The moment that I truly became an activist, was when I decided to get on a bus to embark on a 10 hour journey from Boone, North Carolina to New York City, with a group of total strangers, to participate in something that was much greater than me. On this day, I became a part of history when I marched along with 400,000 in the streets of Manhattan. We all came from different parts of the country and different backgrounds, but we were all marching for the same cause - we wanted action. We wanted our voices to be heard and no longer ignored. We wanted someone in big government to actually give a damn for once about this planet's well-being, as well as our future children's well being. It turned out to be the largest climate march in history and invoked a great deal of attention, discussion and was a top story in every major network for the following weeks.
During the walk, I saw people both young and old, but I noticed that the majority of these people were in their 20's or younger. It was then that it occurred to me that this generation will finally bring the change to this world that is long overdue. If you don't believe me, or you don't believe that there is an activist inside of you... then please read the following reasons as to why we are going to change the world.
We are more open minded and accepting.
A current hot topic in our country is love versus hate... But it seems like love is the obvious choice for the majority of our generation! We have definitely seen this with the legalization of gay marriage and the overwhelming support from our generation, despite what our parents beliefs were on the issue. It seems like most of us are guided by our own moral compass, more so than what society is telling us.
We are more environmentally conscious.
I grew up in the woods behind my house, but now those woods are perfectly manicured lawns and cookie cutter houses. Many millennials can relate to this story and we are tired of seeing our childhoods bulldozed down. It's time for us to stand up and say this is enough. We want to protect nature and all of it's creatures because we developed a connection to the natural world at a very early age, and we know that the road that humanity is taking in terms of development is not natural.
We dare to think differently.
Thinking differently is the new conformity. And different ways of thinking lead to new ideas, which leads to more open minds, which leads to revolution!
We are not so materialistic.
There is a large group of millennials realizing that this life is not about accumulating material possessions, it's about accumulating enriching experiences. This also means living with less and living a simpler life. To put this in the words of Thoreau, "Superfluities are simply superfluities." We also understand that being materialistic is damaging to both the environment, as well as people, because of the exploitative process behind the material goods that are sold in almost every store. Therefore, we choose to vote with our dollar for more sustainability by simply buying less, or buying products that ensure either fair trade or organic processes.
We are becoming more involved in the democratic process.
My Professor has said it before, and I'll say it again: "There can be no democracy unless we participate in Democracy." And it is so exciting that we are actually getting excited about this election. There is finally a candidate that represents the people of America and wants to fight for us... not corporate America. #FeelTheBern
We understand that war is not the answer.
As we can see in our current war, there is no progress being made. The only thing that has come out of this war is death, hate, and a further disconnect between fellow human beings. We must understand as Americans that our ideals and beliefs are ours, and we cannot continue to impose these beliefs on other countries. It is not a one size fits all equation, and when we do not account for another countries culture and their own beliefs, this happens. We are only making a bigger mess in the middle east when we mix in our 2 cents - so lets stand up millennials and G.T.F.O.
We are humanists over capitalists, socialists, communists, etc.
Despite our beliefs on any kind of economic system, Millennials are beginning to wake up and see that humans and the environment are far more important than money.
Our choices are not governed by the almighty dollar.
Like I mentioned before, we choose wisely with our dollars. However, not like the generation before us did. Instead of choosing the cheapest bang for our buck, we choose products that will benefit the environment and humanity in the long run... even if that means that we have to spend a couple more dollars for a coffee that ensures a fair price for a farmer in Costa Rica.
We are choosing to idolize people that are actually worth looking up to.
Bernie Sanders, Malala Yousafzai, Stevie Nicks, Oprah Winfrey, Ghandi, Martin Luther King... greats that have all chosen love in the midst of hate.
We are choosing to study subjects that we are actually passionate about.
There is still a pressure to choose a major that will land you a good job, but there is also a growing movement to choose to learn something in college, where you will actually be challenged and grow. We do not want to be cogs in the machine, we understand that we were all given a passion that must be realized so that we can give back to humanity in our own special way.
We want to make a difference.
You may call us hippies, delusional hopefuls, mere dreamers, but we are much greater than your labels. We are a group of hopefuls. We have seen the absolute worst and the most beautiful parts of humanity, and we choose the latter. We want to do our part in what ever way we can, may it be arts, social justice, environmental sustainability, or simply choosing to love someone despite what others may say. We are a generation of the brave and are willing to fight for what we believe in. We are the generation of activists.
