Well, I've started and not finished two other posts. I get going and they eventually make sense to me, but in a way I'm positive would never make sense to anyone else. I tend to do that occasionally. That and with so much on my mind, it's hard to focus on writing about any one thing.
This last month and a half or so I've been way too focused on the status of my life. I think we tend to do that when we get to a certain age. Everyone around us seems to be well on their way to the next step in life and for whatever reason, we are left behind. I know there are lots of extenuating circumstances right now, but it's to the point where I wanna sit there and go, "Seriously?!"
There are stages in life. Early childhood, grade school, teenage years, college, early twenties, post graduate years, marriage, adulthood, babies, raising children, empty nesting, grandchildren and a whole bunch of others I'm sure we could put in there. We go from one to the next just trying to make it through. So what happens if you get to the end of one stage, and stall at beginning of the next?
That's kind of what I think a lot of my generation is facing. We graduate high school, go to college, and then get stuck in a rut. I think that some of the reason for that can be attributed to the socio-economic status of the world. One thing affects another which affects another and it just goes on and on. Because the economy is so bad, there are fewer jobs. College graduates are having a harder time finding work. That means they are working jobs they didn't go to school for that pay much less than what they were hoping for with a degree. They're living at home longer because it's cheaper. (I'm a perfect example of this) They are simply "hanging out" instead of exclusively dating because exclusively dating someone can lead to marriage and a lot of us can't afford that. All of it can be attributed to the fact that the economy sucks.
In my opinion, we're stalling because we're afraid. Our world has become so much more uncertain. I remember being a child going to elementary school and the only thing I worried about was whether or not the boy I had a crush on had noticed me...and getting good grades, though that was admittedly secondary for me. Now, I feel like Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With the Wind. She got so focused on securing her future, that she didn't have time to worry about anything else or what might get in the way. "I can't think about that right now. I'll think about it tomorrow." I don't think it's just me that feels that way either. I think that's why there are so many singles and college graduates who just get...stuck.
Ideology has changed somewhat as well. It used to be that people would go to college, get married, finish their degrees, and then go to work. Now, people are far less inclined toward marriage. The examples that we see from celebrity couples and even our own parents or friends parents don't really instill much confidence in the institution. Some people believe that they are just not meant for marriage or anything greater than a dead end job with no potential to climb higher and be part of the "1%" that have earned the right to be the 1%. Don't get me started on that. I'll get angry.
What I don't understand is why we are so afraid. People have been doing the hard things for years. We are not the only generation to suffer through hardship and our hardship is certainly not the hardest. Each generation, each era, has had it's own struggles. They were just as difficult for them as our struggles are for us. The people who suffered religious persecution in Europe and fled to America, their struggles were life changing to them. The pioneers who crossed the great expanse of our nation dealt with fear, sickness, death, and all the things that the wilds of our country could throw at them. Many of them didn't make it. Our country has faced numerous wars that encompassed numerous generations and with each war came more sophisticated weaponry. We've faced a depression before that was mixed with a serious drought in our farm country. We've faced corrupt politicians, intelligence wars, and weapons that can destroy entire cities in the blink of an eye. I know there were people who avoided the challenges of their time, but I don't think it was to the extent we are facing now. In each era, with each struggle, I'm positive these people were afraid. I don't think any young man who signed up to go to war didn't feel some twinge of fear...but they went anyway. Why is it so different now?
I can't avoid talking about the "99%". I've said it before and I will probably say it again. My generation is spoiled rotten. I'm not going to place blame because I don't think it can be attributed to any one person or group of people. My generation has begun to think that, because they've been given everything instantly throughout their lives, they shouldn't have to work to get anything. There is a small percentage of kids my age who believe that taking the money from people who have RIGHTFULLY EARNED IT is the "moral" and correct thing to do. I am not part of the 1%. I work for what I have. I don't know how all of the 1% got where they are, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't because they stole money from people who were richer than them. I think most of them were blessed with genius moments and capitalized on it. The kicker for me is that these Occupy Wall Street, "99%" demonstrators wouldn't know what to do with themselves if the 1% hadn't done what they did and created the things they have. There'd be no cars, no computers, no gasoline to run the cars, no iPhones...we'd be in the 1830's. I guarantee that if that "99%" were in the shoe of the 1%, they'd be singing a different tune. Why are they so afraid to get their hands dirty and go to work? Why are we so afraid to put in a little elbow grease to make our lives work? Life has never been easy. Why do we all of a sudden think it should be?
My generation is going to destroy us. They're already well on their way. We are so hell bent on "getting our share", that we are forgetting the important things. The funny thing is, I think most of my generation would agree with me and not the OWS retards. We're just too afraid to stand up and say something about it because of how it might sound. I don't want things handed to me. I don't want someone to say, "Here, Kati. You haven't done much, but you seem underprivileged so I'll give you your brother's money because he has extra and needs to be generous." That's called Communism. I didn't earn that money, my brother did. I didn't earn the billions Bill Gates has. He earned it. He worked for what he has. Why can't the "99%" understand that they have just as much potential to be the next Bill Gates? All it takes is a little elbow grease...and courage to conquer your fear. True, you may not end up a billionaire...but you get to experience life. I can't think of a greater reward than that.
No comments:
Post a Comment