Dear future citizens,
Please remember that you are in fact citizens -- not just citizens of the country that you live in, but the world. We are no longer living in the dark age of no technology. Everything that you do has the ability to affect people that are halfway across the world from you.
Let me start off by saying I am sorry. I am sorry for leaving the economy in shambles, and the environment in tatters. I hope that by the time you are reading this, we have figured out a way to change what is currently happening, but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that will be happening anytime soon. I wish I could say we gave it our best shot, but lets face it, there is a lot that could have been done before we got to this point. My generation, and the generations before me could have done plenty to fix these issues before they got this bad. But alas, we didn’t.
I want to tell you about the world we live in today. In 2016, we are decades past the civil rights movement, the women’s suffrage movement, and have just entered into the age of equal marriage rights for all. However, all of these are just laws. They are just things that were pushed by people and by government. It does not mean that these laws are followed.
There is still racism in the world (all types, not just the ones that you would expect). There is still gender inequality (again all types, not just against females, but against males as well). And, more reasonable because of the time frame, there is still a lot of bias against the LGBTQ community. People are denied jobs, threatened, beaten, thrown in jail and abused because of all of the things that make them different. My hope for you is that you will be better and will live in a world where laws are followed.
I live in a world that values things over lives. A place that values entertainment over suffering. Thousands of animals are tortured and killed every year because of tourism and for entertainment purposes. Animals whose entire life revolves around surviving, not killing humans. Animals like tigers, elephants, and giraffes that just want to live in their own circle of life are forced to perform and be confined for human enjoyment.
I want you to think about the organisms that cannot think for themselves. I want you to stand up against animal cruelty, like dog and cat abuse, dog fighting rings, and circuses. Even harmless creatures like dolphins are being killed so that tourists can take photos with them. Make this world a better place not just for humans, but also for every living creature.
This world is not all bad. We are trying to get better. Every day there are people that work to fix the economy and the environment. There are people that stand up against the moral outrages they face. But there are not enough of them to change it before we pass the reins on. So for that I am sorry, I am sorry that the fight has not had enough fighters.
In sincere apology,
A millennial
