We, as Americans, live in such an incredibly free world. We have so many rights and freedoms that I believe, we often take for granted. We have a right to free speech, a right to own and carry a gun, rights to live a lifestyle of our choosing, religious freedom and we can do all that and more because of all the brave men and women who fought for that freedom. We can choose to live how and where we want, without fear of being persecuted for doing so.

I, myself, am a millennial so I can say this, but I think our world today feels so entitled. We have never had to struggle through the things generations before us have had to endure. Not to say that we don’t have horrible things that plague our minds and society, but we are blessed to not deal with a lot of the chaos that previous generations have endured and because of that I believe that society slowly started to shift towards an entitled attitude. We begin to demand things that we don’t even truly understand. Rights and freedoms that we believe should be ours for the taking. I believe this sense of entitlement is what causes so many of the intense debacles in our world today.

I’m not typically one who argues about politics, and still don’t believe that’s what I’m doing, but I often ask myself if most of the people who get so entwined into these raging debates are truly educated on the facts, or if it’s just another bandwagon to jump on. It’s just another issue to fight with others about, and maybe go viral on some sort of social media for.

As much as I agree with the right to free speech and to stand up for the things we believe in, have we taken it to far? I mean, refusing to stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance? How many men and women lost their lives, fighting for your right to free speech, and your cannot stand to honor them? This is just a small example, but what makes us think we are so entitled to these freedoms we don’t even seem to understand the price of. We coast through tons of issues on the same argument, “I have the right to free speech.” Of course, this is true, but we use it as a crutch, an excuse to say whatever we want with little to no repercussions.

There are, and always will be disagreements, arguments and debates in this world. There will always be political differences, religious differences, personality differences and moral differences in this world, but why can we not be peaceful about our differences?

It seems like every time I get on any sort of social media platform, there’s a new video or news piece about something absolutely awful happening over two people’s differences.

Whether it’s standing for the flag, carrying a gun or just your right to attend whatever church you choose, it seems like our world can no longer sweetly disagree. The disagreements turn into physical, emotional and psychological battles. We judge people based on their preferred political party or stance on one subject, rather than their personality and the way they love on those around them.

In the midst of all the disagreements, people begin to take matters into their own hands. They hurt themselves, others or even both because rather than peacefully expressing our views and feelings, it just becomes about who can shout it louder or make a bigger scene.

Contrary to popular belief, I believe a lot of the millennial generation is interested in the different issues plaguing our world today, but are we educating and debating in the right way? A healthy debate is good. It gives you a chance to share your feelings on a subject and gives the opposing view an equal opportunity to do the same, but are you listening? Learning from another viewpoint and genuinely trying to understand why they think, feel, or believe that way. Can we stop feeling so entitled to our freedoms? They are not free.

America, nor any person, will ever be perfect. We were all made differently, to stand out, but why do we have to treat one another so poorly? Let’s stop being such entitled people and truly understand what we believe in. We don’t deserve anything, but we are privileged to live in a place where we are born into so many rights and freedoms that most the world still doesn’t get. It’s okay to disagree with someone or something, but can you do it respectfully? And more than that, are we willing to open our ears to the opposite viewpoint?

Just because our Government can be filled with crazy, doesn’t mean you can’t make a difference in at least one person’s life. Millenials, lets stop being so entitled and make a real difference in this world.