Sometimes I have trouble making connections with other millennials because I simply do not relate to the standards and interests of my peers. Although I am getting the hang of all the new trends and gadgets, there are so many reasons why I was born in the wrong generation – just like so many others.

For starters, I wish phones weren’t a thing. Nowadays, you can’t go out and about phoneless without people giving you weird looks. Personally, I have gone without a phone for months at a time and I feel like every time I start using it again, I want to get rid of it.

I have come to conclusion that phones are not a necessity, even though society says they are.  Not having a phone made me realize we miss so much by being attached to our electronics. I like to have face-to-face conversations with people, not stupid text fights with Emojis. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have in emergency situations, but I wish I could experience life without that stupid device getting in my way.

That brings us to the next topic – technology. Yes, pictures and videos are nice after the fact, but when you take them, you are so zoned into the lense and what filter looks best that you’re missing out on being in the moment.  

I wish I could live without technology because I feel like I miss out on so much in life due to the internet. I like to remember important details in my memories, not have them become distorted because I was not paying attention when they were actually happening.

Another huge topic is music. If you haven’t read some of my previous stories, I am in love with music from the 1960s; specifically the Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac. Unfortunately, I never got to experience the music scene of that time, simply because I wasn’t alive. Yes, I can still see most of these bands today, but it’s not the same. I can’t just bring Jerry Garcia back from the dead.

You can’t even go to concerts today and be able to actually listen to the live music without either being hit in the face by a phone, or have someone screaming about not wanting to be there. People waste money on going to shows they want to go to just to say they went, but why can’t we just go to concerts and be there for the right reason? I would like to enjoy the music without having phones shoved in my face and camera flashes burning my eyes out.

Also, I want nothing more than to be able to wear the clothes I want, even though they aren’t socially acceptable by my peers. I want to be able to walk out of the house in all tie dye and mom jeans- not wearing a “basic white girl” kind of outfit. I want to be able to wear what I want when I want without people judging me just because I am not wearing what’s in style today.

I want to be able to go to thrift stores and go vintage shopping without getting nasty looks. It’s not easy being in love with past fashion trends when the people around you can’t learn how to accept it.

Even though past generations often had more discrimination and such, I’m just talking about the cultural aspect.

So here’s a tip: let people embrace the best aspects of the past without judging us.