Originally a 'side note' in my previous entry...
To the ‘slightly younger folk' ... a plea, if you will: be gentle with those of us who are just a little older than you are (well, with everyone, but I’m speaking selfishly here for my fellow thirty-somethings).
There has been such a shift in society (both good and bad) within our lifetimes, and my ‘sub-generation’ truly has been kind of ‘stuck in the middle’ in some ways - aware of and glad for the newer freedoms and self-acceptance and material abundance for which we as humans have striven, but not so comfortable in it that we always behave confidently with it, and we’re sometimes judged harshly for it … sometimes most harshly (in my own experience) by younger folks who seem to forget that what they take for granted hasn’t always been so (and I know this goes clear across the board with all generations, but there seems to be a dismissing arrogance which terrifies me amongst some of the ‘younger crowd’).
Some examples, if I may. The incredible technological strides with things such as the internet have created a world in which, even if you are being bullied at your own high school or within your own community, you can click a few buttons and know without doubt that you are not alone in your ‘weirdness’ or ‘abnormality’ or desire to dress a certain way, etc. Such was not the case when I was in high school. Things such as ‘body image’ and self-acceptance weren’t really discussed (and we certainly didn’t have entire curricula around those central ideas) and the simple act of wearing a tank top from which a bra strap peeks is a newly-embraced freedom for me (… and just forget about ‘cleavage pants’). I remember when streaking your hair with Sun-In was a big deal. Or simply dyeing it a deep auburn or - gasp - platinum blonde. When I got a helix piercing (upper edge of ear), it was a relatively ‘forward’ example of self-expression (and my family lived in Long Island, NY, at the time, which is not exactly the middle of nowhere). Ah, perspective.
Embrace with wisdom and appropriate responsibility your freedom to speak and expect to be heard, your freedom to dress as you wish (for the most part), the encouragement to follow your dreams (so prevalent a message in recent years), the accessibility of information and ability to bring to fruition some of those dreams via avenues such as self-publishing, etc. Embrace your self-confidence, while encouraging the same in others (true confidence has room for others to enjoy success, the spotlight, their own self-confidence, etc.), and never allow its counterfeit (conceit) to blind you.
Speak with authority on things for which you can, but always be cautious about making absolute statements (even on something as simple as, “The B train goes to Newtonville”) unless you are absolutely sure… don’t state an opinion as fact or you’ll look like an ignorant fool (redundant?), even if no one lets you know you do. Remember that, while the ‘squeaky wheel’ might get the grease, it’s an annoying sound and it’s usually greased to shut it up. What do I mean by that? I’m not entirely sure, but I think there’s something to it.
I know there is actually nothing new here, but for some reason felt compelled to get some of this stuff out and direct it where I have... thanks for bearing with me.
There has been such a shift in society (both good and bad) within our lifetimes, and my ‘sub-generation’ truly has been kind of ‘stuck in the middle’ in some ways - aware of and glad for the newer freedoms and self-acceptance and material abundance for which we as humans have striven, but not so comfortable in it that we always behave confidently with it, and we’re sometimes judged harshly for it … sometimes most harshly (in my own experience) by younger folks who seem to forget that what they take for granted hasn’t always been so (and I know this goes clear across the board with all generations, but there seems to be a dismissing arrogance which terrifies me amongst some of the ‘younger crowd’).
Some examples, if I may. The incredible technological strides with things such as the internet have created a world in which, even if you are being bullied at your own high school or within your own community, you can click a few buttons and know without doubt that you are not alone in your ‘weirdness’ or ‘abnormality’ or desire to dress a certain way, etc. Such was not the case when I was in high school. Things such as ‘body image’ and self-acceptance weren’t really discussed (and we certainly didn’t have entire curricula around those central ideas) and the simple act of wearing a tank top from which a bra strap peeks is a newly-embraced freedom for me (… and just forget about ‘cleavage pants’). I remember when streaking your hair with Sun-In was a big deal. Or simply dyeing it a deep auburn or - gasp - platinum blonde. When I got a helix piercing (upper edge of ear), it was a relatively ‘forward’ example of self-expression (and my family lived in Long Island, NY, at the time, which is not exactly the middle of nowhere). Ah, perspective.
Embrace with wisdom and appropriate responsibility your freedom to speak and expect to be heard, your freedom to dress as you wish (for the most part), the encouragement to follow your dreams (so prevalent a message in recent years), the accessibility of information and ability to bring to fruition some of those dreams via avenues such as self-publishing, etc. Embrace your self-confidence, while encouraging the same in others (true confidence has room for others to enjoy success, the spotlight, their own self-confidence, etc.), and never allow its counterfeit (conceit) to blind you.
Speak with authority on things for which you can, but always be cautious about making absolute statements (even on something as simple as, “The B train goes to Newtonville”) unless you are absolutely sure… don’t state an opinion as fact or you’ll look like an ignorant fool (redundant?), even if no one lets you know you do. Remember that, while the ‘squeaky wheel’ might get the grease, it’s an annoying sound and it’s usually greased to shut it up. What do I mean by that? I’m not entirely sure, but I think there’s something to it.
I know there is actually nothing new here, but for some reason felt compelled to get some of this stuff out and direct it where I have... thanks for bearing with me.