to most of my friends, the response is always the same: "I just don't know if I can trust it enough to follow through." This gets to the deepest, most primitive part of commitment: trust. Let me tell you, trust isn't something easy. For almost our entire lives, millennials have lived in a time of economic downturn where it's been hard to trust that we can even make ends meet half of the time. How can we commit to a dream when we don't even have time to breathe to think of one? In our parent's days, they were able to work 40 hour weeks and not have to worry about getting too many days off in a week. They didn't have to worry about getting two days off one week and then coming up short on bills. Financially, our commitment issues come from the economic crash that our parents generation caused from unchecked credit.
Our generation has also created this type of culture that praises "side-chicks." I know this might not sound like the most educationally solid point, but the culture founded from side-chicks glamorizes infidelity. I'm not saying that monogamy is the be-all-end-all, but if you are in a committed monogamous relationship, then you cannot be sleeping around and keeping girls on the side. This goes for having guys on the side, too. It's pretty hard to trust someone and want to be committed when our generation praises the "side-chick" culture.
Lastly, staying committed to a dream when you're 18-25 and financially independent is one of the most challenging things you'll do. Being financially independent, you don't rely on anyone else. If you can't make rent because you lost a few days of work from being sick, then there goes your savings if you have any. We rack up huge credit card bills because we don't have the means to start a savings. The society that we live in isn't conducive for dreamers. It is conducive for blind labor. We live in a society that helps out people who don't need help; our dreams die from lack of promise.
