Cowardice

I'm just going to come out and say it:

This is the generations of cowards.

cow·ard

[ ˈkou(ə)rd/ ]

noun

a person who lacks the courage to do or endure dangerous or unpleasant things

Now, before you get worked up, before you develop a speech protecting yourself, just hear me out. Please understand that I am guilty of the same.

We are found hiding behind every comment posted on social media; blaming social anxiety for refusing any human interaction; unregretfully drowning our feelings with alcohol; overly concerned about appearance, meanwhile preaching it has no value; rephrasing what we mean to say, so no one gets offended; running statistics of unsolvable problems, instead of putting in action for a solution; depending on others to pick up the slack; watching people with hard times and comparing it to your own life.

People, these are habits that we all have succumb to, me included, older generations included, but we cannot use the term "habit" as an excuse.

Here's a thought: keep scrolling through social media when you disagree with a post, instead of commenting paragraphs of your opinions that is not going to change others'; talk to strangers when you're waiting in line, compliment that girl with the cute dress, ask an elderly person how they are doing--you'll be amazed how happy it makes you and them; put down your alcohol one weekend and address your feelings with the people who hurt you; stop making fun of the way people look and point out non-superficial qualities you like about them AND yourself; start saying what you mean, chances are people already know when you sugarcoat things, but also sincerely apologize; collaborate with others and advocate for those struggling after reading surprising statistics; go above and beyond what you were told to do, help others and they will be more inclined to help you, too; stop using other's pain to comfort yourself in midst of your situation--instead, see what you can do to help, then everyone feels better.

I know that me saying these things won't magically solve the cowardice that faces our generation, but with the effort of many, we could see big things happen. If you just take the cowardly lion's story out of the Wizard of Oz, he needed a lost girl, a heartless tin man, and a brainless scarecrow to tackle what he needed to. Though they did not find an answer in the first place they looked, the journey itself provided much wisdom for the gang.

Find people to invest in, who will invest in you as well, and take pride in your journey.