I’ll start off by admitting, yes, I am a teenager. About a month shy from being eighteen. (Socially though, I’m normally accepted as an adult because of the responsibility I have taken.) That said, I sincerely hope such a statement does not bring forth judgment of what I’m about to say.
Teenagers are lazy people. We sit around in school texting our friends, we go home and surf facebook, we forego homework to attend wild parties where we proceed to become utterly and totally trashed, and forget about it the next morning. We backtalk our parents, have unprotected sex, get high, develop destructful habits, and break the law. And then demand that adults respect us and treat us as equals. Adults on the other hand, shoulder the responsibility of a working American. We wise up to the fact that there is more to life than partying, obtain and education and find stable jobs. We provide for those who depend on us, hold our words when neccesary, and excercise cautious judgement over what to say to who, and when and where and how. We learn proper diction, become skilled in the art of diplomacy. This is why adults in a general sense respect each other – regardless of their emotional feelings. Letting your personal opinions of someone influence your treatment of them is something that teens MUST get over.
The world is not a bed of roses, no matter how good or moral a person you think that you might be, or even really might be. There is absolutely no sensible logic behind thinking that if you do everything right and treat everyone fairly that you will have an easy life. I could dredge up any number of famous people but I will refrain in favor of continuing my explanation. Bad things happen to everybody. Everywhere. All the time. The difference between teens and adults is that teenagers are too immature to accept this harsh truth, and instead blame things on themselves, others, global warming, and any number of odd and bizarre things that are totally unrelated. Teens? Grow up. Stop thinking that the world revolves around you and that everything of your little life should be oh-so-perfect. Learn to shoulder some responsibility and take care of yourself.
From the time that we are born, our parents take care of us and make sure that we have everything that we need to survive. Most parents will do their best to keep their children happy, particularly if said children do not grow into picky demanding teens. There comes a time however, when everything needs to stop being about you. When you grow up like that, you realize that you need to take responsibility to do some things yourself. Go get a job, pursue a higher education and have some ambition. Make your life more than just sitting around every day waiting for some golden opportunity to present itself – it won’t. Do something for the world, at least for yourself. Teenagers are a lazy bunch. A selfish bunch. And quite frankly, not very motivated to do anything that doesn’t directly serve their immediate tangible purposes. The world is sadly lacking in strong intellect, knowledge of more than one area, or ability for critical thinking and work ethic.
Employers, politicians, purse-holders – they’re all looking for the same things. They want people who have goals, who know not only how to set them but more importantly how to achieve them. People who have a life and will make something useful of it. People with brilliant and even average minds who know how to use them. People who are willing to try new things, to approach situations in a different way.
So to sum this up, I’ll say this. You can’t have privileges and respect without responsibility. In other words, you can have it handed to you. Don’t demand what society gives its equals when you aren’t prepared to work to be an equal or to even try. Let’s not be a disappointment to the adults of the previous generation, or to the young adults of a half generation before us. Take some responsibility. And please, grow the hell up.
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