The first time my teenage daughter started dropping the word “literally” like they drop F-bombs in Ireland, I thought she was kidding around.
“It’s literally an oven outside,” she said as we walked into the 100 degree Colorado heat one day this summer.
“It’s actually not an oven,” I responded as I flashed her a sarcastic smile. “It’s metaphorically an oven. It’s literally just the weather outside.” I couldn’t resist.
“We’re literally flying to St. Louis in two days,” she told me excited another day.
It was true. We were heading to St. Louis to visit family.
I still couldn’t hold back attempting a teaching moment.
“I wonder if that’s the same as ‘we’re flying to St. Louis in two days.’”
She rolled her eyes in typical teenage fashion.
As a refresher, Literally means “exactly” or the “ordinary and usual meaning” of a word or phrase.
For example,
“when I told him I never want to see him again, I didn’t know he would take it literally.”
When I was a teenager, there was incessant use of irregardless, which isn’t even a word. Then millennials went on to perfect the use of like in almost every sentence. I thought I’d never see the end of it, but Gen Z has taken it to another level with literally.
Most of us over the age of 45 are increasingly worried that the younger generation isn’t reading books. That they’re relying on Instagram memes for news. Tik Tok videos for education. Seth Rogan podcasts to learn science. Filters to create false images. We’re worried they know nothing about history.
It’s natural, then, to wonder what our world will look like when these young social media influencers and meme creators start running our world.
Are we just totally screwed? Are these the end of days?
Then I’m quickly reminded that the generations running the show now aren’t doing such a good job as it is and haven’t been for some time.
Homelessness is out of control. Global conflict is on the rise. Racism, anti-Semitism, Asian hate and Islamophobia are all skyrocketing. Mass shootings are commonplace. Climate change is being ignored. The Supreme Court is dumping years of legal precedent. Interest rates have more than doubled. Gas prices are punishing. The cost of everyday living climbs higher while wages remain stagnant.
We live in scary times.
I once asked Dr. Cornel West about whether he thought, with all the increased xenophobia, racism and conflict, we were doomed for extinction.
His response was unexpected but beautiful.
“Young people today are some of the most kind and open people we’ve ever seen. I’m hopeful about the future.”
Back to my teenage daughter. She and my two sons, like most young people I’ve had the pleasure to speak with, are some of the most loving, tolerant, open and accepting people I’ve encountered. It’s the same with the kids of many of my Black and white friends. They’re just plain caring towards the people of the world.
They love you if you’re Black. They think it’s perfectly fine if you’re Asian or gay. They almost uniformly think differences are colorful and beautiful. They want to learn from others. They want to play with others. They want to see every nook and cranny of the world.
While I still think young people should read more books, if we want a more loving and peaceful world, we should all be excited to let Gen Z take over the world.
Literally.
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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.
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