I have a confession to make to you all. I love Hallmark movies, I really do. I was babysitting this weekend and watched a film about a woman named Caroline who married her sweetheart Neil on Valentine's Day in the early 40's. He left for the war and promised he would come back to her. So, she waited for 65 years. Every Valentine's Day, she would wait at the train station for her love to return home to her. I won't ruin the ending, but I can say without any shame, I cried.
As I watched this film, I began to notice something that I don't see too often in my generation. I noticed that men and women in the generations before me had an attitude and lifestyle of complete service and sacrifice for the betterment of those around them. We hear stories from our grandparents and parents that they did whatever it took to succeed, all while having a demeanor of respect for others.
I attend a young adult group on Sundays and one of the things that we talked about was the characteristics of this generation. The speaker told a story about how there was a survey taken among the leaders of the top 50 companies in the country who hired young adults. The leaders were asked to write down one word that describes the young adult generation of today. After they did that, 200-250 employees of these companies were asked to do the same. The employees said things like "empowered" and "creative", but the word that their bosses said was "entitled".
I heard that and I really wrestled with it. It could be because I am in that age bracket or because I really don't like entitlement. I came home and asked my family what they thought and again, it began to rock my world a little bit. We began to discuss what entitled meant and how it is seen everyday with the youth and young adults of today.
My generation (and the one below) have become completely dependent on technology. There I said it. Smart phones, computers, tablets, you name it - we are addicted to it. It has become something that we have to have at all times. I don't know about you, but I rarely ever leave the house without my cell phone and if I do, I have a mini freak out.
I thought it would be helpful to list a few things we use our smartphones for in case you forgot:
1. Talking/Texting
2. E-Mail
3. Directions/GPS
4. Weather (as if I can't walk outside to figure out what outfit to wear)
5. News
6. Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, etc...)
7. Games
8. Surfing the web
9. Reading.
10. The list goes on and on and on and on.
11. List is still going on and on and on and on.
Can you think back to a time when cell phones used to be that huge brick with the long antenna that was 2 feet long? Seems forever ago, right? The first iPhone was released in 2007. Not so forever huh.
You're probably asking me why this is relevant to being the "entitled generation", so here it goes. We are taught to be thinkers, problem solvers, independent, world changers. Don't get me wrong none of these are bad things, but this is what I have noticed.
We crave knowledge with a fierce passion and technology provides that to us 24/7, hence the addiction. Look at the list above again and notice almost all of those things provide a vast amount of knowledge in an instant. Again, not a bad thing but I think this generation has started a vicious mindset. Because we are striving to be these "all-knowing" beings, we lose some foundational principals and practices which has easily resulted in this generation being called "entitled". We feel like we are capable, full of knowledge, and don't need to be told what to do.
I believe we have lost the art of serving and respect. We have lost the "do whatever it takes" mentality and replaced it with "do as little as possible to get by". Think about it, when you write something on Twitter, you have 140 characters to "share" knowledge. On Facebook, if there is a paragraph of information, it is almost too taxing to read and you most likely will scroll on by. Instagram is a picture with a caption, and let's be honest, how often do you read the caption? Don't even get me started on reading books.
We use technology to get snippets of information with the least amount of energy in doing so. I watched a movie of Caroline doing whatever it takes while her love Neil was off at war. She learned how to cook without Pinterest. She collected scrap metal because it helped the community. She raised a son while Neil was MIA without any mom blogs. Neil was a lieutenant who had a chance to get home to his love, but sacrificed his trip home to save a fellow soldier who was injured. He had to learn how to survive on an island. He did all he could to keep his promise to Caroline. And in return, she waited for him at that train station.
Stay with me here.
Whether you deny it or not, technology/knowledge has separated us from one another drastically. Caroline and Neil showed that they were committed to one another (while being apart) and would do whatever it took to get back to each other. What if we served each other with that same passion? It doesn't have to be in a love-type relationship either; it can be with anyone or anywhere.
I think we need to begin to really evaluate our priorities and how we can be proactive in losing the "entitled" label. I believe being entitled revolves all around the mindset of "me me me" and disregards the need for others. What if we began to serve and respect others above ourselves? What if we do things for others without expecting anything in return? What if we try to remove the poison of complaining out of our lives? What if we begin to do whatever it takes to succeed even if it means a season of discomfort? God forbid we get jobs.
I hope that I am not the only one who sees we need to make a serious change in our generation and to be honest, we are the only ones who can change it. Let's be in conversation with one another and challenge each other to push above and beyond our "norm" and serve those around us. Let's be proactive in changing our generation's label. I don't want to be known as the "entitled generation", do you?
