Times have surely changed since I was a kid
The Way I See It
by DON WEST
The young people today who are attending college are designated the “y” generation. According to the web, they are a generation who desire reinforcement and encouragement. They are in need of mentors which, to me, means they are lacking independence. That means that we, as parents/grandparents, have not done our jobs in teaching them to be self-sufficient. They are dependent upon others, and us, which is probably the reason there are so many whiners. The “y” generation must be a euphemism for the “whi” or “whiners” generation. Why can’t I have more money? Why can’t I have a new dress? Why can’t I have a new car? Why can’t I park next to my desk at college? Why do I have to walk so far to class? Why can’t I bring my Xbox to class? Why am I not entitled to an education? Why do I have to work?
I know that we, as parents, have always wanted better for our children than we had as youngsters. Problem is, I think we have gone a little overboard. I have watched the most recent generation become accustomed to driving everywhere, including across the street to visit. There are children in my neighborhood who are driven to school everyday, though they live no more than two or three blocks from the school. The voting public complained that there was no sidewalk on which they could walk, so the city built a sidewalk, but the kids are still being driven or drive the two or three blocks to school. Check out a school zone anywhere in the city and look at the vehicles burning $4 per gallon gasoline to create traffic snarls so that little Johnny and Mary don’t have to walk.
I realize times have changed since we were kids, but have the changes been for the good? I walked to every school that I attended, with few exceptions. Yes, there were a few kids who were fortunate enough to have a vehicle, but it was probably no more than 1 in 100. Most of us walked, and when we walked we socialized. We learned to interact, communicate, make friends, and settle differences. Even when I attended college, some 200 miles away from home, I walked to every class, to my job, and almost anywhere else I needed to go. Though I wouldn’t recommend it in today’s world, I also hitchhiked back and forth when I wanted to come home for a weekend.
We have recently heard of the Wall Street protesters whining because corporate America has hurt their feelings by not hiring them in top positions just because they had a college degree. The audacity of this “y” generation continues to flabbergast me with their demands of entitlement. The latest complaint from the whiners is that the parking arrangements at a nearby university are unfair because they have to walk too far to class. I say, suck it up, and be thankful you have the opportunity to attend college, and actually drive to a nearby parking lot in your $20,000 (give or take $15,000) vehicle that you likely did not contribute a dime towards its purchase. It’s time a few generations learn to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, take the imitative to become self-sufficient, and be grateful for the opportunities their parents and grandparents have sacrificed to provide for you. This world owes you nothing, so you need to expect nothing unless you earn it. Just because you passed a few classes in your first years of college doesn’t mean you have “earned” executive parking privileges. When you graduate, get a job, and actually work your way up, then you just might have earned a better parking spot, along with an acceptable salary and maybe some company benefits. It shouldn’t be handed to you, and any company that does will probably not be a company for very long. You are entitled to nothing. Life is a gift, and what you do with it will provide the result you want to attain.
Short URL: http://www.jenningsdailynews.net/?p=13397
Posted by Graphic Designer 2
on Aug 23 2012. Filed under Editorial Columns.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
