The Millennial Falcon - How a Jilted Generation Can Still Make the Jump to Light Speed

Ahh, Millennials! The proverbial scapegoat to all the Summers of our discontent, the veritable red-headed step-child of our generational family. The Millennials are often viewed much like the character of Sam in The Walking Dead: whiny, obnoxious, an unnecessary weak link constantly demanding cookies. We see them on school campuses across the nation, huddled in safe spaces, molding Play-Doh in their own image. We write them off as vapid little snowflakes, petulant crybabies and lazy, self entitled brats. We roll our eyes whenever they decry injustices against them, claiming they're mere pantywaists tilting at windmills.

But what if we're wrong?

Sure, there are solid cases of members of the "Lamest Generation" perpetuating the stereotype and rightly being branded with a scarlet L, but as with any group, these individuals solely exist to give the rest a bad name. I admit, I used to view the Millennials with disdain normally reserved for corrupt politicians and Game of Thrones villains, until I came to two revelations: 1) I actually am a Millennial (somewhat to my own chagrin) and 2) it's not entirely our fault. After a lengthy conversation with a good friend of mine, we came to conclude that Millennials by and large are resourceful, creative and enterprising - mainly by necessity.

Most of us came of age during a decimated economy with perhaps the fewest options for vocational opportunity and success since the Great Depression. That's not an exaggeration, that's a fact. A mere forty years ago, a college graduate could practically secure a six-figure job fresh from his graduation ceremony. Compare that to the 65% of twenty-something graduates living with their parents at the beginning of the millennium and you've got yourself a sobering statistic. Suddenly, those degrees and letters after our name meant nothing. Zilch. Bupkis. The hopes and dreams of putting our hard-learned skills to good use and securing for ourselves a little slice of success were shattered seemingly overnight. Can you blame us for whining just a little? Can you blame anyone at all?

You sure could!

You could blame the generations before, the Greatest Generation for spoiling their children who never knew what it meant to do without. You could blame the Boomers for wallowing in their pre-fab comfort and later demanding "peace and love" like they knew what the hell they were talking about. Blame Generation X who coddled not only themselves but their children, passing out gold stars just for showing up. You could blame all of these and more...

Or you can suck it up and rise above it.

As Millennials, we have opportunity perhaps now so more than ever. Technology, society and yes even the economy have vastly improved in just the last five years. We have ways to make our voices heard and our talents known that previous generations could only dream of. No one ever claimed it would be easy, or that we wouldn't face challenges. No, life isn't fair - that's the truth about life. You want to shrug off this mantle of "Lamest Generation?" Create a legacy. Leave the world better than you came into it. Stand for something great. Rise above the trials, hardships, disparities and division and prove your critics wrong. Blaze your own trail and become the stuff of legend!

Or stay huddled in your "safe spaces." The choice is yours.