Unintentionally Ironic Topic

Sometimes inspiration hits like a freight train. And sometimes it hits at 1 AM.

I'm more comfortable with the latter, to be frank.

I've been itching to write about this for about a week, and the topic has been forming in my mind for a while. The problem has been actually getting it down in a communicable form. (Again, the irony here is palpable. OK, that's enough self-criticism.)

This generation - The one I'm a part of; probably the one born between about 1980 and some time in the past 10 years, but I'm not sure - has an enormous hunk of potential. It's almost palpable. But for the embarrassingly large majority of us (myself included, all too often), it's left hidden. Hidden by fear. Hidden by pride. Hidden by insecurities. Hidden by embarrassment. Hidden by an unwillingness to try something, fail miserably, brush ourselves off and try again tomorrow.

I'm not sure what the exact cause of this is, but the symptoms are all around us. Overwhelming waves of apathy emanating from high schools and college campuses nationwide. Cringe-inducing essays among college students. Facebook News Feeds clogged with "im booooooored" messages that somehow get dozens of Likes.

This isn't a new trend, of course. Shakespeare warned against it in Measure for Measure through Lucio, saying, "Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt." History is littered with examples of hard workers who made a difference because they were willing to try. (Thomas Edison's quote about not failing, but finding 1,000 ways it doesn't work, comes to mind.) I'm having a hard time remembering any historical figures who got where they were by waiting for excellence to smack them in the face.

So what's the solution? Well... If I knew that, I'd be shouting it from the rooftops. I don't think there is one blanket solution for this problem. Here's what I think would help, though.

1. If you're a fellow college/high school aged person reading this, I'm encouraging you to stop being afraid and go do something. You know what I mean, right? You've been thinking about picking up guitar, or writing a novel, or auditioning for a musical, or reading the complete works of Shakespeare... Do it. Starting today. Find out what you need to do to do it, and then get started. The world isn't going to send you a signed invitation asking for your talents. There are other willing people out there. They may not be as talented as you, but they're willing to put their pride on the line. Be one of those people. Be willing to look like an idiot today and a genius in ten years. Or maybe just a more learned idiot. Either way, you'll be losing one major thing: Regret.

2. If you're of the older crowd (By which I do NOT mean you're old, OK? Just clearing that up), let me encourage you to demand more from my generation. Performing our duties competently and on time is a bare minimum, not a glorious achievement. Also, cookies are always nice.

3. If you're a human being, support each other's efforts. If someone's worked up the nerve to broadcast themselves to the world (and they're not just doing it as a stupid attention-seeking ploy), give them some constructive feedback. Let them know you're in your corner. Stepping out on a limb is lonely business sometimes. Remind them that you're with them.

Sometimes inspiration hits like a freight train. But that doesn't do any good unless you're willing to go with it.