This is my second post on how young people can stop screwing themselves over. (Note: this piece will mostly be based on anecdotal evidence and detailed observations as opposed to scientific studies). Anyway, I am quite certain that youths today are too distracted by nonsensical baloney and they would do well to heed my criticisms and get their priorities in order.
My first complaint is against cell phone usage. I have no problem with cell phones per se (I am not a Luddite); my issue is with their ubiquitousness. You see, it is impossible to walk down the street in any city without being bumped into by someone who is posting a stupid status update on his or her Facebook while holding a video chat with his or her BFF while looking up directions to the nearest Baby Gap. It is almost as if many young people are totally unaware of the world because they are solely utilizing technology for socializing purposes and never for informational purposes.
I wish young people would take a step back from their mobiles and chill out; they need to recognize that it is unnecessary to post Facebook updates from their cells every time they buy a new pair of shoes or have an exceptionally stinky bowel movement. Instead of wasting their precious (and fleeting) time texting, updating Facebook 26 times every day, and having long-winded IM chats about nothing, young persons should try to take a step back and think some deep thoughts about life, love, happiness, and death. Actually considering some of the greatest puzzles that have ever vexed our race (such as the topics I just mentioned) may impact the world: Facebook updates primarily impact Mark Zuckerberg's pockets.
My next complaint is against the excessive sports coverage young people pay attention to. I love sports as much as anyone else, but, for the love of God, why do you need to know every single score at every moment of the day? How exactly does any of this impact your lives? There are more important things going on in the world than the Heat/Celtics playoff series. For instance, people are being slaughtered in Syria and Libya by oppressive dictators, our fellow Americans are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our government is on the brink of bankruptcy. Why aren't the people in my generation paying more attention to stuff like this?
In the grand scheme of things, whoever wins the NBA championship should not matter (the winners only won a few silly games after all); however, they will probably be remembered for generations to come. On the other hand, the young men and women who died in Afghanistan and Iraq will eventually be forgotten despite the fact that they made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our country. This situation is absolutely shameful and speaks volumes about the priorities of our people. Does this embarrass any of you? I sure hope it does; if a lot of you are embarrassed, there may be some hope for the future of our nation.
I know a lot of young people will make foolish decisions and forget about their priorities (I certainly screwed up, too). My advice for them is simple: learn from those errors. If one misses an opportunity, he or she should jump all over the next chance. If he or she does poorly in a class, he or she should make sure to pay more attention to school. Essentially, I want my generation to make success a priority.
Finally, this is the most important thing I can tell my fellow young people to do: learn how to think critically and logically. The ability to truly think is probably the best attribute any decent human being can have.
If you follow these tips, you will live a considerably more happy and prosperous life. And you may even help fix our ailing country.
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