Written by Maddi Roman |

“The norm” of our generation has officially become abnormal. It is natural that each generation has a goal to provide their children with greater privilege than they were fortunate to have. The problem lies in the fact that our generation has become entitled to being spoiled. We are overindulged in expensive clothing and have become accustomed to living off of our parents. We often drive the cars our parents have bought, and most everyone above 8th grade owns a laptop. Most concerning is the thought that nearly every child who has surpassed the age of 10 owns a cellphone; even more shocking is the high likelihood that these are iPhones. As each year passes, the “generational norm” becomes more abundant. It is often expected that our parents aid us in paying our college tuitions, some above 50,000 dollars per year. Because we have grown up in an era of technological progress, with parents who know how to work in order to survive, we have become an entitled generation.

Have you ever looked around you, and mentally placed yourself in another person’s shoes? Imagine if you were the person sitting next to you, or across from you. An idea that we must begin to understand and write into our brains is that the world does not revolve around us. This is the greatest problem our generation is facing. There are roughly seven billion people in the world. It’s infuriating to see people of our age group on social networking sites constantly complain about problems that do not exist. Sure, in our mind, we have troubles. But if we just open our eyes a little wider, and realize how much opportunity and fortune we have been graced with, we will begin to solve the escalating problems that are the baggage of our generation.

Happiness is defined as “good fortune, pleasure, contentment, joy.” This definition has become corrupt. We are living in a country, the United States of America, that is red with good fortune and pleasure, yet the contentment and joy are not apparent.

The map is obvious; we are fortunate. Not all of us, but the majority. Take advantage of the world you live in. Realize that no single person is the center of the universe. Do something that benefits others rather than yourself. Thank your parents for all of the treasures they have given you, whether it be a bed or a car. The only way our entitled generation will be fixed, is if we come to these realizations.

This post can be classified as advice. You don’t have to take it, however I just felt that my opinion should be shared and considered.

Disclaimer: Not everyone is spoiled, rather, a majority.