For some reason, those in the generations before the millennials have a tendency of telling us we’re too young. We’re too young to understand, too young to know what we’re talking about, too young to change the world.
The assumption of those older than myself is that I, as a young adult, do not have the experience in life to know what I’m trying to say or do. And yes, I do not have the same amount of life experience as someone twice my age, but that does not mean I don’t understand.
My generation has had constant access to the internet, cell phones, video games, all of it. Those older than us take that to mean that we are all lazy and technology-obsessed and incapable of understanding the world we live in because we have absorbed all of our views and opinions based off of television. But, in my opinion, it means the opposite. With all of the technology we have been exposed to since infancy, we have always been in communication with the world. The use of technology has opened the entire world to instant communication, and the unbridled sharing of views. Because of this openness in the world, I understand the events that have occurred, I have been exposed to hundreds of differing opinions and have learned to process and understand all of them. This to me is not a disadvantage.
And maybe I am too young to change the entire world. But that does not mean that I can’t start trying. I understand that it may be hard to believe that I, a young adult, could truly do something to change the world. We are always told to wait because our ideas and dreams are too unrealistic, or too big for our age. We are told that we are too young to succeed. And we are all so terrified of failing, and proving those people right, that we don’t even try, we wait.
Changing the world does not mean you need to end poverty or dissolve world hunger. Changing the world does not mean hundreds and thousands of people need to know who we are. If you can do those things, by all means, please do. That’s not the only way we can change the world.
Changing the world can be just making a dent in the million things that need to be changed. Helping one person makes a lasting impact and it makes a difference.
The world we live in can be ugly and harsh. So if you can help just a few people, if every day you can do something to help someone else, you can play a role in making a difference. If we all do something small, we can change the world, regardless of what those older than us say.
My age does not tell you what I am capable of.
