Your DGAF Attitude Is Toxic: Why It's Okay To Like Things Again
Before Rihanna made not giving a #phuck a hashtag, Millennials were already famously known for not liking a single motherf*cking thing. And the stuff we do adore is as fleeting as un-favorited tweets zipping down our timeline.
We just so happen to be equal parts overly critical and indifferent creatures, the type who hates Baby Boomers for hating us because we sincerely loathe everything. (How meta, right?)
One thing is for sure: We don’t hold back our disdain. But while we applaud being vocal, we're also here to tell you it's not attractive to never be satisfied or delighted, or to be constantly apathetic towards joyous occasions.
Actually, it’s pretty sad.
By (sub)consciously vowing to literally detest things in their entirety, we’ve made it so nothing is safe or sacred.
During award season, how often have you joined your Twitter family in cracking jokes with memes and messy remarks instead of simply enjoying the superb production and kickass performances? Why can't we become some Zen-seeking freak after giving soundbathing a go, without friends' and commentators' constant eye-rolls?
Simply put, why do we feel a need to sh*t on everything?
Somewhere between college and finding our place in the world, experimentation took a turn, making it super uncool to try sh*t and actually GAF about it. And not in that fabulously rebellious "Cry Baby" drapes way either; more like that Debbie Downer friend who sucks all signs of happy energy from a room the second she speaks.
We'd rather nitpick what sucks and instantly despise it before uncovering ways in which this stuff might actually be well-suited to us. We're revamping our forward-thinking, "try everything" generation into a batch of judge-y, apathetic sh*theads. And sorry not sorry, but I'm not slapping #UnpopularOpinion on every f*cking thing just to appease you happiness-haters.
To be constantly uninterested in anything is to be dead inside. As a whole, let's flip over a new leaf and learn to love some sh*t. Here are a few reasons why it's cool to give a phuck:
You can't grow if you don't care.
Quiet your skepticism to move beyond your crippling comfort zone. You know, that lovely abstract space that boxes out life-changing events that'll enrich you mentally and spiritually.
Take on more experiential activities like bungee jumping or a cooking class to widen your scope of knowledge, connect with folks that make you more engaged and present in your own life.
If you're courage plummets to Cowardly Lion levels, grab an up-for-whatever buddy and just do it!
You'll find more fun than you've ever dreamed.
Sure, to genuinely dislike something is fair. But making an attempt to join those who've risked it all (life included) to try new things may make you insanely happy, like Calvin Harris and Taylor Swift happy.
Being open to possibilities of being pleased is a mood-changing injection many of us need.
Girls just wanna have fun, remember? So make sure you have some every chance you get.
Your happiness will be on a thousand trillion.
As much as we may love it, our daily routine isn't enough to keep us as geeked as Pharrell's infectious record. Leave some room for spontaneity, even in subtle ways, to maintain your happy face emoji.
By visiting an old college friend in Europe or committing to trying every dish during restaurant week, you'll start to create great memories and take your DGAF attitude down several notches.
Learn to feel everything, even when you'd rather not GAF, and brighten your dull existence.
It's not okay not to care. Enjoy the world and throw some mud on the walls, as my editors once said. And make sure you tweet about how happy you are about it, ya know, if you care to.