In light of that recent political event that occurred in the past week, the internet has blown up with all kinds of people's opinions of why they are for or against the new leader of the United States. I have scrolled through hundreds of these articles, reading dozens of them, and it made me think a lot about how divided we are as a country. Reading all of these articles has really sparked my interest in this subject matter which has also caused me to think deeper than the election. I've been questioning humanity a lot more as well and, talking about it with my peers, I realized that I am not alone. So, here are some questions that we are all thinking right now, but may be too afraid to say aloud:
1. Will we always be negatively divided?
Clearly, we are all different and there are millions of different opinions swarming around cyberspace right now. But why is it that the first thing we do is defend our opinions rather than accept others? We have always been divided as a country on race, sexuality, gender, income, and tons of other issues. But why is it still so prominent that our opinion needs to be the right one? After all, it is just an opinion, not a fact. Will it really cause you physical pain if someone supports a topic that you stand strongly against? I often find myself wasting time and energy complaining about people who are doing things I do not agree with, but it is important to realize that we cannot control everyone nor do we have a right to. We are all entitled to our own opinion and, now more than ever, those opinions are going to either make or break us as a country.
2. Why is it so much easier for me to have bad habits rather than good ones?
Think about this: Why is it that being a well-rounded person is so much harder than being a terrible one? Why is it that sleeping more, having bad eating habits, and binge drinking is so much easier than studying hard and going to the gym? It scares me that people can get stuck in this deep dark hole of drugs and alcohol so much easier than leading a successful life. Can we blame it on culture? Or is it psychologically just a human trait that we all have to deal with? The idea of the "perfect life" consists of having a college degree, (or 2 or 3) finding a successful career, getting married, having children, and raising them to follow in your footsteps. Sounds easy enough, right? Absolutely not. Expectations are almost always way too high which causes people to feel like they aren't good enough. When we get stuck in that mindset and set unrealistic expectations, those who cannot succeed all the way just give up and tear themselves down along with those around them. Reality check: you are good enough. You don't have to be the best of the best. And don't let anyone tell you that you aren't doing things the right way. There is no right way to live life.
3. Why can't I know everything right now?
There are many questions that have come up that we just don't have an answer for. Maybe as we mature and understand how the world works a little better we'll be able to accept the things that we cannot change, but us millennials have a fire burning in our souls and it's hard to put it out. We're at an age where we feel as though we have the world in our hands, but there is still so much we don't know. No one has everything figured out yet. What you think might be pathetic to wonder about another person may dedicate their entire lives to researching. The whole point of living is to wonder about things so that our curiosity can grow and we can flourish and maybe someday, something that someone is curious about will lead to a solution to one of these ideas. So all we can really do in the meantime is be nice to each other. Don't bring others down for their opinions because they're allowed to have them, just like you are too.
All in all, the things that we learned as children are still crucial in adulthood: treat others as you want to be treated, listen carefully, respect your peers, and think before you speak. As we go into the next few months, remember these things.
