You Do You

We’re living in the age of me — selfish is good

From Greed Is Good…to…You Do You

The sixties had, “Let it all hang out,” the 1980s embraced personal wealth with, “Greed is good.”

Now we’re clearly going through a “You do you,” stage where people are reassessing their priorities, lifestyles, sexuality, marital status, financial wherewithal, and social loyalties in general.

Selfish feels good

If you’d like to get married, find someone who does, too. And strive to make it work — nothing ventured, nothing gained.

If you want to be able to plan every second of your life exactly the way you wish, find someone who also values their independence, or enjoy life by yourself…do you.

If you happen to be gay or straight or bi-sexual or enjoy having multiple partners, or, are not willing to define anything because everything changes….bravo…you are likely on to something….personal happiness.

You want to get up at 4 am and go to bed at 8…do it.

You ate enough pizza and chicken wings to feed a family of 6 and don’t want to have to explain yourself to anyone….eat it.

Your definition of a close, monogamous, traditional relationship is spending every waking moment with one person and never letting them out of your sight…find that person, and go for it.

You want to drench yourself in an endless sea of hilarious, heartfelt, tear-jerking, provocative videos, passing time so seamlessly you literally look for lines to stand in….there’s no shock, I TikTok.

If you want to live a biblically monumental life…go, go, go, Joseph.

If your definition of the good life is laying back in your home, chilling to some oldies, and sipping wine as your lazy day blends into the next…no judgment…it’s your life.

Selfish wasn’t always cherished and accepted

Phrases like, “Get your ass out of bed you lazy bum…,” or “What are you going to do with your life?” or, “How come all your friends have good jobs, except you?” don’t carry the sting they once did.

While the Philipines and Vatican City are the only two places where divorce is outright illegal, many countries make it difficult to divorce because marriage is supposed to last forever in the eyes of God, not to mention, for moral and ethical reasons.

But not this country. We’ve got it down to the $99 Divorce Special.

Selfishness is becoming less of a stigma, prompted by a redefining of what constitutes marriage, acceptance of differing sexual lifestyles, the cost of living, and the automation of many jobs — tending to create more “back-breaking” vocational careers in logistics, delivery, mechanical repair, and construction.

Loving oneself the most, and not settling for an unfulfilling or unwanted lifestyle, is no longer selfish….it’s…you doing you.

Comfortably numb acceptance of reality

While the majority of today’s millennials and generation Z’ers still believe in the concept of marriage, they differ wildly in their overall philosophy of whether any relationship can last forever and are open-eyed about human frailty when it comes to temptation and sexual loyalty — particularly in this age of easy hook-ups.

They’re not going to live a life of duplicity and hypocrisy where they pretend to be happy if they are not. Not to mention our omnipresent technology makes it difficult for them to get away with lying, cheating, and stealing — without getting busted.

They realize life is a dynamic process of self-actualization, experimentation, growth, development, and change. They accept they will not be the same person at 50 as they were at 25. And therefore, tend not to overpromise.

Sometimes, it appears as if today’s younger folks, are lost, drifting, or noncommittal, but I see it as a comfortably numb acceptance of reality. Barring a financial revolution, many will never afford the materialistic stuff their parents could: a home, car, education for their children, a family vacation.

They can smell out the consumer-driven debt trap we’ve handled them from a million miles away. They think it’s insane to take on student debt, a mortgage, a car payment, plus all the accouterments, only to be forced to work a job they hate like an indentured servant for life.

They’re doing them

They’re not going to be enslaved to corporations so they can go into insane debt.

They’re not going to get married just to straightjacket themselves into a lifestyle.

They don’t see the sense in pretending to be someone they are not. They, like us all, are curious, horny, bright-eyed, voracious seekers of the meaning of life.

They’re not looking to please their parents, their pastor, or even their friends.

They’re not going to trap themselves by overpromising and underdelivering or be made to seem immoral or unprincipled.

They are doing a marvelous job of accepting the cards they’ve been handed — they’ve rejecting greed, gluttony, selfishness, and hypocrisy.

They seem to know we are in desperate need of a cultural reset.

They are the product of hippies telling them if it feels good to do it, yuppies encouraging them to conspicuously consume, and corporations exploiting them for obscene profit.

Summary

We instinctively know were living in a time of great cultural transition.

From the hippie notion of pollution-free living to the celebration of materialism and greed, to the advent of swiping your way to elicit pleasures, today’s youth know their elders aren’t practicing what they preach.

They’re tired of the naked greed and hypocrisy.

They recognize, and accept, due to corporate greed and consequent wealth accumulation, they cannot afford the American dream of past generations — the house, car, perfect spouse and family, and white picket fence.

Nor do they necessarily want to live traditional, family-oriented, lifestyles.

Like us, they trust their friends and family, but they verify. And if someone betrays them, they don’t redefine it, or pretend it never happened.

They aren’t perfectly nonjudgmental. But they realize something prior generations did not.

Life is a dynamic, ever-changing, experience. And while loving someone for life is a noble, sweet, sometimes achievable goal — it is not for everyone.

For those who experience the joy of lifelong, love and companionship, I salute and honor you.

For those who like to have multiple partners, plutonic or otherwise…you enjoy.

For those who don’t know what they want and don’t want to be pressured…you…do you.

Welcome to the age of me….I think we deserve it.