This generation can change the world

And we don’t even have to get off our laptops

 

My generation cannot hide from the world

There is no distance

Ukraine is next door.

West Africa across the street.

The hungry are everywhere.

 

My generation cannot avoid the reality of our world

And we don’t even have to leave our Twitter feeds

 

My generation can wallow

My generation can pretend

But we cannot hide or ignore

 

All it takes is initiative

And that’s what we boast of on our resumes

Right?

 

We can build walls of apathy

And tell ourselves it doesn’t matter

But even what is not important matters

We are all validated

We are millennials, after all

 

So we know that all achievement can be rewarded

No matter how small

 

So if our achievements

No matter how small

Are rewarded

How can we ignore

The suffering

The fighting

The starving

The dying

The terrible

…and the good

 

Once upon a time, the world was a big place

And to see it you had to stand up

And leave the comfort of your life

But now we can take a stand

From our lazy boys and dorm rooms

From our couches and coffee shops

 

So why don’t we?

Stand up.

Shout out.

 

We could even leave our Wi-Fi signals

And reach out.