Dear World.

Rant About Life

The world is a big place isn't it? It makes you feel small, doesn't it? Well it makes me feel like that at least. Everything seems like a distraction, trying to grab our attention just for another minute and keeping us entertained. Like how news outlets chose the worst thing to report, even when good outnumbers bad 10 to 1. It's no different then me writing longer, more interesting chapters. We all want attention, because we feel small in this huge world.

It's so tiring, and boring. Yes, I want to be something more then I already am, but why does that mean that I have to waste your time? I don't want to force you to read something, when I know it's only to keep you there. I want my purpose to be to make you smile for a little longer, not just keep you reading.

This brings me back to the news. As I said, they refuse to report the good because bad captures attention. Despite the overwhelming amount of bad we see, it is a great time to be alive. Average life expectancy, is higher then it's ever been. Poverty is down 20% since 1990, and things are still getting better. Yes, some of us suffer more then others, but when you zoom out and look at the big picture, the human race is doing better then ever.

So why do what I do? If it's so great, what are you even doing? Great question! the simple answer is, it's not perfect. In fact, far from it. Depression is a serious issue among all age groups, some more then others. While writing isn't as effective as medication, I hope it will help prevent it. As I like to say, a smile a day keeps the depression away. (I know, so original.) That's why making people smile is such a huge deal for me. Because no matter how much better things are now, it's never perfect. My honest goal has remained the same. Make the world a better place, and spread smiles world wide.

It seems like a weird way to go about it, doesn't it? With our small attention spans, movies and television seem like a much better way to make people smile, right? I'd agree, for those of us with the power to watch those things, they are much better. However, there is a better way to reach more people. Imagination. Everyone has it, and with a little guidance, it can take you into someone else's world. When you read a book, you get to look into the author's mind and see every cool idea and every crazy story they've dreamed up. And while not as attention grabbing as movies and TV, the are much cheaper then movie tickets. With a movie, you can only live the experience once. With a book, you can read, reread, and share it with everyone else. You can live that dream as many times as your heart desires.

Finally, I wanted to touch on something about my generation. For those of you who don't know, I'm 15 making me apart of generation X. Most would look at us as lazy, prideful, and expecting too much from too little work. While, yes this is mostly true, it's not entirely our fault. We grow up having more things than any other generation before us. We have all of the advances making things easier then ever. Not only is it not all our fault, not all of us are like this.

Yes, it's nice to know what to expect from people before getting to know them, but don't just label them and assume that's all there is. Throughout high school, I've met some of the greatest people ever. While yes, I have also met someone of the worst people, I don't let that overshadow the good. In fact, even though my first impression of my best friend was "he's the class clown", I soon learned that that's not all there is to him.

Many of us will surprise you if you label us as lazy or goof balls. Take me for example. While I don't have to work very hard in school, I constantly pour my heart and soul into things I write. When I, or any of gen X finds something they love, they are capable of working hard. So don't be too scared that we'll be taking over the world soon. We'll take good care of it, after all it is our home.