Why This Generation Refuses To Care And Why That Will Be Its Downfall

When it comes to fear, humans have two options: fight or flight. This basic and instinctive reaction to danger can define who a person is, and it’s a trait we share with many other species in the animal kingdom.

But what about a danger that can’t be seen? How can a person determine whether to attack or run against a peril hidden from the world that is untraceable, unrecoverable and undetectable?

How should a person respond to the dangers of the future?

Since it’s impossible to run away from the future, as well as impossible to fight it, fight or flight takes on a different meaning when it comes to the future.

When it comes to the perils of the future, we have to look at it through a different lens. It becomes less instinctive and more dynamic; we can either try to shape our futures or do nothing.

Effort and apathy go hand in hand, however. No matter how you slice it, effort will always trump apathy. Here’s why:

Effort Always Yields Positive Outcomes

When faced with life decisions, a person can either take action and run with it, or allow the universe to run its course. While time will always move forward, progress can still be halted. With apathy, there is no movement; you stay where you are. Effort allows us to move forward.

The act of simply trying, making a decision and pressing onward will always yield a positive gain. This is not to say there are no downfalls with effort; things such as defeat, pain and exhaustion can come along with trying something new.

Putting your heart into something will let you evolve, chase your dreams and build yourself into the person you want to be.

Apathy gives you nothing; it surrenders progress and allows time to wither you away without getting a chance to experience life. Before you know it, apathy is all you have left, and it is not very comforting.

Effort Opens Doors

When you can take a step forward, you are going somewhere. The best part of your journey is that it never ends, even when you come to a fork in the road or a closed door.

When you see something you want, a switch goes off in your brain. You begin to desire that prize and it eats away at you until you get it.

The tricky thing is, you have to go GET it. You have to open that door, and you are not going to get it to budge if you don’t put your shoulder into it and knock it off its hinges.

New opportunities don't come to those who wait for them. The only way to guarantee change is change itself. To create something new, it has to be molded, created and warped into its new form.

Effort Improves Your Skills

Effort is a teacher and sometimes it can be more of a hardass than an old Catholic school nun. But the lessons effort teaches prove to be invaluable.

Physical skills take practice, in addition to mental and life skills, will always require the most amount of work. We can't move forward and push through obstacles if we don't work on the little things first.

Apathy wastes talent just like it wastes life experiences. As time goes on, your improved skills will create new opportunities and new doors. You'll learn different ways to overcome the obstacles in your way and different techniques to move forward.

Soon, you'll realize life becomes a cakewalk, and your bolstered talents will help you claim your prize.

 Effort Makes You Care

So, it seems like common sense, right? You put effort into something, and your results should be better than just doing nothing. But there's more to it: Effort makes you vulnerable and most of us don't like letting our guard down. Trying something opens you up towards things like fear, failure and rejection.

This generation is one where the person who cares the least is considered the winner. Here's something to digest: Pain is good. It teaches lessons, tears  you down and builds something stronger.

This generation just needs to try. Not only because it does the things I mentioned above, but because it is the only way to get ahead in life, whether it comes to relationships, work or peace of mind.

What's the key to the future? Just giving today a chance and going for it.

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