Death by iPod and other thoughts on Gen Y

Sometimes, when I see other people in my generation, it makes me feel like the smartest one in the litter. Now anyone who knows me well, can say that I don't think I'm the shizznit or anything, but I feel very comfortable in saying that when I look at others in my age bracket, I feel like I should be in the top 10%. What?! you don't believe me?! Well, fine! Ill give you some examples of why I feel that way.

I can spell. Granted, every now and then, Ill have a mistake, which is pretty normal. But I don't add or subtract letters, I don't write words using numbers. I don't write words using only one letter. In other words, I don't write like everything is a text (and even in my texts I am fairly correct in my spelling). I feel like the English language is being murdered. I shudder to think what literature will be like in 50 years. Perhaps it will cease to exist as the baby boomer generation dies off. A life without books?! No thank you! I don't know about you, but I HATE trying to decipher emails/texts/facebook posts where they write like "DUDE! im 2 crzy 4 U! UR GOIN DWN!" huh?! Or where people always write the same word wrong like 'tomarrow', 'rite' 'brake' instead of 'break' and 'grate' (As in 'I had a great day', not 'There is a grate on the floor'). BAH! DRIVES ME CRAZY!

I don't like my flesh flashing the world, and I hate underwear making grand public entrances on a regular basis. Now I understand that not everyone in my generation does this, and we have SLIGHTLY evolved from the super baggy pants of the mid 90's (remember the ones with the foot long back pockets?) and the jersey type shirts with brightly colored bras underneath, but I still feel great discomfort at seeing someones boxers hanging out. A belt is one of the best accessories to own. I suggest you buy one. I also feel rather uncomfortable at seeing too much of ones decolletage, midriff or thighs. If I wanted to see a naked woman, I'd take a shower, thanks. I avoid swimming pools because all that skin makes me feel rather awkward. I know some people love it because it feels liberating, but for me, being the Queen of White (because red is my only other option and is far less comfortable) I feel very exposed in a swim suit. Ever single flaw in my stark white body is on display, and that's just too much for me. (Yeah, I know...Ill be the bride that hides under the covers having a minor panic attack..but that is an ENTIRELY different story all together.) Anyway, tangent aside, one thing that drives me nuts about my generation is their compelling need to follow the old adage "If you have got it, flaunt it." Ive heard that the sexiest thing about a person is imagination. Its about dressing in a manner that is tasteful and appropriate. Gen Y, its NOT that hard, come on!

I have common sense. I learned at an early age to pay attention to my surroundings. I grew up with a dog who only had three legs, she had been running along side our swather (hay mowing machine) and a loud noise startled her. She jumped into the swather and it cut a leg off. Because of that early instilled lesson that not paying attention can have serious repercussions, I notice things that others won't. Case in point: This morning, my commuter bus was nearing my stop, when a woman walking down the side of the road gradually began to get more in our lane. We all thought she was simply walking around the car next to her, that is, until she was right in the middle of our lane and still hadn't seen us. The driver hit his brakes and I was seriously hoping his tires found purchase instead of locking up and sliding right over her. He got stopped in time, we were about 4 feet away, and this woman still hadn't seen us. The driver honked his horn in frustration and she turned and gave us one of those obnoxious courtesy waves where they aren't waving to be friendly, they wave because the feel socially obligated to acknowledge your presence. I noticed that she had slim, white wires dangling from her ears and we all instantly knew why she hadn't heard the bus rumbling down the road or why she hadn't heard us trying to stop. Her iPod was more than likely cranked up to a decibel level unsafe for human ears at that range. That's fine, I like my iPod just as much as the next person, but when I am walking down the street listening to music, I look several times before I cross the street. Its just common sense. Call me crazy, but I don't think that my music is great enough to die over. I saw a less extreme version while I was in school. People would be walking to class and would have their heads hunched down, buds jammed in their ears, tunes cranked WAY up. No one would talk to anyone else, no one said hi, seemed friendly in any manner, or acted like they cared. I saw a girl sitting on some steps one day on campus, bawling her eyes out. Probably 25 people walked past her, totally ignorant of her distress, wanting to help, I walked toward her, but she was so upset that she jumped up and ran off before I could get close enough to help. It made me sick thinking that so many people are that self absorbed that they can't unplug for 10 minutes. That they can't even stand upright and look the world in the eyes, smile on their face while they jam out to their favorite song.

Ok, so this post is getting a little long, so Ill only share one last thought with you.

Generation Y looks like a bunch of morons. I know this thought was already covered a little bit when I was talking about excess flesh, but this is more than that. My generation has this compulsion to be 'individual'. Right on. I can respect that. But too many of them don't realize that in order to be truly individual, you have to live a life that is full of good works, being true to your divine self, and fulfilling the ultimate role that fate has for you. Getting an exorbitant amount of tattoos, dying your hair snot green and being able to fit 12" rims in your earlobes isn't being individual. Its following a social trend of mock individualism. Being a leader in your community, making a difference, becoming someone that people can look up to, THAT is what being an individual is.

If I could somehow make my voice heard, to tell all my fellow Gen Y'ers something useful, Id tell them to grow up, pull your head out and do something great! We are living in the most technologically advanced time in the history of man. There are very few things that are impossible and we are WASTING it! Life owes you nothing, but you owe your life nothing but the best. Learn from yesterday, live in today and plan for tomorrow.