Listening To Our Millennials
may inspire social change.
For years, we have told the younger generations to be quiet and listen to their elders. Just because people 
have lived a long time, does not always make them smarter. Sometimes we see our elders becoming so indoctrinated in the past, they overlook what is going on around them. The society we live in today is much different than the one I lived in when I was in my twenties and thirties. Simply experiencing events like 9/11 and it’s impact at a young age changes perceptions of their future.
Just as we can become comfortable in our situations, even when we may not be happy about much of what we see around us, the desire for the comfortable-uncomfortable, can keep us from entertaining new ideas. One of the sayings that I remember is something to the effect that it is better to know the enemy you have, then the one you don’t know about. Not sure if I said that right, but it appears to say stay in fear and don’t make waves. That is not how you change things. We must step out of our comfortable existence to see what we can create on the other side.
How pervasive anti-millennial sentiment has hurt the cause of student protesters
“From the ConcernedStudent1950 movement that led to the ouster of University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe to the Million Student March that spanned 110 campuses and called for a debt-free education, campuses across the nation are witnessing an upsurge in student resistance.“
Personally, I see hope for the future if we begin to listen to our millennial’s. The newer generations seems to have a better understanding of “the oneness of all of us”. They have experienced sadness in the world that has been pervasive and very visible to their young eyes. The rhetoric that many adults believe from politicians and other “power-mad” individuals, falls on deaf ears. Having seen their grandparents and parents struggling for existence, plus their own future looking very unfortunate, so far, their cries for equality for all should be listened to by us older and “wiser” adults. The future ahead for these individuals are our responsibility, and their input can be a very valuable source of information.
The system that has run humanity, so far, has been one based on greed and power. Creating a system of respect for each other and this land on which we live, is a goal that young and old should strive for today.
I suggest listening to our millennials. Technology has given them an intelligence that many of us have not developed in ourselves and emotionally, they have had to struggle with being very young in an age of excessive anger and pain.
You might find more wisdom than you expect, by taking some time to listen.
Thanks for reading.
Best wishes for a Happy Healthy New Year.
d.foster
