It’s true. Millennials
are getting a bad rap in American society lately. With the coming of the Miley Cyrus’ of the
world, many young adults have been pinpointed as lazy, not smart, addicted to
technology and people who lack the drive their parents had.
Well, that’s false.
Recently, a fantastic piece was written in the Huffington
Post that highlighted one of my inspirations and closest friends, William
Thomas, and our organization BLOOM Africa.
(Article can be found here) Finally,
a refreshing piece that lifts up young adults and the leadership roles they’re
taking in society. And, not surprisingly,
William was highlighted due to his constant optimism and tireless work with
BLOOM Africa. Since our founding,
William has been by my side, and when I might feel a sense of discouragement,
William is quick to get me back to a hopeful mentality. It’s William’s strong belief and faith in the
good in the world that keeps him going. And
it has helped me endless times.
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| William and I in Ramabanta, Lesotho 2013 |
But looking back on my friendship with William over the past
several years, I started to think I may have created allusions of grandeur of
what millenials are really like. Heck, a
group of more than 10 constantly volunteer for BLOOM Africa and are deeply
passionate about it. I’ve seen someone
take meeting notes until 2am, barely able to keep her eyes open because she’s
in her third year of medical school. I’ve
seen someone find a passion for service and help organize over 10 national
events. These acts are more constant in
my life than distant, so I really started to think I’m just lucky to have a few
driven friends. But no. The more I attend events, the more I meet
people through work or with BLOOM, I am starting to think my allusions of
grandeur are actually reality. People I’ve
never met are doing amazing things for BLOOM Africa, raising money and
awareness to fight HIV/AIDs, and becoming leaders in their communities. I think there’s a lot of wonderful young
adults out there.
Lately, I’ve been getting a good deal of constructive criticism
from friends. “You are way overcommitted.” “Dude, you are too busy, you need to take more
time for yourself.” I’ve really been
spending a lot of time thinking about this potential hazardous character trait
of mine. Am I too busy? Do I spend too much time working and
volunteering? What are my
priorities? Well. All I can say is that life is my
priority. Your life. The life of a stranger. My life. I just want to be a part of other’s lives,
impact them in any positive way I can, and hopefully strengthen my own. As I recently told a friend, life is precious
and we’re all in this life together. Being
in solidarity is important and what I live for.
I don’t think I’m one of those busy bees to stay involved
because I want to feel accomplished. I don’t
do what I do because I want to “change the world.” And honestly speaking, I don’t think the
world needs to be saved. I think the
world needs to be loved. It’s this love and
hope for the world that keeps me going.
I love this world so much and cannot wait to share its intimacies and
beauty with someone I fall in love with.
I absolutely love hearing people’s stories of why they are who they
are. I get overcome with joy when I get
to share one of life’s joys with a close friend or relative. There is just too much love to go around not
to want to share it.
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| William and I addressing a high school in Roma, Lesotho 2013 |
That is why I am busy.
That is why I am driven to make a positive impact on people’s
lives. I want to be a leader in my
society, in my generation, that stands up for what is right and fights for an
equal and fair world for all.
I know William and I aren’t alone. Take a look around and I’m sure you’ll find a
millennial, seemingly busy, doing some amazing thing in their community. And you may never know how being busy may
just turn into a passion, vocation and love for the world. That sure does give me hope.
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