Some call us the worst generation to ever live, others call us pampered, entitled, lazy and useless. To their credit, they are right quite often. Where is the generation that conquered the moon and space, where are the hard workers who went from Europe to the US with no money but a strong determination to succeed. Where is that spirit of being limitless, all powerful and able to do whatever we set our minds to that unlocked so many successes and achievements in the past?
We’re too absorbed with our selfies, Facebook statuses and tweets that we forgot what real life is. We live in our parents home, we wait on the government to give us money and food and we complain whenever things don’t work out as they ought to. Fighting for survival, achieving greatness and reaching for the sky for us is just another dream we’re too realistic to believe in. Let the few create what we need, products, cars, drugs, apps and whatnot, and let us, the mass, enjoy our time down here because YOLO.
We became experts in whining, playing the victim and blaming others. Occupy Wall Street, topple the 1%, burn down the banks and God damn the wealthy. That’s our “raison d’être”, what we live for, because that way we feel that we achieved something, we stood for what’s morally right, we faced the tyrant. But when it comes to working hard, taking risks, going out of our comfort zone and going all in, we simply say NO and fall back on our chair while enjoying MTV.
We spend countless efforts to convince people to let us work less and have more free time. Working over 40 hours a week is unacceptable. Demanding from us to show up for class on a weekend is an insult. Expecting us to contribute to society while we’re young is a human rights abuse. But when someone works 16 hours a day, pulls all nighters, spares no resource to succeed and ends up making a fortune, we’re the first to jump out of our seats to condemn him as a cold blooded capitalist who’s running after money and doesn’t understand that what’s enjoyable in life is spending time with your dog and living a modest life.
We’re champions of hypocrisy, complacency and irrationality. We go for the easy path, the secure path. We attend classes we dislike because we’ll get jobs. We take on jobs we hate because it brings a paycheck. We buy things we don’t need and spend our savings because we want to enjoy the moment. Pathetic.
But again, there are the few, the warriors, the dreamers and the visionaries who will always wake up every morning set on making it big. There will always be that 1% who will get us through and will power the wheels of innovation and progress. The Elite, who believe that success is not the result of luck, but the fruit of blood, sweat and tears. They will be attacked, criticized and condemned for daring to aim far, but one thing remains constant, they will never give up.
Photo Credit: We Heart It