Gen Z's message to generations before

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Today, I stand before you

Without the I-don’t-care front.

 

Today, I stand before you

Without the I’ll- fight-you-to-get-what-I-want armor.

 

Today, I stand before you

Without the I-need-to-please-you badge of honor.

 

Today, I am just me.

 

You say that I have

All the human advancement

And all the information

Right at my fingertips.

You ask why I’m not smarter.

 

You tell me that you used to have to

Go to the library to borrow books.

Sometimes waiting for weeks

To get the information you needed.

You ask why I’m not more grateful.

 

You tell me that I have everything

I could possibly need to succeed.

You ask why I can’t even be trusted

for a simple job.

 

 

Today, I stand before you

Without the I-don’t-care front.

 

Today, I stand before you

Without the I’ll- fight-you-to-get-what-I-want armor.

 

Today, I stand before you

Without the I-need-to-please-you badge of honor.

 

Today, I am just me.

 

Yes, I have all the information

and all human advancement

Right at my fingertips.

But that doesn’t mean

I don’t still have to work hard

To process the information bit by bit.

 

Yes, I may never experience

The eagerness and longing for knowledge

That you’ve experienced.

But that doesn’t mean

I am ungrateful.

 

Yes, it seems that I have

Everything that I could possibly need.

And yet, maybe it’s only because

You don’t know what I need.

 

Today, I stand before you

Without the I-don’t-care front.

 

Today, I stand before you

Without the I’ll- fight-you-to-get-what-I-want armor.

 

Today, I stand before you

Without the I-need-to-please-you badge of honor.

 

Today, I am just me.

 

And I tell you that I am smart.

I am grateful.

I can be trusted.

But I need you to be there for me

To celebrate with me when I succeed

To be by my side when I’m hurt.

 

I am not perfect,

Nor do I want to be.

All I want is for you to see me

For who I really am.

All I want is for you to understand me,

And understand why I have to do things my way.

 

So, I ask you,

Generations before me,

To hear me out.

Give me time.

Be there for me.

Not because you owe me

But because our togetherness

Is what makes life worth it.

Because having you by my side

Means everything to me.