PSA: Not caring doesn't make you look cool.

Over the years, I have noticed a common trend among my peers, and even with myself at some points. When we come into contact with rough patches in our lives and we are afraid to face them, we use the "It's okay, I don't really care anyways" defense mechanism to try and withdraw ourselves from the tense situation.

In case you haven't realized, this mentality doesn't get rid of the situation. Unfortunately, our generation has gained the reputation of being ignorant and careless, whether it be regarding our friendships, family life, personal life, or our future.

Oh, so how'd you do on that last anatomy exam? "I failed, but it's okay, I don't even care."

And how are you and *insert significant other's name here* doing? "Oh, me and *him/her* are fighting right now, but it's okay, I don't even care."

I heard you got in a lot of trouble with your parents after you got crazy drunk last Thursday! How did that go? "Oh, they yelled at me and whatever. But it's okay, I don't even care."

By using this common excuse, we seem to make ourselves believe that it will somehow allow us to overcome the challenges we face. It seems as if our generation has become obsessed with the idea of not caring. Has it suddenly become a competition to see who can care the least? We seem to hide our pain and neglect it, rather than actually searching for a way to fix it.

Maybe it's time that we look back into our pasts. Maybe it's time that we finally face those demons that we thought were long gone but are still secretly hiding somewhere in the depths of our heart. Instead of hiding our pains with countless shots and numerous hookups with people we won't ever speak to again, how about we face our pains so that we no longer have to act like they don't exist.

Part of life is dealing with pain. We can't all expect that life will be nothing but happiness and success, because that's obviously bullshit. But maybe if we, as a generation, begin to work towards making our lives better instead of waiting for others to do it for us, then we can get somewhere better. It is our dealing with pain that allows us to

The generations before us faced so many challenges. But you know what they did when they saw problems facing our world? They faced them head first. They didn't act unconcerned, but rather they worked until they saw major improvements. And maybe this is why so many people seem to have problems with our generation.

So quit the bullshit and start caring. Start actively seeking ways in which you can better yourself instead of hiding your pain and isolating yourself. We will not be remembered as the "I don't care" generation, because what is worth remembering about a generation that never did anything to fix their flaws?