No Bad, Just Different Shades of Good

Adverbs be damned. I've been frequently, frustratingly unemployed this year. One job here may give me a few hundred clams. Another job there may give me a few hundred more. There comes a time when you have to ask, "what's wrong with me?"

But my story isn't uncommon. That's both a relief and a cause for alarm. Young people are looking at each other, scratching their heads, and asking "what's wrong with us?" What makes our generation so underqualified? Why are college grads being forced to return to part-time jobs they once held back in high school?

Here's an article my friend Matt Brandenburgh brought to my attention. It does a far better job explaining the situation:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/21/AR2009112102372.html?hpid=topnews

Guys, there is something wrong here. People say "fix the system" as if that phrase was some simple solution. Of course we should fix the system. That's obvious. The question is how do we fix things? Where do you start?

But what is most frustrating is how few people, besides that unlucky minority, really care about the situation. The other day, an employed friend told me that "unemployment was not that bad" and that the "bad times were over." What?!

Friends, this is partially what is wrong. Some of us are looking the other way. The water is on the stove, but it hasn't reached the boiling point. We can't assume there is no problem since it's not affecting us at the time. This is irresponsible and foolish and, besides the curious rise of the Twilight phenomenon, I can't think of a bigger problem plaguing our generation. Where's the fire, guys?

My father once said that the goal of each generation should be to make the next one better. That's great advice, as it provides a singular, motivating idea to drive our days. However, following that advice is might prove difficult for this generation. The problem ranges further than next week's paycheck, so much further than you care to think.

When we were young, we were told that if we stayed in line and got good enough grades, we could be "anything that we wanted to be." Well, now that we've delivered on our end of the bargain, can they, in good conscious, really say that they delivered on theirs?


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