Friday, March 8, 2013

My Generation

Shout out to @hahishaa for inspiring me to write for this medium again. The last one year has been an exciting one with a lot of ups and downs that will make even an elevator operator dizzy. Over that period, I’ve had reason to feel the various emotions known to man but through it all one thing has remained the same and that is my resolve.

I’m still on the quest for perfection and I know most would consider that a lofty pursuit but what can we do but try. I can easily write one of those “20 something things for something” piece like I did when I turned 25 but then I’d rather not cause my intent transcends the need to come off as being intelligent. This here is inspired by the conviction I have that this generation, my generation, is yet to live up to its full potential.

A lot of today’s youths conceive big dreams without an idea of how they want to bring it to fruition. We have no regards for due process neither do we have the discipline required to follow through on most of our aspirations. I’ll explain the later in due course. Money is the yardstick for measuring success these days and what that has caused is that little emphasis is placed on value and since it’s not on demand, it’s at an all time low.

Looking around these days, one will be amazed by the number of CEOs out there, most of who should still be interns under a more experienced boss. There are the guys that talk more about hustle rather than hustle. We have set unrealistic standards for ourselves and this has made us lose touch with what is important and what is real. We really need to get back to the basics.

If something is wrong with our generation, the fault is not totally ours. We have just developed into what we were raised to become. The bulk of what we know and what is wrong with us were passed down to us by those before us. Having said that, the onus is on us to correct the anomaly so our children and children’s children, won’t pick up from where we left off.

Personally, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not perfect. Once upon a time in my life, I was a serious screw up. People that knew me back then can tell. It took fucking things up extremely to get my act together again and I’m still doing that right now. My mum used to tell me that what I didn't understand back then will be revealed to me over time.

It’s ok to fuck up but it’s a crime to stay a fuck up. It’s ok to not have a big dream and instead have a penchant for helping others fulfill their dreams. It’s ok to be lacking in material substance but make up for it in potential and good character. It’s ok to be different and unique rather than conform and join the band wagon. It’s ok to stay true to one’s self and have a strong sense of personal identity rather than indulge in self deceit.

A wise man once told me, “it’s better to own 1% of 1 billion naira rather than own 100% of 1 million naira.

We all have to gravitate towards a state of collective consciousness.

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