This past week I’ve been thinking a lot about my generation and the characteristics that define it. My generation, sometimes referred to as generation Y, has a reputation for narcissism, being “trophy kids” and our extreme sense of entitlement. Maybe you’ve met us? Were the young adults who live at home, don’t pay rent, spend our parent’s hard-earned money and think that because we got an education the world owes us a job in our field that pays well and has benefits. We have trophies and awards lining our shelves from all the events we participated in, even if we didn’t win. We walk around in our store-bought, new-this-season clothing, text on our $500+ phones and drive our Toyotas, Mazda’s and Mercedes (for which we’ve never made a payment or paid insurance). Some of us have extreme credit card debt and others have savings accounts and RSPs we didn’t earn. We spend our days consuming and using and justifying why we deserve what we have. We don’t believe in anything but our entitlement, that this thing or that thing will bring us greater joy, and that our parent’s will always be there to bail us out. There are studies on us, articles and books explaining how we got this way, and T.V. shows aimed at trying to make us grow up.
And that’s just it. We’re not grown-up. We don’t want to be grown-up except in name.
A grown-up would work while they got their education so that when they graduated they’d have some experience. They understand that you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. They take any job they can to make ends meet while they work towards their goals (and they have ends they need to make meet and they have goals). They move out of their parent’s house so that employers and future spouses are able to take them seriously. They put a percentage of their earnings into savings so that they can buy their future cars, homes and RSPS. They live within their means, and if that means less consumerism, then they learn how to handle it. They understand that success should be earned, not given to you.
And I for one am tired of hearing and seeing my peers act like children. By no means do I think I have escaped having Peter Pan Syndrome but I think if anything, I have a pretty mild case of it. I am 26 years old and I pay my own rent. I walk to work because I can’t yet afford a car. I have an RSP and a savings account that I put money into. I paid for my own education and worked full-time for the five years it took me to earn it (and lived at home and paid rent so that I could). And while I don’t work in my field, I am working towards it. I’ve been on one vacation in my life (which I paid for). I don’t eat out every night and when I do go out, I usually get the cheapest option on the menu that appeals to me. I don’t buy new clothes every season, and usually end up buying about 75% of my wardrobe second-hand. Many of the furnishings in my apartment are also second-hand or hand-me-downs. I get excited about thrift stores and garage sales. I volunteer in my community and help others because it gives me a sense of joy. I know how to budget, and I do it. I realize I can’t have everything I want, but I make sure I have the things I need and a few of the things I wish for so that I feel satisfied. And sure, I’m not always a grown-up (my credit card is maxed out and I have student loans to pay back), and the small part of me that has Peter Pan syndrome thinks that my hard-work deserves reward (in that someday I should have a car, house and career I enjoy). But I love it when people tell me how strong and independent I am, because I know that I’ve earned those titles.
So to all my peers that feel insecure, scared, unsure, or unprepared for life. My suggestion to you is to go out and start living it. Don’t have the career you want? Find a job anyhow. Don’t have a car? Walk, or take the bus. Having problems with your body image? Stop going out every night, eating whatever you want and thinking the gym is going to cure it. The gym cannot combat constant abuse. Wondering why you’re in your late twenties and not married, or have never dated? Real men won’t be impressed by watching movies with you in your Dad’s living-room. Get your own place, learn to cook, that will impress them. Wondering why your girlfriend complains all the time and jokes about your failure to launch? Buy the ring, take the plunge and make it work. Life isn’t meant to be easy, you have to work hard and make your own fun. It’s time to grow-up.
