We’re living in spectacular times.
We have a generation of grown up kids that have lived more experiences than our previous generations thanks to the advent of immediate, ubiquitous connectivity. We have the modern-day global encyclopedia at our fingertips. And we use it. Often for stupid shit, like (insert mundane google search here). But other times, we’ll be at home, chilling, consuming some culture, like Revolver by Guy Ritchie or something, and we stop and think…what the fuck was this dude thinking? And then you google Kabbalah, and you trip out on some knowledge for a couple hours before you pass out cold, thinking, actually? That was pretty fucking good movie.
Anyway, back to the millennial generation. Most of us have had the pleasure and privilege of traveling. Most of us have had sex, done drugs, rocked and rolled by the time we hit 18. We’ve watched and related to more movies than we can count. Way more stories than our grandparents ever consumed, ever “lived”, however so vicariously. We have, and I say this with equal concern and excitement, all the music, ALL THE MUSIC, at our fingertips. This is an awesome, but sadly undervalued fact of our times. All of this.
Because I met a girl that can tell me what rosé tastes like in Saint Tropez laying on a private cabana at Les Voiliers. But then I met another that can tell me what the same bottle of rosé tastes like when you’ve saved up a few months of your hard, independently earned paper, paid for your own flight to France, and chilled on one of the few, yet not widely promoted, local secret spots, free of charge. I guess what I’m trying to say is: the steak always tastes better when the dish is paid for by your own toil and hustle. Or more to the point, we have lived so much, but, how much have it have we earned? Because it is what we earn out of all we’ve lived that gives us value as a generation.
We’ve stuffed our faces for over three decades with a feast of culture (granted, a vast majority western, but all cultures are available for those that are truly interested) and hopefully, some wide experience as well. So, what the is left? We have the whole banquet in our mouths, and we’re sat there, not knowing what the fuck to do with it…but chew.
Let’s chew. And lets chew quick and steady. I don’t care how much of a nihilist this social diagram has made you, we are living in SPECTACULAR times. Huge waves are in motion. We either ride one, swim deep and wait for the next one, or tumble and drown at the mercy of the sea of constant change. Any surfer knows, its not the best idea to go surfing on a full stomach. So, chew the metaphor, chew the culture and experience you have acquired through your beautifully unique life, chose a wave, and ride it as you see the world change.