"Millennials are so entitled."

"Millennials think they know everything."

"Millennials are so ignorant and they will be the downfall of this country."

If you are a millennial, like myself, you probably have heard many of these things said to you or about you. For me, these comments come from those usually well along in their years.

It is harsh, honestly.

We are born into this world being told that we can do whatever we want when we are younger, but as we grow older, we come to find that we are no longer in the same world we entered.

Now, we are public enemy of society.

And you know what?

They're right.

We complain and whine about change and social reform when a majority of the country has been content with keeping things the same for hundreds of years because that's obviously worked, right? How dare we try and demand change within our government and how it's run? We are so entitled, it's not like we are the ones who are going to inherit this country soon enough. We are so entitled, changing it for older generations, who within a few years will not even be here anymore to be affected by the changes millennials make. Millennials are truly monsters, aren't we?

The reality is, we are no longer living in the same circumstances our country was in when it was founded. Times have changed, and yet, we still haven't. There is still blatant bigotry, racism, and prejudice and when the millennials start trying to do something about it, they are torn down and labeled as the problem.

We are the future.

We are the ones who will inherit this country and we have the right to decide how we want things to proceed.

Millennials want change.

Millennials want justice.

Millennials want to help.

We see the problems that plague our nation and we are no longer choosing to sit around and let them ruin us. We cannot allow ourselves to be torn down by those who do not want the same end goal as us. We want to make our country a better place - a place free from racism, hatred, and ignorance. We want to make it a country worth boasting for. Yet, in order for that to happen, change is needed.

Maybe it is time to realize that the way we have been doing things is not the only way; perhaps it is even the wrong way. We will never know if we do not try, and the bad news is that we are being discouraged to try. The truth is, we ARE trying to ruin everything this country was founded upon because we have come to the conclusion that our foundation is no longer needed for the change millennials are trying to bring about. We are not living in the same world that our parents or even grandparents grew up in. We are faced with entirely different problems, entirely different attacks, and we are still being told to let the old, traditional ways guide us to a better tomorrow -- and we simply can't. There have to be far better ways than the ones we have been trying, and we have to be the ones to instill this change -- despite how scary that change may be.

But that change we so desire comes as a threat to those who benefit from this current state of living. Millennials are labeled a threat simply because we are. We are the threat to the powers that want things to remain the same. We are dangerous and we are enemies, simply because we fight for what we know is right.

We grow up telling our kids that they have the power to change the world - that in their lifetimes, they can bring about a phenomenal difference in the way the world works. But, when the time comes and they start thinking for themselves and their thoughts contradict yours, we smother them rather than encourage them to be open minded.

The real problem with millennials is that we have had enough with the way things have been, without change, and that threatens life for those who are comfortable with keeping things the same - and we must keep pushing back. We must keep speaking out against the wrongs being done. We must continue to bring the world from its dark and ignorant state into the light.

We are NOT the problem.

We are the solution.