Into the Woods

Over the holiday break, our family went to see the musical movie “Into the Woods.” If you haven’t seen it, I’d highly recommend it as it was very enjoyable.

I’m pretty sure that “Into the Woods” is Paul’s favorite musical. I asked him, recently, to tell me a short summary of the show and this is what he said. It is: “A new fairytale. The Baker and his Wife tie together classic fairlytales like Cinderella and Rapunzel in a layered story that asks ‘What Happens after Happily Ever After?’"

 

If you haven’t seen the movie (or musical), I won’t give away any spoilers. But after we watched the film, we went to dinner and both Paul and Holly asked what I thought of it. I told them that I was satisfied at the “Happily Ever After” part.

Holly then zinged me and said “We’re millennials. We don’t believe in the ‘Happily Ever After!’ We all chuckled about that observation and continued to enjoy our dinner.  After the fact, I began to digest the meaning of what she said and it made me kind of sad.

Millennials have been defined a number of different ways, but it is generally accepted this term refers to people born any time from the late 1980s until the early 2000s. As such, Holly and Paul fall right in the middle of this demographic (which can also be called Generation Y…which reminds me there must also be Generation Z).

Anyway, Holly’s comment reminds me that her generation has been through a lot. They were just coming of age when the 9/11 terror attacks rocked their world. And they were just getting ready to start their young adult lives when the Great Recession through the brakes on for everyone. There is a reason, after all, that Forbes recently labeled them the Recession Generation.

Thinking of the economic strife felt by these youngsters, I can relate couple conversations I had with other millennials recently.

Talking about the subject of student loan debt – one of the economic factors this generation faces according to a White House study – a millennial said to me, recently, “Your generation talks about your 401K plans at cocktail parties. We compare our student loan debt amounts.”

And on the topic of jobs, I overheard two millenials talking to each other. One said to the other “We just don’t have a chance. The Baby Boomers have messed everything up for us.” (Hint – She didn’t use the verb ‘mess’). I politely walked away, not wanting to give away my generational identity as one of the bad guys.

So, yes, I get it. This generation faces more challenges than we did: crushing debt, an uncertain job market, terror and unrest around the world. And considering they are just entering young adulthood – buying homes, searching for jobs, planning weddings – they view a long road ahead with those factors informing their view of the world.

It’s easy for me, having recently crossed a major age line, to say “No, it’s not that way.” Our view of the world is not necessarily their view of the world (just as we saw things differently from our parents and they did from the generation before).

But, I also believe what I told Holly, recently in a separate conversation, is true. The people who are hard-working, uber-organized and well-prepared are going to succeed. There will always be opportunities for individuals who possess drive, passion and a diverse skill set.

Let’s be fair. The millennials –and the rest of us for that matter – were on a happy path before we all went Into the Woods.  None of us knew what was lurking in the woods – terrorism, recession, disease. And so it was quite an unsettling reset to find there were more than just trees. 

But I believe things can be – and will be - good for Generations X, Y, Z and whatever comes after them.

One thing about going into the woods, you also come out of the woods into the light on the other side.

JG

Originally posted 1/22/2015