Why Millennials Need to be the Best Generation in History

I was excited to write a piece for the Millennial quest blog. I had a snarky piece started addressing the common hashtag #adulting, but felt that with the current state of events here in the states, a hopeful piece for the future was more appropriate. Enjoy. (Authored by Matt Peterson)

Millennials can know everything. We are the first generation that has access to the sum of most of human knowledge and understanding all at once at our fingertips all the time. We’re the first generation to grow up using personal computers. We begged our parents for cell phones, smart phones, and we’re forcing them to update and connect as well.

At the same time as our ability to learn and understand is expanding, so is the amount of knowledge and wisdom. Science is accomplishing and studying things generations past could only dream about. There are new avenues for study, new tools for processing, and new methods of distribution. We have a better understanding of this planet and how it works every time we open up our news apps.

Which leaves us as millennials in a weird place. The great machine of knowledge that is the internet is showing some trends. As it turns out, humans haven’t been treating the earth with the respect it deserves. We are also not treating other humans with the dignity they deserve. If we look, we are able to see gross inequity and suffering in the most prosperous era in human history and visible disintegration of the processes required to support life on the only place that we’re certain can support our species.

But where there are problems, there are also solutions. The problems we now face aren’t minor inconveniences, and if we don’t do something, there’s a pretty good chance it will be too late to completely recover from the damage we’ve caused.

The planet needs us immediately. We need to start thinking like the Iroquois – the name of the six joined Native American nations living in the Northeast United States and Canada. Decisions we make today need to be, in part, for the benefit of the generation 7 from now. I can’t replicate the quote with my own words and do it justice, so from Chief Oren Lyons writing of The Constitution of the Iroquois Nations: The great Binding Law:

“In all of your deliberations in the Confederate Council, in your efforts at law making, in all your official acts, self interest shall be cast into oblivion. Cast not over your shoulder behind you the warnings of the nephews and nieces should they chide you for any error or wrong you may do, but return to the way of the Great Law which is just and right. Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground -- the unborn of the future Nation”

With this idea, we begin to see where there will be tension. Our capitalist, American Dream, work-your-way-to-the-top, sports cars, enhancement surgeries, ego-driven ideals, the thought of making a decision with the intent to benefit someone else doesn’t seem fair. We got to this point because people were focused on elevating their own quality of life and now Millennials have to make decisions that put our own interests aside in favor of those of people we won’t get to meet.

Here’s the first step to greatness for millennials – put the planet first. We have one. It’s done a great job with humans so far, but we need to start giving back. We can’t keep burning oil or discarding chemicals into waterways, or even regularly eating meat. Our efforts must be dramatic and sustainable. This means we’ll have to make concessions on the luxuries that the generations before us were able to enjoy endlessly. And instead of investing in our own wellbeing, we need to invest in the wellbeing of our planet. I will not have a house as spacious as my parents because it takes more than my fair share of the resources to build and maintain. Instead of putting money into additions and amenities, I’ll put it in to renewable energy, better insulation, and more efficient living solutions.

And yes, this will be good for my pocketbook as well since it will hopefully mean I’m able to spend less on my utilities. It’s not sexy, and it likely won’t pay for itself, but it’s how I will need to live to make room for the still growing population and the nature that I don’t want to lose.

But if we stop there, we’re the greatest generation since the Iroquois. What will set us apart is our concern and care for people across the planet. Apps like Twitter and Periscope allow us to spread raw news instantly across the globe. We can get cameras into plants that produce the electronics that keep us connected. We can witness the oppression of entire nations by powerful regimes. It’s what we do with this information that will make us the greatest.

Right now, if you’re curious for a specific example of human problems, you should ask your phone how many people die of hunger every year. One of the first results will tell you that 18,000 children die every day of hunger. And you’ll find that 850 thousand are hungry and malnourished. If curiosity then leads you to go on, you’ll find that it would take about 1/10^th of the US’s military budget for the next decade to eliminate hunger. Maybe we could make some concessions here and overseas to make food available to everyone in the world.

When we start caring as much for the person building our iPhones as we do for the person who shows them to us on stage in Cupertino, then we will, in my opinion, become the greatest generation in history. There are plenty of sayings from plenty of wise people: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” “a chain is as strong as its weakest link,” etc. We have the highest capacity for compassion and the means to help now better than ever before.

And we care. The numbers support us tending in this direction.  61% of us feel personally responsible to change the world and 84% of us would rather know we’re doing good than get recognition at our jobs. A whopping 92% of our generation believes that we should judge the success of our businesses using more than just the profits.

It’s not going to be easy, especially since we’re so buried in debt we can hardly imagine not having student loan payments, car payments, mortgage payments, and credit card payments that we are trying to figure out what it means to have savings. We’ll have to get ourselves on the iPhone plan that renews every 2 years instead of every 12 months. Maybe we’ll live with more shared amenities instead of personal luxuries. We’ll be inventing amazing things in the near future to stop from burning fuels and creating waste, and we’ll be spreading wealth as far as we can. It’s the right thing to do. We can know and can see it. All we need to do now is change to adapt to this new understanding of what it takes to be a successful human. It’s up to Millennials, and we’re ready for the challenge and poised to create change.

And if any of the older generations have found themselves reading this, maybe consider a little less complaining about us living in your basement or retiring a bit early to help us out on our great millennial quest. We’d appreciate all the help we can get!