Dear Youth of Today,
I don’t feel that it is my place to give advice. Too often advice can be preachy and create an even bigger generational gap because the advice giver sounds as if they have all the answers. I can assure you, I don’t. My lived experience, my perspective, my privilege and my background greatly differs from yours. However, while I won’t offer advice, I would like to offer some thoughts. These thoughts are offered humbly to those facing injustices.
I think in life we face moments where we can be courageous. These moments vary in size and importance. We know these moments because deep down we will feel the uncomfort and unshakable feeling that we are faced with a choice. In my life I have often approached moments like this with great cynicism, treating the issue as if it wasn’t my own or the problem was bigger than me. Being cynical was the easy solution for me. I was able to shake the uncomfort by moving away from the problem because I wasn’t the one perpetrating it, move on because my life wasn’t being impacted, move on because it was easier. I can tell you now, these moments do not go away. We are constantly being put in these situations where we are given the opportunity to be courageous or show tremendous compassion. You will have the opportunity to place yourselves at the center of the solution.
Like I was saying, I am not writing this as advice. I simply have found that the more we care about what people think, the more likely we are to make excuses, brush injustice off and be okay with the status quo. To break my own rule of not offering advice, let me offer some. Be yourself and don’t let people stop you from making a difference because we have enough of our own doubts and hesitations to deal with already. I know I could use a little of my own advice.
Sincerely,
David McKean
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