To be born at the turn of the millennium
Is to have lived in two centuries
But have no recollection of one
Yet still be grouped with the negatively connoted “Millennials”
To start preschool the day of 9/11
Is to grow up with a security obsessed government
Without knowing the freedom that was allowed prior
And be accustomed to a world with terror
To live my childhood in a fast-paced suburban environment
Is to function at a high level constantly
Without stopping to acknowledge my problems and feelings
Thus laying the groundwork for issues later
To have been alive during the entirety of the longest US war
Is to not know this country at peace
And to accept the inevitability of war
Yet entirely disagree with it
To grow up with the Harry Potter phenomenon
Is to find refuge in reading
And to morally understand good from evil
Even though in the real-world people are much more complex
To turn double digits during the biggest economic recession since the depression
Is to be aware of a time of economic uncertainty
Where my future with a college degree cannot promise me a job
And I learn to be grateful for all that I do have
To be a young student at the inauguration of the first African American president
Is to know the faces of people with hope
Creating my belief in an equal society
And being naive to the injustice still omnipotent
To be surrounded by the development of technology
Is to be accustomed to constant connection and change
To broadcast my best self on social media
And to have access to news and people all over the world
To go through puberty and teenage-hood in a media saturated society
Is to develop anorexia and crave an unattainable body image
In order to feel in control and achieve perfection
Only to discover the obsession is a life of torment
To be a first-time voter in a tumultuous political climate
Is to be passionate about my beliefs as an active citizen
And to be disheartened by the appalling results
With the election of a racist, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic, reality TV star
To be gaining a college education at a time of increased white supremacy and bigotry
Is to experience disillusionment about how our society functions
And to plunge into an existential depression
That cannot be solved, but only accepted
To come of age during this tumultuous time
Is to be passionate about political, economic, and social justice
To study sociology at the collegiate level
In order to educate myself on societal issues
To work for a better future
Despite my lack of confidence in one
Because of the experiences and events I have endured
