Millennials are constantly put down today, especially by our parents' generation, kind of funny isn't it? Actually, I don't think it's funny at all. I'm pretty sick of it. If I'm honest though, I bash our generation quite a bit myself. We've been deemed lazy, entitled, irrational, irresponsible, unmotivated, directionless, arrogant, and plenty of other demeaning adjectives. I can't disagree with most of these when I look at our generation as a whole, however I know that a generation is also made up of individuals, and it's the individuals I still find hope in.

When I look at the individuals of our generation, I see a passion that is out of control - sometimes good and sometimes not so much. I see a passion to bring awareness, to fight for the weak, to give a voice to the voiceless. I see a dream for equality, a desire for peace, a daring fire burning inside. Unfortunately, there are a few areas that I know you're already thinking of that are negative sides to these attributes...

Politics

Most people in older generations see an America where our generation is going to completely misunderstand everything they are fighting for. On the whole, I definitely have to agree with this perspective. Our generation FEELS everything, so when political arguments arise, our immediate response is to how the victim or the person/people affected will feel as a result. Ashamed, neglected, oppressed, unequal are all feelings we associate with political situations. I get it and I admire the dream for equality. The side that most of our generation misses, which is what older generations are upset about is the reality of the situations at hand. How a person feels is absolutely important, but feelings can be misleading, misguiding and a downright ultimate fatal flaw. (Fatal as in the fatality of our country, not necessarily the person.)

What would happen if we took the fire inside of us that strives and fights for equality and actually did some research to see how WE could find solutions? I'm not saying we shouldn't trust our government. I'm proposing that we take all of our passion and care and put it into action. I hear so many of us TALKING about the social injustices that make us so angry, but all we do is sit on our phones and tweet about it.

Religion

I'm hitting all the touchy subjects in one article, so hold on.
Religion is an area where some people fight for one view and others fight for all, while some still only fight against all. Our generation is defiant against God as a whole, sometimes even defiant against any sort of higher power or religious beliefs. Maybe it's our rebelliousness, but there are individuals out there who have given me hope, individuals who believe and don't discriminate or who may not believe, but still accept.

Older generations claim we are "luke warm" or "not committed to a certain belief," but I tend to see it differently. Believers are becoming stronger and more bold in their faith, while unbelievers are becoming less obtrusive or dismissive. I see a beauty in our generation, specifically with believers such as Christians or Mormons who see the world in a way that previous generations couldn't. Standing up for what we believe and voicing our opinions, fighting for our faith has not disappeared from our lives, but giving others the freedom that we are promised in America has also been paired with our beliefs. We stand for peace. We stand for freedom. We stand for not shunning others in their beliefs because we would hope they wouldn't shun us for ours.

Since when did peace have to be about losing our faith? It can and should a major part of faith and believing in God or even not believing in anything.

Speaking Out

Rebellious is one of the terms used over and over again for our generation. I get it. I have a rebellious side; I think we all do at times. It's something I think can be a great attribute to our generation.

In talking to individuals I know or people I'm just getting to know, one of the key factors of their passions in life is talking about significant matters in life that it seems no one is really speaking out about: domestic abuse, abortion on a micro level as well as macro, rape, alcohol abuse, sex trafficking, pornography addictions, the list goes on. This is courage, this is the brave generation that I have grown to love (I mean, at least love this side of it).

We have a fire burning inside of us to take a stand, to speak out, to say something that no one else is saying, to share the harsh realities of these hard hitting subjects that might have hit home for us. Every individual has experienced something in life that they may not talk about regularly or even at all. I have loved getting to meet the individuals in our generation that not only want to start the conversations about these distressing topics, but bring resolve, find a solution and see an end to the trauma.

You may find plenty of negative things to hate about our generation - the Millennials. I was just going along with what everyone was saying about us, but I'm finally fed up. Every generation, no, every group of people, no, every individual has flaws. There are mistakes we've made and perspectives that are undeveloped and irrational. We see things differently, and we react poorly sometimes. When did thinking differently become such an awful thing?

THINK FOR YOURSELF. That's what my High School History teacher always told us, and it's stuck with me ever since. I know sometimes that's the opposite of what our generation does. In thinking that they're thinking for themselves, they hear one good thing someone says and decides that person will save the world. I'm holding on to hope though.

I still believe in our generation. I still believe in Millennials. I would choose words like purpose, impact, balance, change, fun, maybe a little defiant at times, but individualistic and diverse. If anything, we know how to take all the hate and turn it into something great. If anything else, we know how to bounce back and stand firm for our beliefs, and that.... THAT is beautiful if we allow it to be.