Why Millennials Don’t Deserve The Hatred They Get
In fact, they’re checking all the right boxes.
Millennials are people who reached adulthood in the twentieth century. We’re the awkward generation that was raised by boomers and their centuries-old thought process. We’re the people who are expected to bring about change without receiving any reciprocation for it. We truly are the most misunderstood generation of all time.
However, we weren’t just born like this. We were raised and taught a certain way and while you can go on and on about how boomers are the absolute best, here are some of my observations as to why they weren’t as sorted as they pretend to be.
They underrated communication
Of course, the boomers spoke to each other, seldom about the things that actually mattered.
I have seen boomer couples who are fed up with each other and yet, continue to stay together. Sometimes, even without kids. In fact, they pass on the same thought process to their children, and in some cultures, even believe in choosing the life-partner for their kids!
My best friend from school suffered a lot of trauma because her parents were constantly fighting with each other, sometimes they were even abusive with him. It was evident that they did not get along and wanted an out, but stuck together. They didn’t even give him the parenting he actually needed. But continued to make each other’s lives miserable, until one of them passed away when he was 15. Needless to say, the damage to his emotional well-being is irreparable.
The generation before us even treated therapy like a taboo. They pretend like they had everything sorted, but in reality, they were far from it. They were just people who survived through life.
They defined success in terms of money
Money is important. It’s not everything, but it’s also not, nothing. Certainly, having a decent amount of money makes for a good life; but it definitely is not the only metric to success.
However, we refuse to believe it.
I recently declined a project at work because it needed me to be available on a weekend and I wanted the time to relax. My boss, who’s a little more than a decade older than me, immediately responded with how I took a week-long break in December. I took the leave I was entitled to. However, working weekends seemed to be missing from the contract. As a result, someone else picked it up and was declared more “committed” to the job. Thus, earning a promotion.
I obviously slacked through the appraisal cycle, and barely got any more money. But the predicament that I would not work weekends was set. Thus giving me a better work-life balance in the consulting world.
Normalize not overworking yourself.
My friend's dad, however, worked days and nights in his consulting job and then always complained about the lack of work-life balance. When I asked him why couldn’t he take a break, he immediately responded with the basic, we can’t do it at our levels.
It was stupid.
They never believed in change
Boomers were rather okay with just about everything.
They obviously had several strenuous political, emotional, and educational debates amongst themselves but they never acted upon it.
They were okay with being led rather than leading.
They were just okay with just about everything. They didn’t want to lead. They believed in being led.
That is one major difference between Millennials and Boomers. We want to lead. We aren’t afraid of speaking up. Whether it’s calling out politicians for their BS, or correcting your boss and not laughing at their sexist jokes. We believe in bringing about change.
They were confused
Come at me if you like, but I seriously believe that the generation was confused about what they’re seeking in life.
They treated life like a checklist that they intended to complete on the go. Degree, check.
Job, check.
Marriage, check.
Savings, check.
Children, check.
Retirement, check.
And they believed in thrusting this upon us. Well, we took a stab at this and realised we didn’t like it. So, we decided to do what works for us.
“To each his own.”- William Shakespeare
My mom was excellent at sports. She was a high-school Sports Captain and really good at long jumps and high jumps. She wanted to pursue it as a career but studied graphic art because “it wasn’t right to pursue sports.”
Because of their preconceived notions about what your future should look like, they chased things that were more materialistic in nature.
The generation today thrives on hustle but also is more mindful. We believe in attracting peace, happiness, and joy. We’re okay earning a little less, but we’re not okay with compromising on our passions and our goals.
Millennials truly are the most misunderstood generation of all time. We may not have been one hundred percent correct, but we’re trying. And, I truly believe the bashing needs to stop.
Disclaimer- This article is based on personal opinions only.
