"Be the change that you wish to see in the world"... sounds familiar? Well if not then those were the words spoken by Ghandi, who practiced civil disobedience and lead the Indian people to independence from the British rule in 1947. But I won't bore you with historic details because that's not the point that I'm trying to make here.

What really bothers me is that we're living in this generation with a lot to offer and we should be blessed and appreciate it every second of the day and yet we tend to just not even take advantage of that opportunity.

Which makes me question where we went wrong or cut short. Is it our upbringing? Is it the impact of social media? Is it the technology that's making everything high- tech so things would be "easier?" Or is it because of our pride slowly swallowing us whole that we may sometimes forget to step back once in awhile?

What happened to the innocence amongst our youths? From what I see, they are slowly diminished year by year. Kids nowadays own cellphones-- not those indestructible razor phones we once had when we were growing up-- I'm talking about actual smart phones. They're attached to them just like how we are nowadays (and I am guilty as charged because I too am attached to mine), that they no longer enjoy the outdoors and just be kids. Play some hopscotch, get dirty, fall and scratch your knees, just keep your innocence and be a kid. Then here comes the make-up and these new things such as "contouring"... now 13-year-olds could pass as being 21-year-olds. Don't get me wrong, I am all for the idea of it being your body and an individual should portray themselves however they want to because it is indeed an art. But there's no reason to be doing that at such a young age. Be young and awkward, because the real beauty is within you, so allow yourself to blossom naturally. You've got more life in you to explore that department soon one day.

Not to mention the fact that social media has been feeding us with nothing but crap. It shaped us into the generation with all these types of expectations. Expectations in the world of friendships and relationships. First of all, relationships will never be just like how you see on Facebook. It's not always going to be rainbows and unicorns. You will run into each other's insecurities and underlying histories, and it is within the both of you to lift each other up and bring each other's best. I'm not saying that those "goals" are impossible to reach. They are, but you cannot go in and expect that. These expectations truly kill the beauty of the foundation that relationships should be built upon. Because what if those expectations aren't reached? Disappointments will come to the surface and everything that had every potential to be amazing will soon crash and burn. If you truly love someone, you fight for it like hell but know your boundaries and your worth because what you may see as love may ruin who you really are in the end.

Friendships on the other hand are a while similar ball game. We sometimes lose ourselves just so we can fit in or maybe get the superficial satisfaction of the material things. I mean, do you really want that? Because to me, that's just fake. You should have friends because these friends benefit you as an individual to be better, and to have that type of connection in order to grow. We're all trying to find our way in this lifetime and it is best to keep in mind that it is beneficial to surround yourself with people who truly brings out the best in you and support you through anything and everything. Friendships are not all just for show.

In contrast, what really is respect? Respect sure seem like it's gone and I don't even know if there even was. And this can go a million different ways and I'm speaking for all of them. Respect people's choices, whether it be for whom they choose to love, what they want to do with their life, or better yet just respecting who they are as a human. Just this summer alone, there's been nothing but tragedies on the news. I've always hated watching the news and I've hated them even more with the constant bad news. A Stanford University student who raped a woman who was drunk and unaware of her surroundings. In this sick little reality of ours, he didn't get the punishment that he deserved. Then a man, who had this hate against gay people, walked in a gay club and started shooting up the place and killed innocent people who was just there to have fun for the night because to them that was their sanctuary.

When you think about it... it is rather sick. And I know for a fact that these tragedies just didn't happen in today's world. It has happened throughout history and it has gotten worst to tell you the truth.

In all honesty, there are changes. But these changes has NOT benefited us for the better as we speak. And change will always be inevitable. So the real question is will it be for the worst or for the better? And to tell you the truth I don't know... with the pace that we're going I have nothing but skepticism about the future.

We're changing as a society, with our youth losing its innocence and skipping the stage of truly enjoying the carefree and easy life of being young.

We stress the idea of wanting to be the change, yet we don't even have the decency to be a good person, and it's as simple as respecting one another.

We really don't have to build a group and be activists about the problems that we are facing. I personally believe that we can make a difference just by being a good person. Respect, love, and be an advocate to those who doesn't have a voice. Smile, say hello, be friendly, open someone's door, compliment someone and make their day, be a friend and really listen and understand. But best of all be kind and be open to the differences around you. Because you never know maybe deep down those differences, could be something amazing that we all share in common with.