The millennial generation has had access to an unprecedented wealth of resources as technology has advanced. For some, this access has led to hope for a generation that will aspire to change the world, from spreading the story of self-immolating fruit-seller in Tunisia to offering the solidarity of ones virtual self to the fight against race discrimination against a young boy in Florida,
as Abigail puts it. For others, technology might serve to drown out our voices, with the strength of ours views and values being lost amid millions of voices. However, there seems to be one value of our generation that is remarkably persistent and almost comical – our rejection of the high prioritization of the acquirement of wealth.
One often finds that the Millennial Generation has a list of priorities and goals when it comes to changing the world, from improving the rights of women, to creating non-profits, to using science to benefit the environment and medical research, to being elected to office – however, in recent years, I would contend that one of the priorities that was fallen by the wayside is the importance of making money. Naturally, there are always those whose greatest ambition is to make it big on Wall Street, but this rejection of monetary gain appears to be a most heartening trend among adolescents today. Members of our generation seem more focused on finding meaning and happiness in life than on finding a high paying job straight of college. It seems odd and inexplicable, but it does help explain the preponderance of student-run NGOs and non-profits and the growing start-up culture. Perhaps the Recession was been discouraging enough to deter the Millennial Generation from amassing wealth for the sake of wealth (Indeed
#GSElevator is enough to keep me away from an MBA). Either way, the fierce liberal in me is always heartened to hear how fellow students stake their own futures and welfare for the sake of others.
Francis Fukumaya believed that widespread movement towards liberal democracy would lead to some degree of conformity, maybe evident in our fashion choices, music preferences or literature selections. No one wants to be
a conformist, but if my generation is moving towards a desire to prioritize happiness and making a difference in the world, I’m happy to follow the herd.
