The ‘Me’ generation?! Really?

I hear, from time to time, declarations by the older and supposedly more experienced life-veterans, accusations that my generation is the ‘me’ generation. They blame most, if not all, of today’s society ills, from misbehaving children to the unproductivity of employees to the breakdown in family values, on this fact.

From my point of view I think they have it all wrong. this is in fact, not a ‘me’ generation. A true ‘me’ generation would require that you never think of yourself first. Let me explain.

If I wanted everything to be about me, then I should expect that everyone that I meet should be putting my needs before their own. by extension I am also included in the “everybody” to someone else. So I too, must put my neighbors first, which means I should not behave in a selfish manner, but be more cognizant to what my neighbor (the person in the line behind me, someone walking alongside me on the sidewalk or mall, a driver in traffic with me, the server at a restaurant etc.) needs are at our moment of contact.

With this in mind, and using the natural laws of morality and ethics, I should deal with my neighbor, as though they are more important than me, as I am to them, by way of the same reasoning.
This utopia will result in the real ‘me’ generation, where you will always be the center of your contacts circle.

What we have existing now, is not a ‘me ‘ generation but an isolationist generation, where each of us surrounds ourselves with a wall of solitude, ignorant of the needs of anyone but ourselves, oblivious to the true rewards that come from the sharing of lives, ambitions, frailties, loves and hopes, that enrich us as a people and in fact, makes us more human in every way, every day.

So, lets be good children and listen to our elders, if they are calling this the ‘me’ generation then lets make it a true ‘me’ generation by destroying our walls of solitude and putting our neighbors first!