FUTURE & MILLENNIALS

Thrive or Collapse?

JoAnna Bennett

JoAnna Bennett, O’Brien Communications Group

8 March 2018

Millennials are not the first generation that seemed to be screwed or overly lazy. Think of a 30-year-old in 1930, struggling to find employment, standing in food lines, and running to the polls to vote for FDR. Think of a 30-year-old hippie in 1969, spending four days at a concert, taking drugs and preaching the insane idea of peace on earth.

You see, the problems that millennials are facing are not new. The problem is that we are now able to talk about them on a larger scale with a larger audience. We may seem to be more doomed than generations passed, but that is because we are able to see the potential downfall in a much more real way than ever before. Even though it may be a little harsh, Christopher Rufo may have a good point, “Yes, young people, the economy is stacked against you. But sitting on your hands and complaining about it won’t do any good.”

There will come a point at which the control of our country and its future is on the shoulders of millennials. At that point, we will be able to find a proper way to critique their sensibilities. How can we judge an entire generation before it is given the chance to lead the way? Will millennials thrive when they are given control? Or will society collapse? I guess there is only one way to tell.

Wait

If we have learned anything from America’s past, it would be that we are not a nation that easily throws in the towel. If the question is, “Will we thrive or will we collapse?” I am willing to bet on the former. We are a hearty bunch.

As FDR said many years ago, “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”