Our Generation.

This is my first blog during BEWM (Blog Every Week in May) which Izzie and I will both be participating in, so I've decided to write about something very important to me, which is my generation.

With a mere six weeks left of high school, I will soon be entering what is known as the "young adult" part of my life.

And while to some this may be a terrifying thought, I cannot wait.

Because at that point I may actually start to encounter people my age who earn the title of an adult.

I have spent the last four years of my high school career watching almost every single one of my friends change into people who they said they would never be and it's exhausting.

I'm done with the "I'm going to try and help you become a better person" method that I tried for so many years.

Now I'm just done.

I've opted to stay clear of things like drugs, alcohol, and sleeping around because I know those aren't in any way beneficial to me. I cannot, however, say the same for the majority of my friends.

And that's fine.

We are teenagers, and if they want to explore all this new found freedom far be it from me to stop them.

But I just don't see the point. I hate the idea of not being connected to reality, and when under the influence that is gone.

The amount of respect I've lost for so many people my age is massive, and I've always known I do not want to be one of the people who others look down on because of their choices.

Of course this problem did not start with our generation and it surely won't end with ours.

It is nothing new for a teenager to discover alcohol and the lack of inhibitions it gives you. I just wish that more people my age would see that good decisions hardly come from an increase of booze.

And as if the lack of respect isn't enough, it's like people don't think of the consequences.

I don't mean to get all "you will die if you drink" but I know how poorly kids my age drive, and when you add liquor to that, we're doomed.

The number one cause of death for 15-20 year olds is car accidents, and 30 percent of those who die had blood alcohol levels that were over the legal limit.

Do they not get why this is dangerous?

It just pisses me off beyond belief that our generation is willing to get behind a wheel drunk and put lives in danger because they are too stupid to do the right thing.

No one should need to die because someone else decided to drive drunk.

I recently heard the quote, "Do not speak unless you can improve on the silence" and I feel this is something my generation needs to hear.

Some may think I can incredibly boring because I don't participate in parties that involve drinking, drugs, or random hookups, but I'd like to think that by refraining from these I'm improving our generation's reputation.

By making all these poor choices is anyone improving the world? No.

There is really no good that can come of it, aside from feeling like you fit in for a few hours.

This is a battle I've been dealing with for four long years now, and while it is impossible for me to end teenage behavior, I can continue to refrain from it.

Soon enough I will be out of high school and thus less likely to have to sit and listen to all the drunken mistakes people have made, which is a relief.

Perhaps by neglecting to party I will never fully understand or fit into this generation, but at this rate it's really not a generation I want to belong to.