Dear fellow millennials,
You're probably reading this on a phone, tablet or computer. How remarkable to be able to have so many ideas at your finger tips, brought to you in part by an invention that we have and continue to make the most of, the Internet. How extraordinary are the connections that we can make with others through it, the way we can communicate with each other has been changed forever—and you are a major factor in that. We are the generation that, so far, has formed the best connections with one another.
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Reading each other's blogs, following each other's social media accounts, we all have gotten to know one another in a way that bridges the miles apart that may stand between all of us. Perhaps that is why we are the way we are. The most understanding of the standing generations, the ones most willing to share and listen to each other's stories, revel in each other's experiences, be there for one another. Perhaps that's why they call us the most "easily offended" of the generations. T
he ones most likely to make a scene if someone uses a disrespectful term or mocks someone for who they are. We are the generation that has more respect for others than any prior one overwhelmingly, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise just because they disagree with you standing up for yourself or someone else. We are paving the way for future generations to live in a world where they can stand proud with who they are and not be worried about slurs, acts of violence or being scrutinized by their peers, for we are the ones who are making the most noise when we see those things occur.
Don't let anyone try to shame you for who you are. Don't let the naysayers convert you to their backwards thinking ideologies when that's not what you're about. Stand by beliefs, stand by who you are, say it loud and proud, say it where the whole world can see it.
Don't let those who insist that they are part of the "wrong generation" make you feel like you're wrong in some way. It is they who are wrong, for they do not understand the remarkable movements that millennials instigate. If they like the music of yesteryear, let them listen to it or the fashions of yesteryear, let them dress that way.
Let them do them in the same way that you are doing you but if you recognize something harmful that they are doing, using an offensive term or deliberately hurting someone else for not disagreeing with them do not be afraid to speak out, for those who also wish to have a safer future for others will stand beside you.
Text away. Gather around your friends' phones and watch silly videos. Blog about your feelings, post 10,000 selfies, watch all the Netflix, play all the video games that you want. You have those things because beautiful-minded thinkers such as yourself laid the groundwork down for you, and it is for you to enjoy them and expand upon them if that is your dream.
Don't let people tell you what "kids these days" are all about. You know what you're about. You know that, statistically speaking, a whole lot of things that were in pretty bad shape when they were the "kids these days" have gotten a whole lot better thanks to the help of your progressive generation.
Remember that there have been naysayers toward every generation for centuries now. People born in 1421 would mock people born in 1431 for the way they lived. It has been a thing forever but, perhaps seeing as how forward thinking we are, might stop with us—and wouldn't that be lovely? Let us support the members of future generations in the same way we support each other, let us not be like those who try to bring us down.
My fellow millennials, you are part of something amazing, and don't let anyone ever make you think otherwise.
