{"id":17111,"date":"2017-12-15T23:39:45","date_gmt":"2017-12-16T07:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pocketwisdominsights.com\/pwicolab\/?p=17111"},"modified":"2022-01-13T10:56:47","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T18:56:47","slug":"the-millennial-struggle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pocketwisdominsights.com\/pwicolab\/healthcare\/pwi-co-lab-staff\/the-millennial-struggle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Millennial Struggle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opening Insights: The Millennial Struggle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

My mentor, who I’ll refer to as my Co-Lab Grandp<\/em>a<\/em> (A Grandpa’s Blog<\/a>)\"White_Shepherd\", recently asked me to do a brief write-up regarding what it\u2019s like to be a Millennial. What an interesting request. That\u2019s similar to asking a dog, \u201cHey Bruno, what\u2019s it like being a dog?\u201d The question is met with an immediate retraction of the tongue, eyes become slightly more focused on you, ears up and head subtly tilted to one side. As if to say, \u201cHuh? Whachoo talkin\u2019 \u2018bout?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was born in 1982 to parents that reached adulthood in the 1960\u2019s. Saying that they grew up,<\/em> or referring to them as adults,<\/em> is simply stretching the truth. Although they reached an age of physical maturity, they were never taught how to grow up. Their <\/em>parents were born in a time that knew struggle, strife, hard work and eventually, prosperity. Their parents went through a lot, knew loss and had to sacrifice and work tremendously hard to make it.<\/em> They swore to themselves they would provide for their children, so they wouldn\u2019t have to endure the same hardships of life.<\/p>\n

Little did they know, those hardships, losses, struggles and challenges were the gauntlet that shaped them and forged them into the Greatest Generation.<\/em> Without a way for wisdom from experience to be passed down the line, and without a gauntlet of their own, the Baby Boomers never learned how to grow up, and so they lacked the ability to teach their<\/em> children how to grow up. That is how Millennials were born.<\/p>\n

Informational Insights:
\nCan\u2019t Hear, Already Know, Don\u2019t Care<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Because of our prosperity as a nation and our free enterprise system based on competition, brilliant American minds were free to develop the technology revolution. The digital marketplace emerged \"\"with widespread use of computers and the digitization of data. All the knowledge of the world soon became widely accessible through the internet, a limitless tool of communication that abruptly, and drastically, shrunk our planet. Soon after the internet emerged came the smartphone, which mixes all technologies into a pocket-sized Lifestyle Companion<\/em> that goes wherever the owner does and makes all the knowledge of the world accessible through voice command. What a powerful resource!<\/p>\n

Often termed as the Spider-Man Principle,<\/em> the following statement applies perfectly, \u201cWith great power there must also come – – great responsibility.\u201d Combine that with another popular phrase, \u201cKnowledge is power\u201d and now we have reached a core element of the Millennial Struggle.<\/p>\n

Consider what would happen if you granted an 18-month-old absolute power. The toddler is an entity composed purely of feelings<\/em> and has not yet learned how to deal with life nor established that actions have consequences. It\u2019s a confusing time where the little person is transitioning from having every want and need provided for them, to a position of increased mobility, responsibility and accountability.<\/p>\n

\"Toddler_Splash\"Granted absolute power, the toddler would banish anything unpleasant from existence and pull whatever fantasy that tickled the imagination into being. When there is no authority (can I?), no responsibility (should I?) and no accountability (what did I learn?) then there is nothing stopping them from doing whatever their emotions based on feelings tell them. Surely, and almost instantly, the toddler would end the world as we know it.<\/p>\n

It is not so different with Millennials. We are granted immense power by our ability to summon the knowledge of the world without effort. Like the toddler in the example above, we were never taught how to grow up. We lack self-authority, self-responsibility and self-accountability. So, what do we do with all that power? We react to our feelings<\/em> and feed our emotions<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Because we have all the knowledge of the world available freely, and at our fingertips, we can\u2019t hear<\/em> <\/strong>when somebody attempts to teach, mentor or pass on wisdom. \u201cWhat the hell do they know!? I found the answer already online!\u201d Millennials are almost 100% dependent on the internet to acquire knowledge and are largely unfamiliar with experiential learning<\/strong>. Also, because knowledge is widely accessible, and practically free, they have no respect nor understanding for how it was acquired in the first place, or for its true value.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How can you learn when you can\u2019t hear what anyone else says to you? Millennials don\u2019t need to learn from anyone else because they already know<\/em><\/strong> the answer. They often know the answer before the question is even asked. If they don’t know the answer they will pretend they do and hope nobody finds out. Even if there was a mentoring and learning system<\/em> introduced to help Millennials grow up, they wouldn\u2019t take part. They don\u2019t need to. They already know what they need<\/em> to know, and as soon as they know,<\/em> they stop listening (can\u2019t hear).<\/p>\n

I Don\u2019t Care<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Going back to Knowledge is Power, <\/em>the internet was introduced as the ultimate information resource. It is the center of tremendous power. What happens when the information on the internet is adjusted to suit the aims of those who understand the premier market, Millennials? If you understand that the Millennial is a being driven purely by feelings, like the toddler, then\"\"<\/em> you could conceivably coerce whatever emotion was necessary to create the desired reaction. This is like having the power to control the ocean tides, or the weather, or the intensity of the sun. It\u2019s just too much power for any person to wield.<\/p>\n

Nearly all men can stand adversity,
\nbut if you want to test a man’s character,
\ngive him power.<\/em>
\nABRAHAM LINCOLN<\/p>\n

What results is a generation of individuals who are jacked-in to an all-powerful resource that is feeding off of them<\/em> instead of nurturing their individual intellect. This generation never grew up, never had to, and never learned about the consequences of their actions. Because they are so out of control of their own emotions, of their assets, of their relationships, of their development, of their thinking, they are pummeled by enormous amounts of fear.<\/p>\n

One of the best examples of fear-based control is the Catholic Church. It has ruled over a large portion of mankind for millennia through fear. Your eternal soul will face eternal damnation if you don\u2019t\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"Fear causes the same response in the brain as being physically hurt, and when we\u2019re being physically hurt the only thing on our minds is how to make the pain stop. Thinking stops, reaction takes over. It\u2019s a survival adaptation. What do you do when you can\u2019t stop the fear\/pain? You stop feeling and slip into a state of apathy. I don\u2019t care.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Combine the three attitudes (Can\u2019t Hear, Already Know, Don\u2019t Care) and what do you get? Social Engineering. Millennials are slaves to our feelings and emotions. If you know how to control our feelings and emotions, we become your<\/em> slaves. No shackles or chains are necessary, we are bound within our very minds. We are in a cage with the door open, but we do not leave. We are hurt and tormented, but we do not choose another way. We are stripped of our identity, freedom, personal power and self-authority, but we choose to get ANGRY at the world, rather than DO SOMETHING <\/em>about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 5 Basic Needs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We enter a state of fear<\/strong> when our basic needs are not met, and remain there until they are. Our basic needs are comprised of:<\/p>\n