It's a battle that's raged throughout history with no end in sight, from the ancient Greeks to the present day: the battle between generations. Team "what's the matter with kids today" versus team "my parents are boring and hate fun." The battle has historically centered around whatever new trend the younger generation seems to have latched onto, everything from reading novels to 1920's flapper culture to heavy metal music. When it came time to decide this era's focal point of conflict, there was really only one candidate: the Internet.

The battle rages on. The weapons: shouts of "put down that phone", angry tweets about parents' unfairness, and, most horrible of all, thinkpieces. (I, too, am guilty of participating: last year I wrote an angry poem about the phenomenon and passive-aggressively submitted it to my school's poetry contest). But through all the conflict, all the woe and metaphorical bloodshed, we've lost track of the one thing we can all agree on: the Internet is freaking awesome.

And I think we can all agree on it. Don't believe me? Ask my grandma, who relaxes by spending hours playing Candy Crush. Or my aunt, who got a new phone for Christmas and, by all accounts, hasn't put it down since. Trust me, every adult who's cursed the name of Apple and claimed that their children have been turned into mindless zombies has their secret, Internet-dependent guilty pleasure.

We of the younger generation share a good portion of the blame, too. After all, the beautiful thing about the Internet is its ability to forge connections that wouldn't have been possible before, from Facebook helping us keep in touch with our friends from preschool, to Internet forums for every hobby under the sun connecting enthusiasts from every corner of the globe. So why aren't we using it to make connections with our parents, grandparents, and friends? Some of my favorite family memories involve explaining the "Kermit the frog sipping tea" joke to my mom (she has since declared it her favorite meme), or introducing my dad to emojis (his signature emoji is the cactus). Instead of rolling your eyes when your parents ask what you could possibly be doing on That Phone, start a conversation! Maybe they'll shut you down, but you'll never know if you don't try. And who knows, maybe they'll take the opportunity to share their non-technological interests with you in turn.

So, here's my message to people on both sides of the battle: next time you're tempted to block your mom on Facebook or write an editorial for The New York Times about how horrible The Youths are, stop, and instead, imagine stepping into a time machine to some era in the past and explaining to the people you meet that you come from a future where you can send a picture vi the telephone. Imagine explaining videochat to an immigrant who left her family back in Ireland, or telling Shakespeare about Twitter. This is the future that we get to live in. Instead of fighting with people you care about, allow yourself to be grateful and embrace the moment. I speak from personal experience when I say that you'll be happier if you do.