Recently, I have read an awful lot of negative articles, discussions, and comments, especially from millennials, about the direction our country is heading in. They miss the "old America" and feel their own generation is the worst yet and fear for the future. I believe that these people have missed the bigger picture entirely.
In 2016, women hold more leadership roles in business and corporations than ever before. Men and women can now marry who they choose. More first-generation Americans are taking the brave step of investing in an education. There has been an influx of life-changing medical innovations and technological advances. This is only a small list, and our accomplishments continue to grow. I am confident that my future children will live in a world that is even better than the one I was a part of.
These breakthroughs didn't happen by complaining about how spoiled their generation is,or believing that this country is getting worse. This happened by people believing that their generation was better than the circumstances. They loved their country enough to fight to improve it when they saw things they didn’t like.
It's easy to get caught up in romanticized stories that our parents tell, or look at pretty pictures and wish we lived it. We forget that every generation felt just like us at some point, and they endured incredible sacrifices to improve not only in their generation but future generations.
We are entering one of the most fear-stricken and anger-focused presidential elections that this country has ever seen. Maybe this negativity about our own country is what brought such extreme and destructive candidates to the forefront of this race, instigating anger and frustration, encouraging others to be upset with the way things are. But this is not just about politics. This is about society.
Things don't change overnight. When we look at the day-to-day under a microscope it's hard to see the good. Yes, we are more aware of negativity happening around us now because of our constant awareness of it. But this does not mean that it happened any less than in the past, we are simply just more aware. The media doesn't always show the good, so it's our job to not only look for it but create it.
Let’s stop being so negative about our own generation or country and take ownership of the world that we have been creating. We are a generation of hard workers who do not settle or back down. It's time to be proud of ourselves and believe in what we can do. It's okay to be nostalgic for a time you never lived. But times change and that’s okay. It’s okay to embrace change. Let's begin to not only embrace it but celebrate it because even better things are in our future.
