As we go through social media it’s no secret that there are numerous articles/posts debating everything. Whether it be rape, abortion, terrorism, or politics; we can all agree that dialogue has reached a new peak.
As 2016 starts up there are a plethora of memes surfacing that depict sayings such as, “2015: The year where everyone got offended!” or, my favorite, “This generation is a bunch of sissies!” I have spent a lot of time mulling over the reasoning behind this, and trying to understand just how this escalates all of us to a point where we forget who were really our friends.
Let me start by saying this about our generation: We are not light-hearted. We are not a generation of “sissies.” We are not a generation of entitled children who know no right. We are not a generation that is easily offended.
We are a generation who will usher in great change in this world.
When we bring up issues on female equality, we are not squabbling over issues that are in the past. We are setting examples that the human race is becoming more self-aware of our own psychological impact through gender roles.
When we engage over topics of systematic racism and white privilege, we are not being counterproductive or trying to ignite differences. We are trying to ensure that the generations before us acknowledge the past, learn from it, and never make steps to socially recede from justice.
When we stir the pot on religion, tempers tend to flare pretty easily. Challenge yourself to find similarities between the person behind the faith. The truth is, for religion, you will never fully agree with someone else’s faith unless you belong to their same faith. Understand that this does not mean they are bound by the actions done by all faiths. There are peaceful, loving Muslims, along with followers consumed with hate and vengeance. There are accepting Christians; there are also ones who warp the faith to their political agenda. Faith is not a determinant of someone’s ability to accept your fellow neighbor.
We constantly are being told that everything is so “sensitive” now. Somewhere along our dialogue it became commonplace for those use a slipper-slope argument like this in the face of actually making a conscious change. As Louis C.K. beautifully said, “When a person tells you that you hurt them, you don’t get to decide you didn’t.” A truth we must all accept—we are all guilty of this. The battle to respect thy fellow man is one that will never end, but it doesn’t mean we give up trying altogether. There are many lessons to be learned in understanding the person sitting next to us.
We are not the dartboard for the problems of this world. We are a generation making great strides for humanity every day. As people (inclusive to all generations), we all need to stop pointing fingers, unclench our fists, and start working together to find some common ground. I am no stranger to fighting this myself. With as many things in this world to be offended/upset about, this will forever be a work in progress. However, it is never too late to learn something new about a faith, listen to an opposing political view, or simply understand that someone’s actions determine their character, not your differences.
