Think of every graduation speech you've heard in your life. Some phrases often thrown about lightly, and seemingly taken in the same manner, include: "you are the future," "the time is coming for you to lead," "the future of civilization is in your hands," and so forth.
As easy as it has been over the years to pay ceremonial lip service to our generation's inevitable ascent, now might be the time to actually start considering what our plans are.
Wikipedia — the research tool most symbolic of our generation's lax attitude toward accuracy — loosely classifies Generation Y as consisting of people born from the starting point of 1976-1982 through the end point of 1995-2001 (although I find it hard to believe that Screech, born in 1977, could be considered a member of the same generation as some five-year-old kid). This definition would seem to indicate that our generation's oldest members — now approaching 30 years of age — are poised to assume positions of great influence shortly.
So, are we ready?
Since our predecessors' examples might be of some help, we ought to look to the most recent cases. First, consider the generation tagged by the self-appointed labeler of generations, Tom Brokaw, as the "Greatest." This uncompromising and determined company arose from impoverished upbringings to overcome nearly every obstacle imaginable (think: the Great Depression, World War II, Hollywood Communists trying to deport all freedom lovers to Siberia [maybe]) and establish — for better or worse — the post-WWII Capitalistic foundations that would come to define the United States indefinitely. This generation's example, if nothing else, ought to afford us the faith that we might actually be able to triumph over some seemingly irresolvable problems.
The contributions made by our parents' generation, the "Baby Boomers," are significantly different from, yet equally important to, those of the "Greatest Generation." Despite their apparent conservative backtracking later in life, the "Baby Boomers" brought about perhaps the most significant cultural changes in U.S. history, as they challenged the status quo at nearly every step during their youthful years. In a way, the greatest achievement of our parents' generation was that of bringing into question the greatest achievement of their parents' generation: the modern American establishment. Unfortunately, for all of the progress they were able to make, the "Baby Boomers" are about to leave us one of the worst burdens ever left by one generation for another.
We are currently in the process of inheriting a very unstable situation in a very uncertain time. Will we be able to sustain our way of life despite the challenges of presently unchecked negative consequences brought upon us by globalization? Can we avoid implosion as we deal with a massive federal debt left to us by our parents while simultaneously trying to guarantee their pensions? Will we be able to maintain a livable environment when all indicators currently point to its exponential demise? Most importantly, will we be able to work toward these solutions together via a civil, productive public discourse?
It's easy to be frightened and it is difficult to be hopeful when considering the possibilities that may lie ahead for us. One wonders if we will be the first American generation for which the future of the world is so uncertain that the question of whether to bring children into it becomes an ethical one. Even scarier, the stability of our own future is all but certain.
But maybe all of this pessimism is unwarranted. Perhaps our generation will surprise everyone, combining the work ethic of the "Greatest Generation" and the political conscience of the "Baby Boomers" to beat the daunting challenges we face and create an era of endless opportunity and high quality of life that can be enjoyed by all.
Perhaps we'll pull it off, but it won't be easy.
