I’ve recently seen a lot of videos backlashing against the generation of millennials, from millennials themselves. People have gotten tired of the off-putting behavior that they see among this generation and are growing up to say something about it.
But as some are ranting about their generation and how awful it has become after being influenced by modern culture, others yet are railing against a system that doesn’t promote equality and political correctness. These grabs for attention behind the mask of a mass identity akin to the Generation Y or Baby Boomers have gotten quite out of control. In a world that needs to find a label for everything, people have banded together in a fight against an undefined enemy, just to say they're part of a fight.
The label is just that, a name. At this point, it seems like an idea that people are taking too seriously. Being born into a generation makes you a part of it; that is not up for debate. However, it does come down to a decision that each and every person has to make about who they are going to be as an individual. What being born into a generation does not do is give you a clear vision for who you make of yourself. These characteristic definitions have come from observation of a generation, yet have then backpedaled and become the banner definition of “It’s just who we are.”
The girl in the video above seems to have some things right but also seems to be lacking substance. It’s lacking a real problem, the kind of story that we can all get behind.
That is exactly what worries me the most. People are looking for something to get behind. I’m not saying that noble causes are not to be found, but it seems like people looking for things to protest have lost a general sense for what they find personally to be unjust.
Take for example the heightened awareness around gender equality for women in the workplace. It’s a battle that was fought mostly by the generation before us, and great improvements were made. However, when our generation picks up the fight, just as it is coming to a close, it seems we forget that progress has already been made.
Imagine going into a war.
You’re ready for battle, you have your weapon and it’s shiny and ready to go. Ready to be a war hero, and fully equipped with capable skill, you run to the front line, ready to die if necessary for your cause, truly a martyr in the making, on the cusp of greatness. Just as your hand finds the trigger, the war is over. You’ve won, the other side surrenders and everyone goes home. You are left with deflated purpose and no direction because no one prepared you for the moment you had to lower the gun and walk away.
All your parents ever talked about was the glory days of war.
There are new battles to be fought, new challenges. However, sometimes a different war requires a new strategy. If we are to complain or fight to change things, could we take a lesson from the generations before us? They all faced this very same problem, yet it is in this sense of uniqueness that we think it’s each millennial against the world. Step down, step back and observe the battleground for a moment before rushing headlong into a fight.
It is time to consider that there is a time for everything.
"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." — Ecc 3:8 ESV
