Introduction

Recently, I’ve been feeling reflective. More specifically, I’ve been considering what it means to be in the here and now, as a younger millennial and generally, how life is going for myself and many others. As a disclaimer, I’m not saying that everyone will relate or even agree with me – this is a topic I wanted to express on here, just for the purpose of saying something out loud rather than keeping it inside my head.

Taking A Moment to Reflect

It was December 21^st, 2012 – the day iPhone 5 clutching millennials told their school crush they fancied them, all because the world was supposed to end. But it didn’t.

We’re all still here, most of us at least, but I’m not sure that the world continued to rotate with the same energy as it did back then. Lately I’ve been reflecting on what it means to be of my generation – born in ’96 and living through a huge number of significant events. My age group remembers 9/11 and the terror that tore through the world, the fact that phones used to be attached to the wall and, at one point, your mother acted like you’d be out on the streets if you opened the WAP browser on your Nokia by mistake.

Growing up, I think it’s fair to say that most of us dreamt of a future that flowed from one thing to the next. It would be like completing a checklist of life’s wonderful achievements – degree in a subject you love? Check. Well paid, fulfilling job with plenty of room for promotion and a supportive manager? Check. Meet the perfect partner in a movie-like setting and build a life together? Check. Purchase a wonderful home with plenty in the budget for renovations so it’s even more perfect? Check. As harsh as it sounds to say it, we were sold a lie.

In reality, it feels like adult life is a game of musical chairs. The chairs represent stable relationships, dream careers, the option and/or desire to have a family and stable income. Those already sitting down have scooted their chairs far away from the noise of the game while those still playing march in circles to the disjointed tunes of TikTok trending audio. The trusted adults who were supposed to move one chair at a time away from the players accidentally remove what feels like double what they should have. Did I mention that the ‘trusted adults’ are now the economy, the political landscape and corporate greed? The players continue to march around until they realise there are huge numbers of them but no chairs left to sit in.

Where We Go from Here

In my reflective state, I began to wonder, if I could literally change the world as we know it tomorrow, what would I want to improve. Here’s what I came up with.

Be Kind

I’m not sure whether its just the area I live in but I remember the world being a much friendlier place back in the 2000s and early 2010s. By contrast, I often experience random hostility from members of the public these days. Examples include someone screaming and swearing at me because I was in the path they wanted to walk in a supermarket – a simple ‘excuse me’ would have sufficed. An elderly relative also experienced a stranger shouting at them in a car park – they claimed their car had been scratched but, as far as the relative was aware, nothing happened and there were no marks on either vehicle. Sometimes, it makes me incredibly angry that people act the way they do instead of having basic manners or human decency but that’s another subject entirely.

In summary, I genuinely think the world would improve exponentially if people just took a moment to consider how their words and actions might affect others. Being kind costs nothing.

Fix the Economy

I’m not a politician and do not intend on getting political within this post, however, in the last few years, I have been horrified to learn just how much peoples’ standard of living has dropped as a result of things beyond our control. Myself and Mike have also had to make significant cut backs even though we both work full-time day jobs. I have no idea what the solution is but I’ve always believed that no one should have to struggle, especially not if they’re working a job (or multiple).

Come back Into Reality

With the fact of being a younger millennial comes the subject of growing up with technology changing all around us. From slide-up style phones and the first iPhone to AI and smart devices, we’ve ridden along with it. While technology has definitely improved a lot in the world, it’s also had its drawbacks. My personal observation is the issue of lack of connection between one another. While Mike and I met via Facebook, I’m not sure that the online space is entirely conducive to forming meaningful relationships with others. As I mentioned in the last topic, I’m not sure what the fully formed solution is but a starting point is my personal belief that people should have the freedom to spend more time away from screens and increase time spent with loved ones, face to face.

Conclusion

I’m not entirely sure how this post comes across but, in amongst other projects I’ve had on lately, I really wanted to come on here to just talk about life and my thoughts for a moment. I’ve felt the weight of firstly, the lies fed to millennials as we grew up but also, the way the world seems to have changed for the worse. People have gotten more hostile, the economy has gone down the toilet and everyone hides behind screens. While I don’t have all of the solutions to the issues raised, I’m hopeful that, with awareness of where we’ve headed as a society over the last few years, we start to make meaningful changes to move to where the world is a happier place for everyone.

If you could make the world a better place by changing anything (big or small), what would you do? Let me know in the comments.