Dear Peers,
As I begin this article, I understand that most of you will think that you do no identify with this portion of society. The sad truth is that by the time you are done reading, almost every single one of you will relate to something I have said and still argue that you are not a portion of the disrespectful youth. Sadly you’re wrong. The reality is that we are stubborn, and so often we don’t realize what we are doing until confronted and even then we cannot face our actions. So here we go, I hope you learn something.
If you are reading this, you are lucky. You can read. You have access to a computer and the Internet. You have enough free time to be reading articles shared on social media. Take a step back, consider how much of the population does not have even half of the privileges that you do. It’s truly incredible what all of us individually have accomplished by our early 20's. We are lucky.
Now, consider how you got here. You most likely have at least one parent, some sort of family (whether biological family or the family you have chosen to associate with), most likely you have at least a couple of great friends, some incredible professors or role models, and whomever else you find important in your life. Though I’m sure it wasn’t easy to get where you are, you’ve have had plenty of trials and tribulations in life, and some of you more than others. Still, we are all lucky.
The problem is, with all of these blessings in our life and spending most of our youth very far removed from the unimaginable struggles of the less fortunate we do not have a grasp on how lucky and blessed we truly are. I have no doubt that you all are aware of third-world struggles; maybe you have done a mission trip or been involved in a charity, and that’s very respectable of you. But, without the first-hand experience of what a life is like in poverty, our generation has become inadvertently entitled. For some reason we got to a point where we think the universe owes us something. We have taken on a mindset that everything should be good for us and that we will always be nurtured into success without having worked for it. As we are in transition from our youth into adulthood we are beginning to figure out that we can no longer expect other people to ‘baby’ us into our success, it’s the time in our lives that we need to start earning our place in this world.
During this transition is where the problems arise. We aren’t getting the results we want. We are failing courses for the first time in our lives. High school was easy, so how in the world can college be so hard? It must be the professors, they aren’t doing enough, they’re grading too hard, they didn’t teach the material, etc., right? Wrong, that is so wrong. I absolutely cannot watch anymore as our generation settles in blaming our failures on other people. You failed a test. That is nobody’s fault but your own and there is absolutely no reason you should be putting any sort of blame on anyone else. Do you honestly think that anyone wants to see you fail? Your professors didn’t choice their profession because they want to see students fail, they want to help you and they are doing it in the only way they know how. Your teachers are helping you to figure out how to create your own successes. You should be thanking them for every absolutely everything, even your D+ on a pop quiz.
If you don’t learn how to control your own life now, then when are you going to? Your first day of work in the real world, get a slap in the face and realize that you have to do your own work at the office and if you screw up it’s your paycheck that is going to suffer? No, that would be much worse.
So why? Why is our generation arguing with professors? Fighting the campus police for our ticket when we parked in the clearly marked reserved spot? Being rude to the waiter who is struggling through his shift because two other staff members decided not to come in that day? Why are we rude? It’s time it stops. The generations above us have all gone through the transition to adulthood and they are where they are because they have worked their whole life to be. There is no reason for us to make others miserable because we don’t have a grasp on our life. Stop blaming other people and get it together. By disrespecting your elders, in any way shape or form you are saying that you have no respect for what they have done to get you here.
The worst of it all is when I hear someone blame their parents. Are you kidding? Not only did they give you literal life by birthing you, but they gave you life by providing for you. Whether you grew up with a lot or a little, it’s irrelevant, they worked to give you a roof, food, and knowledge. All that your parents have ever wanted for you is success; they would, and probably do everything and anything for you. So why in the world would you ever blame them for your failures?
Realistically, I understand that we often act rash, we get upset over the days struggles and we find the closest person to take it out on, but that is no justification. With your professors, your peers, and your parents putting their whole lives into your success, I promise they take it personally when you’re disrespectful. I don’t hate hearing arguments with teachers over grades, blaming of parents for unhappiness, yelling at employees because the service isn’t too your impossible standard. Because honestly, what are your hurtful, disrespectful, and uncalled for words going to do? Is your life really going to be any better when you assign the blame of your failures to someone else? Most likely, you will just continue to make the same mistake until you can recognize your own fault and learn from it.
Maybe what I’m getting at here is that college isn’t only about your education regarding your degree but your education in life. The life lessons in college are what shape your future. The most successful people you know probably learned from a young age to be respectful and responsible. The successful people in your life still fail, but the figure out why they failed and move on. Stop being disrespectful. There is absolutely no excuse and no justification for these heinous actions of disrespect that are constantly disrupting society. Grow up people, you aren’t a pre-pubescent teens trying to prove yourself to the cool kids anymore.
