I recently read an article where a girl wrote a list of reasons why she decided to leave the United States. She talked about how visiting another country made her realize everything that was wrong with her own and how she just couldn't take her homeland anymore. She now lives in South Africa.
People do a lot of talking about how Millennials are one of the worst generations of all time because we are selfish, lazy and entitled. While that isn't a fair blanket statement, there is some truth in it. Oftentimes, we expect that a better world should've been given to us by those who came before us. We aren't as willing to do the hard work that it takes to be the change in the world and even if we are willing to do the hard work, we aren't willing to put in all the time that it will take to make the changes we want to see. We want instant gratification. We want instant realization of our goals.
Maybe that is why we turn to social media when we see something we don't like. When we use Facebook as a megaphone to scream our grievances at the rest of the world, we do absolutely no good. Being a social media activist makes no difference in our world. When we try and make people see things our way by going on rants about how wrong this issue is or this incident was, all we actually do is hurt our cause.
Pointed language, angry comments and, at their most extreme, personal attacks on anyone who doesn't share your opinions are not activism. They are immature behavior. Oftentimes, we don't need to raise awareness for the issues in our world because people are already perfectly aware of them and the fact that they are issues indeed. We need more people who are willing to get out and make actual positive differences in our world instead of banging away on keyboards so they can go to sleep feeling validated and enlightened.
We are a massive and mighty generation. We can do a huge amount of good if we actually get out and start doing things. Instead of sharing an article about a bullying-related suicide with a status demonizing anyone who has ever made anyone upset, try going out and being the light in people's days. Try leaving kind notes on people's cars or offering them a smile. Try getting involved in anti-bullying organizations that educate youth on how to prevent bullying.
Instead of posting a video about how people are mean to homeless individuals, try helping the homeless people around you. Try volunteering at a soup kitchen or donating clothing to a clothing drive.
It is easier to just post an emotion-filled post than it is to do any actual work to make the changes we want to see in our world. We often choose the easy way out and perhaps that is part of the reason why our generation has gotten such a bad rap, but we are still young enough to change it. If we dedicate actual time and effort to the issues we want to see resolved, we can make this world one that is truly better if not for ourselves then the next generation.
