As I walk through the hallway at school, my goal is to get from point A to point B without any roadblocks, but this is nearly impossible because of self absorbed people.
Self absorption is defined as caring only about one’s own self and one’s own activities and not showing interest or respect in the rest of the world. Just the lack of respect we give towards adults and each other as teenagers shows how disrespectful our generation can be.
An example of self absorption and one of my biggest pet peeves is when I can’t get through the hallway because the large group of students standing in the middle are blocking my entire path. This causes me to be tardy because I have to find a completely different route just to get to class. I do this because when I politely ask people to move, they don’t. And I don’t feel like getting shoved around trying to get through.
I understand that passing periods are one of the most convenient times to talk to friends, but students could walk and talk at the same time, or they could just simply stand at the side of the hallway.
As easy as that sounds, some people still have a very hard time being considerate of others. There are those few people that if you ask them nicely they will politely move and respect that you have just as much access to that hallway as them. But then there are those people who have an attitude when you ask them to move nicely and continue to stand there. These people are self absorbed. Standing in the hallway is just a slight example of how self absorbed and narcissistic teenagers can be.
According to Sara Konrath, a researcher at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, teens today are about 40 percent lower in empathizing than the generation of 20 to 30 years ago. Konrath calls our current generation, known as the Millennials, “one of the most self-centered, narcissistic, competitive, confident and individualistic teenagers in recent history…” Not everyone that is a Millennial is inconsiderate and disrespectful. There are many of us that are the exact opposite. According to an article written in Psychology Today, it would behoove those of us in a position to influence today’s youth to pay attention and be proactive about it while we can.
I’m not saying I am perfect, because I’m not by any means, but personally I don’t like being in a generation characterized as “self centered” and “narcissistic.” I would love our generation to be known as being considerate of others and having an attitude of fairness. Starting with respecting others accessibility in the hallway is just one small example of how our generation could improve in being considerate and respected by others.