Keep Running

First off, I'm really excited about the next generation - Generation Z. There's so much talk about Millennials that I think Generation Z has escaped the public eye.. for now. They're incredibly smart, self-aware and are really lucky to be growing up in the time that they are.Really? Now.. during a recession, political unrest, unstable times? Etc. Well.. it's hard for me to personally relate to various generational theories as someone born smack in between Gen X and Gen Y. But I will say that growing up in the 80's, high school in the 90's and entering the work force post dot.com crash meant that the world had great promise. I was fortunate to have missed out on having massive college debt.. but there was still this undertone that us Millennials - or my in-between peers had great promise. That we were going to save the world. Not just be ordinary - but be extraordinary. Beat the system. Excel. Except that other than having Facebook to share and complain - nothing in the world has really changed.

Gender inequality still exists and is a factor that can't be shaken off as those who rule the workforce come from older generations. White men still rule. Many people in power, whether economically or politically, still view those different than them as the "other" - failing to see how the problems of one group of people is a problem for us all. And various groups are still kept down through antiquated, false stereotypes and old unresolved, past battles.

But with this new generation - I believe it's all going to change. A life spent with literally the world at their fingertips has made them more worldly. Instead of pen pals, they literally have a window into someone else's world. In their eyes - will there be an "other?" They have little to stop them in whatever their endeavors. Do they want to code? They can look up a free video or website on how to do it? Become a photographer - download a $2 photo editing app? Learn a new language? The possibilities are endless. They're reaping what we've sowed - the free information that we've created. The insistence on gender neutral toys. The changing perceptions of what it means to eat healthy. What it even means to get an education.

I'm really excited about what's ahead.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs]