To start, I want you to realize that each of these points I’m listing have the word “too” in it. My concerns are not necessarily negative, but should be done in moderation. For example, below I claim that as a generation we care TOO much about other people’s lives, BUT what I’m not saying is that we shouldn’t care at all. Catch my drift?
1. We judge others TOO easily.
Judgements are made TOO easily in today’s society as not enough people accept the fact that others can be different. Some people like peanut butter while others don’t. This kind of thing is rarely judged (even though peanut butter is my favorite food, so I’m judging you unless you’re allergic). People feel differently about some subjects and we have to respect this.
Now think of this, some people don’t have sex and some people do. Some people like to go out and party, others prefer staying in to study. Some people like to monitor their health and exercise, while others don’t give a shit about how many cookies they eat daily. Some people like to have a different hair color every week and others will never stray away from their natural color. Is my point clear?
These things are all personal preferences. If someone makes a choice that you wouldn’t, you don’t have the right to judge them. Especially when 99% of the time it has little to no impact on you.
2. We’re TOO busy looking for “our other half.”
In theory, everybody has a ‘peanut butter to their jelly.’ But have you ever had a peanut butter and nutella sandwich? See, there are more options.
Some people marry the guy they met in their college dorm, and others even marry their high school sweetheart. But there’s no way this works out for everybody. People break up, it happens. And trust me, I know what it feels like to think you’re never going to get over an ex. But always remember the cliche, “there’s plenty of fish in the sea.”
For whatever reason, if a relationship doesn’t work out, that is fate and you should move on. Don’t waste your time regretting and thinking to yourself that it shouldn’t have happened. If you’re meant to be together you will find your way back. Until then, you don’t need to constantly have someone connected at your hip, and instead you should be happy with yourself.
Eventually, your other half with make their way into your life without you rushing it. Don’t spend your time stressing over this. (HA, I need to reread this section daily and listen to my own advice).
3. We care TOO much about other people’s lives.
Imagine this, you wake up in the morning and before you get out of bed you make sure you’re caught up on ALL of your social networks. This hits close to home, as we’re all guilty of checking in on other people. What is Ryan from the gym doing today? Did your ex-boyfriend go on a date last night with his new girl? Are the Kardashian’s involved in more drama? That last one is pretty likely. But why is our first desire in the morning or before bed to see what other people are doing with their lives? Shouldn’t we be more concerned about our own lives?
No, I’m not trying to take our generation out of the social media future that it is headed towards, but I think we should realize how often we are using it. By using our energy to follow other people, we are taking away from the efforts that we should be giving to ourselves. Next time you find yourself reloading Twitter every three minutes to stay up to date on the feud of the moment, I hope you can remember my advice. Ask yourself, “What is something more beneficial that I could be doing with my time?”
4. We’re TOO dependent on materialistic things.
In today’s generation, I think that many people have their values wrong. However, don’t mistake values for morals, I’m not going there in this writing. By values I am referring to the different things that make us happy. Some people take the time to get pleasure from non-materialistic things and I truly believe we are fortunate to experience as many of these things as we choose to. Activities like hiking, kayaking and adventuring help us appreciate the environment around us.
However, too many people focus on material things. Possessions like clothes, cars, and even how many likes a new selfie acquires on social networks, are taking away from the natural treasures that are awaiting our attention. Many “typical white girls” will post a picture of themselves in a field, or woods, but then be disappointed if they don’t reach their “target number of likes.” This concept is actually absurd to think about, as we should instead find satisfaction in the experience that the picture came from.
Also, in today’s society we don’t have our expectations of the people around us correct. There’s a fine line between if you should look for the good in everyone or realize that everybody most likely will have a downfall. I personally think that we should go into every situation open minded and without too high of expectations. Whether meeting a new person or experiencing something for the first time, these events are promised to stay with you longer than any accessory.
After reading this article you shouldn't be left thinking “Wow, Amy’s a debby-downer” or “Damn, our society’s screwed.” That’s not what I’m trying to convey. Instead, I hope that you will notice if you take part in any behaviors that I have mentioned. Fixing these will be the first steps in continuing our generation down a path where our best interests are in mind.
So, next time you are quick to judge someone or find yourself stressing over finding a partner, think of this article and hopefully my advice will have helped you.
