Bridget+M’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2017

So, the America I want to grow old in eh? I want to grow old in an America where the kids aren’t afraid to get dirty, not afraid to fall and break an arm, where parents encourage their kids to be kids, not raise them to have too many responsibilities.

Where people prioritize their family over some job they complain about, where people recognize what they have and not what they don’t have. Where people look up from their phones for once and take in their surroundings and where you don’t just miss something because it’s gone because you recognize what you have while you have it right in front of you! But I think we all want that in some form. We all know we want to tune in to our true lives and out of our false ones on social media. But one thing I’ve noticed is we live in a society where previous generations are worshiped and idolized.

Not a day goes by where I don’t overhear someone talking about how technology sucks.. And how times are different, more harsh, abrasive, quick, convenient. But the problem lies in how we handle it. We as a society recognize where we are headed, or even where we are, but aren’t willing to put in the effort to reverse it. It’s almost like we think we have gone too far and we are just willing to give up because we know the journey back won’t be easy.

That’s the real problem. People that dispose of things just because they’re broken. And in a generation based on convenience, it’s damn hard to not be one to just throw something away and “order another one”, trust me, I get it. But what’s wrong with putting a little elbow grease into something, it just makes it more fun when you reach your goal anyways because you earned it.

I also think these speeches are focusing on the America we want to grow old in, and not the America we want to relish in while we still have our youth. And I mean right at this moment, not when we are 70 with walkers in hand, not when we are middle aged with children, not in college, I mean right now! Reflecting is necessary to realize where we are, what we were, and who we all want to be as America. But really, enough damn reflecting, we obviously see what needs to be changed, so why not do it right now?

So after these speeches, after your final minutes in these AMEX classes, I want you to walk outside, and look at the sun until your eyes water and you're scrunching up your nose, walk barefoot until your feet are raw, roast some hot dogs on the grill at a beach while you sink your toes deep into the soft warm sand. And remember the smells, the feelings, the sights, the laughs, and go make some damn memories in the America you want to be living in right now, not later.