Being a millennial has come with its fair amount of trials and tribulations. It has given me and those of my generation a completely different world to live in than any other generation before us. I remember getting my first Motorola Razr flip phone in 7th grade. I thought that this mobile device was an amazing piece of technology, and it really was. I could send text messages of a staggering 160 characters, sometimes hear the other person I was calling and even browse, like, 6 websites. In just a few years, however, it was outclassed by the Blackberry and iPhone.
The tech bubble that has been expanding since my youth has driven us towards amazing technologies. Refined solar power, smartphones that are more powerful than any computer made 10 years ago and NASA landed a rover on Mars. I can talk to someone across the planet and order pizza at the same time without leaving my house or putting pants on. And it's only going to get better.
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However, there are many things that I wish I could do, even just wistfully, even if I know in reality I could never amount up to the task.
For instance, there is no "new frontier" that I can go and discover. While exploring a new land seemingly has some bad consequences for the current inhabitants, the notion itself fills a person with longing. Sure, I can discover and explore places that are new to me, but I will need a passport and a good deal of money. Plus, people will already be there. No packing up and homesteading for this guy.
Also, I'm stuck just in the right period of time where commercial/civilian space travel is tantalizingly close, but still many years out of reach. I will likely be too old when we are able to explore the budding universe all around us. I read books that prophesize how our technology can make space travel wonderous, I can watch NASA live feed cams and I can listen to those lucky few who have been selected to reach beyond earth, but I likely won't be able to experience it first hand myself. It's a sobering thought. I will have to content myself with playing a video game with Virtual Reality hooked up. Just hope I don't fall into the matrix.
Born too late to explore new places on Earth, born too early to journey out into the great beyond, but born just the right time to eat greasy pizza, watch Netflix and browse dank memes on the internet.
Here is to us, Milennials. May our kids not be brain dead and enjoy the world we are (hopefully) leaving them to experience.
