In case you hadn’t realized, here we are, smack dab in middle of the teens of the 21st century, and it feels, at least to me, as though we have nothing to show for ourselves. Stupid hypothetical situation time: If the Earth were to suddenly stop spinning and all life were to somehow cease to be, what would frontiers of the future have to remember us by? Selfies.
Laugh all you want but it’s sadly the truth, and while selfies are far from our only ’contribution’ to the culture of humankind, it is what best describes this current generation. Amidst the archives of beautiful artwork and architecture from around the world, the contribution of the last four or so years is paltry in comparison. Going back to the Frontiers again, think about what they would think looking at the absurd amount of pointless photos we send to each other day in and day out. Don’t get me wrong, I too partake in this, but anyone from the outside looking in would see one thing: a society so self-absorbed and narcissistic that all the things in the world are trivialised by this culture we’ve developed.
Where are the geniuses, the inventors, the forward thinkers? The people who will define this generation as something more than narcissistic. I guess this a bit more doom and gloom than I had originally wanted, I mean let’s face it, not much came out of the 90s either, but at least kids of that age were far less absorbed in themselves and more in the world around them.
Though many would point a finger at technology, that isn’t the culprit. How can we blame technology for giving us what we want? And again, not only talking about selfies, but Instagram and Kik as well, to name a few. We, as the users, show this huge want for all being the world’s next best photographer (read with immense sarcasm), that technology bends to our very desires and give us what we want.
Honestly, if the logic shifted away from self-absorption to being selfless, this could actually be one of the greatest generations around. We have already seen apps from UNICEF as well as the Breast Cancer No Make-up Selfie campaign taking advantage of the currently reliance on technology and trends. The No Make-up Selfies campaign alone has raised some £8 million since its inception. An astronomical amount that will surely go to good use.
This is what we need more of, people who decides that ’they’ aren’t the centre of the universe anymore, and step up and do something for someone else. Much like the film Pay it Forward (which if you haven’t seen I strongly suggest that you do). We should all step up and do something to help someone else, and not expecting anything back in return. We need to be selfless. I’m all for selfies, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and Kik, but have them somehow benefit us all.
I’m not asking for insane deeds, that leave you battered bruised and cursing the very day you signed up for the task, but instead do something small to help the people around you. Help out course mates who are struggling to find time to study; go out of your way for someone other than yourself; if you see a person down on their luck, help them. Yes, there may be no tangible reward that you can proclaim on Facebook for getting, but the moral benefit of this outweighs anything physical.
Back to the Frontiers one last time, imagine a world where the youth of this generation left behind its self-absorption and moved towards selflessness, and then our generation will be remembered in a positive light. Heck a tiny act today could very well change the world tomorrow. And with that I would like to sign off with a quote I hold very dear and that relates to this all rather well:
“Even the smallest act of caring for another person is like a drop of water – it will make ripples throughout the entire pond…” ? Jessy and Bryan Matteo