When we were children, we each had someone in our life we wished to be like. There were traits about that person which struck a chord within us; even if it was only one trait. We do not have a mere opportunity to have the upcoming generations look up to us; we have the responsibility to be people who are worth looking up to.

The things we do today affect tomorrow. The protest rallies, the people we vote into office, or the words we speak in to the world will create a culture that defines us.

In an article done by my colleague, Madison Ward, our generation is already seen as one that killed romance. We have embraced technology so much that face-to-face conversations between sexes rarely occur because we fear rejection.

What is acceptable in our society today has a lot to do with what our parents did before us. If we believe the fight for workplace inequality hasn’t made progress, we are wrong. Not until the 1960’s were women considered acceptable in the workplace. Even then, (outside of nurses of teachers) menial jobs were all that were given to them.

Today, a larger fight for equality is more appropriate. Not only women in the workplace, but every gender and every race in every walk of life need to be treated fairly. Our generation will be the first to grow up with the internet. Using this, one equality rally can turn into a nationwide rally, or several smaller rallies. It’s because of our technology that we can do what our parents could not. Which could be good or bad.

Our parents watched the marches in Selma, Alabama, from their living rooms while they was happening. Today, our generation is not only watching live events, like the riots in Ferguson, but there are commentaries from social media users and constant news media coverage that doesn’t allow the events to sink in fully. We analyze every topic to the point where we find fault in every single detail instead of the big picture. This has been the negative impact of the rapid technological advances of Generation Y.

Moving forward, our generation has witnessed the attacks of 9/11 which led to a new war on terror, the first black President of the United States, as well as the rise of Facebook and microblogs.

We can use our experiences to better prepare the next generation so that they may teach and train their children when it becomes their turn. The figurative torch has been passed to us, it’s time to bear down and be more responsible for our actions.