*chooses from Millennial coping mechanisms*
“Are we okay?” is a question I ask my team and group of friends a lot. Sometimes it’s serious (like when someone asks to go drinking) and sometimes it isn’t (like when someone makes a ridiculous typo or makes a green joke—do people still say “green” jokes?). But at the heart of the question is a genuine concern I think we all share. So, are Millennials really okay?
Are Millennials okay?
Here are a few things that concern me about my generation (and if you don’t see it or don’t simply agree, then good for you):
- We complain about our bodies aching from sitting on a computer all day, but we oftentimes don’t have the energy to go outside
- We find it hard to commit and to find genuine relationships, and not enough of us are lucky enough to find someone to marry and have kids with
- We buy small things to make us happy because we can’t actually afford the things people our age ~should~ be purchasing (plants over cars, coffee over condos, court weddings over big receptions)
- We work day jobs and sidelines on top of our day jobs, but look at point three
- We resort to the weirdest coping mechanisms and our sense of humor is 90% deprecating
Again, it makes me wonder: are Millennials really okay?
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An honest answer
Here’s my honest answer, if I may be so bold as to speak for an entire generation of adults who don’t feel like adults.
We are not okay, but we are. We’re okay because we’re still here, and we’re still fighting the good goddamn fight, but we aren’t because we don’t know why we’re fighting or what it is we’re even fighting for. A better life? A more stable future? The possibility of waking up in a Disney movie? We can kid ourselves and hope for it, but if the last five years have taught us anything, it’s that we don’t know when “better” will be achieved—and we know this, but we aren’t ready or willing to give the thought of it up. Right now, we're fighting for tomorrow.
We’re stubborn, but we’re tired. We’re digital natives, but we crave for a life outside the two or six screens we’re too familiar with. We speak up against racism, gender inequality and unfair work practices, but we ignore or put Band-Aid solutions over our personal issues.
But are we going to change?
No, we aren’t. We’re too busy hoping the world will change, and too tired to change ourselves. We’re going through the daily motions because it’s all we can do. We might not be able to go out there and meet new people who will make our lives more fun and spontaneous, but we can make reports, answer emails and send over a few passive aggressive messages. We might not make enough money to feel secure, but we sure know how to pour (and drink) a drink.
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We’re spending our time writing articles like this in the hope of finding someone that can relate—because misery sure does love company—instead of eating lunch despite the fact that lunch break is over, and we skipped breakfast (but never coffee). And after this, we’re going to light a cigarette instead of drink water. Whoops.
Art Alexandra Lara
