It seems like every day we have on this planet we are all searching for little victories to get us through what life seems to be becoming. This world is a lot crueler than the days of old. The margin of error between our parents generation and our own have become vastly smaller. With that comes us (the worker bees) who are on a daily grind to be recognized, to be better, to not be forgotten. For the most part, the pressure allows us to thrive. It's developed us over the years in order to be the ones who can survive. Something has happened though. The level in which we have treated and nurtured our relationships with others have immensely been hindered. We have an 'Apocalypse Now' mentality. That the world is going to hell, and we just gotta take care of #1. It's what we have been raised to deal with. We sure as hell didn't ask for it. If I had my druthers Santa would be real, not my parents; Disneyland would have been owned by a man who wasn't a fan of Hitler; and that idea we have as kids would ALWAYS be accurate. Unfortunately we were lied to. We can't all be "Whatever we wannna be when we grow up." The difference is is that our parents generation fed us peaceful lullabies to soften the hardships of life. What my generation is gearing themselves to tell their kids seems to be nothing but the harsh realism of life. Which is better? Naivety or somberness? We grew up fast and still don't have it figured out, and what we're seeing is a younger generation (the 90s and 2000s kids) grow up even faster. I've seen 8 year olds who are "over christmas." It's as if most parents are gearing their kids to be machines. Little independent machines who do not need others to thrive.
This hinders our relationships with others. How many times do you genuinely try to make someone of the opposite gender smile? Or make a tiny impression on their day?And how is it perceived (sometimes)? We have become groups of people more paranoid around our own egos and need for little satisfaction; that we sometime's forget about genuine. We look for ulterior motives. Always. What is that person trying to get out of me?
Our generation has made great strides and will probably be the one that makes the biggest changes in this world. I have no doubt in this at all, but it shouldn't be sacrificed in how we all grow together. Even though people of the 30's went through a depression as big as what we are seeing now; they trusted each other. They loved their neighbor. They didn't put 1200 locks on their doors to keep out the neighbor/stranger.
That's my solution to this all: We can become the best, but remember the little victories that keep you from increasing your jadedness. Remember the barista who holds up a whole starbucks drive thru to spend five minutes just chatting with you. Remember people who still open doors for others, and don't just open it for themselves, slamming the door right in your face. These are the people I want to infest the world with. I know I sometimes am no where near as good as this, but we are creatures of environment and that's the environment I choose to grow in.
