My parents raised me to always make educated decisions. They raised me to do my research, so that when the time came to defend myself I’d be prepared. And for the rest of my life, I never took their advice lightly. I did my best to grasp things completely before I confronted them, to do my homework on topics I didn’t know enough to defend, to always back up my opinions. I assumed that because I was raised this way, and because I did what my parents raised me to do, I was ready. I assumed that I could, no, that I would be taken seriously because I felt that I had done what needed to be done. I had put the time aside to not only learn, but to understand. But I came to learn the hard way that it’s not always the case.
Because of my age, my opinion is often devalued. Because of my age, my knowledge is seen as less important and insignificant. Because of my age, not only are my ideas and values undermined, but I’m often undermined.
There seems to be a general consensus that the younger generation has less to say, or worse, that what we have to say is irrelevant. From our political standing to our personal beliefs, everything is fair game. We’ve been labeled so many times and in so many ways that it’s begun to lose its offence. We’re younger, therefore we know less. That’s the way things seem to have always been, so it’s the way they are. We’ve been called every name under the sun; lazy, entitled, selfish. We’re grouped together and pushed to the side because it’s been decided for us that our ideas, that our “demands,” are unreasonable. Our voices are falling on purposely deaf ears due to a number that’s out of our control. I can understand that wisdom comes with age, and even that there’s no way to imitate the philosophies that come with age. I can understand that there is a certain sagacity that is strictly reserved for our elders, but I will never understand ignorance. And to believe that the generation below isn’t worth listening to is just that.
The world works on a basis of constant progression and continuity. The human race is meant to embrace evolution, not reject it completely. Unfortunately, it seems that the comparison between the present and the past has always existed and probably always will. There has always been someone to compare our current struggles to theirs, even if there's no correlation, as if they deserve some kind of compensation for simply existing in different times. There has always been someone to say “back in my day” or “when I was your age” in hopes of weakening or invalidating the other argument. Someone has always worked harder or done more for the life they have. Straying from the norm is intimidating, especially for those who are so used to tradition, but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
The voices of our generation shouldn’t be silenced because they’re considerably younger than the voices that came before them. The words “young” and “stupid” shouldn't be synonyms in the vocabulary of those older than us anymore. Our opinions and our ideas should be recognized and respected, even if they aren’t agreed with. Call them what you will, but the kids of today are calling the shots of tomorrow. And if we let them, they could hold all the answers.
