Who am I?
This is a question that pervades the minds on millennials on a continuous basis.
On a daily basis we are pulled in various directions based on the ideals from a generation far beyond our understanding.
We are told that we are the lazy generation. The generation that won't amount to much. The generation that throws away its talent. In contrast, however, we are also told that we are the future of this country. The generation full of innovators and dreamers. The generation with so much at their disposal. How does that make sense?
I find it quite ironic that the individuals blaming us for our laziness are the same individuals who raised us. They provided the electronics. They provided us with these tools. However, they fostered the level of entitlement that they claim we have. The same generation that tears us down, is the generation that is looking to us to fix their mistakes.
Most of the individuals that fit into the category of millennials, grew up during a time where things were continuously declining. If you ask a college sophomore if they remember a time where things were happy and that the news was positive, they will shrug.
Why? Because most college sophomores were only in kindergarten during 9/11. They were in middle school during the Virginia Tech shooting. They were in high school during the government shutdown. They witnessed dozens of their friends parents out of work for two weeks due to a gridlocked government. They witnessed a failing economy.
Currently, they are bearing witness to countless racism. Endless student loans. An abysmal job market. An epically disjointed government.
Regardless of all of this, millennials are expected to be happy.
Ironic, isn't it?
However, as a generation, millennials have stepped up more than ever before. They are politically active. They are academically driven and environmentally driven. This is a generation that is pushing and pushing for a better world and a better future. It takes a certain level of faith and strength to be able to rise above all of the disappointment.
As Wilfred Peterson once said, "Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground".
