With graduation season just ending and Memorial Day weekend passing, I began to think of how fortunate my generation is. As I reflected on the life of people around me and myself, I realized that my generation has a sense of entitlement that I don't feel should be the case.
For example, typically, at least where I'm from, young adults graduating high school and college feel entitled to a brand new car because of all of their hard work in school, but I don't think that should be the case. I think that while a nice car would be nice, receiving one just for being a good student isn't teaching young adults how to work for what they want. Yes, making good grades all throughout high school and college is difficult, but is a new car really what they should be receiving? There are better options for these graduation students. For example, maybe money to help pay off student loans would be a better option. This way they could learn how to spend money responsibly.
With Memorial Day recently passing, it also made me think of what sacrifices really should be made to be able to deserve what you want. While some of us think that missing a party is a sacrifice, the brave men and woman of our country have sacrificed their lives and have received hardly anything in return. The sacrifices that most of us make today are so minimal to what the men and woman whom have fought for our country have sacrificed in the past.
We have been grown up to think that we are entitled to the nice things that we want or that some of our friends have. After recently visiting a third world country, I have realized that the notion of a high school or college student to feel entitled to anything is very naïve. To think that there are people in the world that work 50-60 hours a week and make less than $100, makes me seriously contemplate how a student really thinks they deserve a new car after a few years of education. If my fellow students that feel entitled would be able to witness the challenges of other civilizations that are less fortunate then them, they may see how difficult life can be and how fortunate they are to have been born into the life they live.
As summer continues, I encourage everyone to reflect on themselves and dig down deep to find out what is truly important to them, and if you have time, try to go out and give back to your community in some way or another. This way our generation can truly see and learn what it is like to earn what you receive. After visiting Roatan, Hondorus I will never again feel like I should be entitled to something. After learning how men and woman work there for $15 dollars a day, or less, to barely make ends-meet has shown me just how thankful I should be for the things that I have. Just remember to never feel entitled and to be thankful for all that you are given.
