The Millennial Conviction: Confessions (*cough* Rant *cough*) of a Millennial

"Why, when I was your age...!""Get off that phone and look me in the eye, son! Shake my hand firmly!""The youth's got no respect for their elders nowadays.""That is a classic Millennial stereotype!"

Oh, boy, a wave of ideas flood my mind as I consider where to begin on this subject! Countless opinions and statements either tarnish or polish the name of the Millennial generation every hour.

I suppose we'll do a two-column approach for this to compare the opinions of the older generation with the opinions of the generation accused of lacking certain desirable characteristics and virtue.

The Cell Phone Plague: Social Normality Under Siege

Has the average Millennial been raised into social ineptitude?

As represented in the image, the development of cell phones and other technological advancements has lowered modern individuals' inclination to speak face-to-face. It is easy to judge that people have no manners when you're the only one sitting in a room without a cell phone, everyone else ignoring you with their eyes glued to a screen.

Hmm, maybe Millennials are awfully spoiled if they generally don't even look a person in the eye during conversation (if, indeed, even a conversation is achieved)!

But here's a question to consider: Who gave them those cell phones? Are Millennials the only ones who text and play phone games? Are Millennials the only ones flooding the social media news feed?

Perhaps the power is somewhat abused, but none of us should be ready to pretend that this century presents the first time power is abused!

Why should our Freedom of Speech be regulated by demanding speech, and eye contact, and a firm handshake? Why should a firm handshake determine whether you're a person of integrity anyway? Who made that tradition up?

Conclusion: I agree that conversation is a valuable practice both for the development of relationships and for gaining social skills to work, play, and live with the utmost self-esteem. However, whether face-to-face, through text messages, or on a phone/video call, one is still developing social skills. Agreed: Millennials should learn to lower their cell phones now and then and look someone in the eye, perhaps, but—if we're building off of stereotypes here—maybe their elders should learn a thing or two about technology so they can communicate with these "young'uns" in the twenty-first century!

Interaction is a mutual, at-least-two-way thing, so maybe judging should be reduced and effort should be increased on both sides!

**Ironic Story Alert** My Millennial sister-in-law sat in a waiting room, holding her cell phone in one hand and an iPad in the other. An older man huffed at the sight and approached her with the comment, "You young people with your devices and doodads; what're you even doing on there?"

To his judgmental character's delight, she—in fact—had Pokemon Go! playing on her cell phone. However, to his embarrassment, she was more actively on her iPad, which displayed the text of a novel proudly ranked within the world's classic literary canon: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

Ah, how I—a Millennial—warm myself on this campfire story of justice.

But, seriously, it isn't about the generation one is born in; it's about the individual who is born within it.

And here is my response to both the classic, "respect your elders," statement or the Millennials' scream that no one, "understands them"...

Respect is earned through the demonstration of virtuous character,

Understanding is gained through the art of conversation,

And neither discriminates by age.

The Couch Potato Outbreak: Millennials are lazy!

The Millennials are claimed to be...

Fat—Well, look at the food products being fed to this generation! When fresh produce and hearty grains were all that was provided, you had to cook it yourself, and there wasn't an easy McDonald's just across the street. It would have come with the territory to stay lean. Though life is more convenient for Millennials, perhaps, in the area of groceries, there is a health price to pay.

Lazy—It's true that this generation isn't classically talented at staying fit—except for the dwindling number of athletes. But, if you think about it, as technology advances, exercise has to be an active, extracurricular choice beyond an individual's work schedule, as many jobs now require less physical labor. Older generations got plenty of healthy exercise when there wasn't technology to do the work for them.

Furthermore, in this day and age, motivation is a more precious commodity. We live in somewhat peaceful times in comparison to history, and technological advancement is doing so much work for us. What do Millennials have to look forward to and work toward naturally? They may seem to have more freedom with their lives, but they have less purpose.

Entitled—What generation didn't have entitled individuals? Have you ever heard the story of a young man named Adolf Hitler being rejected by a prestigious art school? Well, one thing led to another for this young man, and along came World War II! Just because social media allows more incessant and public complaining doesn't mean the complaining was less frequent among older generations!

Expecting an Easy American Dream—Well, isn't that what the world is telling them they can have?

"Get a degree!" "Just sign up for free! ""Life'll be easy!""Just sign up for a monthly fee!"

(I've got to stop this rhyming spree...)

The American dream is promised to those who just follow some simple steps. But the American dream, arguably, was much more attainable when college education wasn't expected but was revered, when the country wasn't ridiculously in debt, and when overpopulation wasn't as much of a concern. Millennials shouldn't expect an easy life, nor an easy career, but perhaps their elders should understand that life isn't as simple and privileged as it seems for today's youth.

Truthfully, both are awesome, and we should find peace!

We have no reason to fight or argue, unless it's fighting together toward a common good and leads to a win-win compromise. All generations face individual challenges; some overlap and some don't. The truth is we all have difficult lives, and it's a waste of time to compare them. Instead, why don't we try to understand one another's plight and help each other overcome it?

Elders should share wisdom and experience rather than unleash words dripping with judgmental poison and dissatisfaction with their children. They should allow the young to earn their respect, just as they should endeavor to earn the respect of the young instead of demanding it.

On the other side, Millennials should listen to this wisdom and do their best to continue charting new territories while absorbing the insight of former generations. We shouldn't assume our elders don't know what they're talking about, and we should allow them to earn our respect as well.

Thanks so much for reading, everyone! I hope you enjoyed my rambling—er, discussion!