I’m sure you’ve heard it for years: “in my day, we worked hard,” or “kids these days.” Let’s be honest, our parents, grandparent and educators all see us as a generation of luxury. We have never been in a world war, we have never had any pandemics, we generally live fairly comfortable lives compared to the children of, say, the Great Depression or World War ll era.

People think we spend too much time playing games, that we are disrespectful and we just don’t care. Well, I’m going to be perfectly honest here: we are. Our generation is often characterized by a lack of motivation and very little drive to succeed in life.

First, let me clear something up: I am not a psychologist and I am not a sociologist; I am a 21st-century high school student who has grown up in a very different culture than times when people were not always connected with cell phones, and men went to work in suits while woman stayed home.

We now live in a culture of “anything goes.” Don’t get me wrong, I think kids should be allowed to choose their passions. If a young girl is a great actress, then she should be allowed to take drama and pursue that. If a teenage boy loves music, then he should be allowed to pursue a career as a musician.

But as America’s youth, we must never settle for second best or for mediocrity. Since when did it become normal to come home and play video games until we go to sleep? When did it become normal to show absolutely no respect to our educators, our parents or our family? And, most of all, when did it become normal to not care?

I will be the first one to say it: I’m tired of grandparents telling me about when they were children, saying that had to “walk five miles in the snow to go to school,” and how we are “just lazy kids.” Well, I have a simple solution: be different. Don’t be lazy! Prove people wrong.

Let me ask a question: when’s the last time you did not text, Facebook or email anyone for one hour, and instead you sat down and read a book? Not Twilight, or other teen vampire book, but a real novel — a truly beautiful work of literature. The reason I ask this is because along with a lack of drive, our generation is no longer appreciative of great literature, great music or classical movies.

I have a secret to share: great literature is great for a reason — it is incredible. People don’t just like To Kill a Mockingbird because it has a nifty title, they read it because it is a moving novel that encourages human equality. Moreover, age does not make things out of date or inapplicable to our lives. People and the human condition do not change, only the environment around us changes.

I hope that what I am writing is not seen as me putting myself above others, because I am not. I am just a student, a young kid who has so much to learn. Yet I feel that I must write something about this subject; I must bring a problem out to the open. A cloud of mediocrity has settled in the halls of high schools and in the houses of teenagers. I, for one, am tired of adults looking down on us and reminding us of the “good old days.” We have the capability to make better days ahead of us.

However, the future is bleak in many areas, including unrest in many countries in the Middle East. Nations such as Egypt, Syria and Pakistan are pushing for democracy and attempting to completely change the way their government is run. Technology such as Facebook and smart phones are beginning to take control of our lives. Video games are becoming so clear and crisp that many people cannot take their eyes off them.

Yet, we have potential; we do not have to be written off as a failed generation. Moreover, many people are waiting for a new leader, a new president perhaps to change everything. It seems as if everyone is waiting for someone else to step up and make a difference.

But why can’t it be me that makes the difference? Why can’t you be the one that makes a difference? The point I am trying to make here is that we cannot wait for other people to step up and make a difference because that will never happen. We must do it ourselves; we must shape the future ourselves because we are the future leaders, the future doctors, the future teachers and the future shakers and movers of tomorrow’s world.

A previous article of mine was about Amy Chua, the famous Yale professor who was criticized for her harsh parenting methods — not allowing her daughters to have sleepovers, get any grade less than an A, have a boyfriend and forcing her oldest daughter to practice her violin for hours on end. While I don’t suggest that we all follow this lifestyle, I do suggest that the youth of today work harder.

Great and successful people are not always the most intelligent, but rather those who worked the hardest. Chua believed that every student has great potential to succeed. This may sound farfetched, since her daughter when on to attend Harvard, but we all have potential to do something different. This doesn’t necessarily mean going to an Ivy. It may mean being a great parent when you grow up, becoming a very influential teacher or maybe even becoming a politician. We must tap into our potential in order to handle the very questionable future that is ahead of us.

So don’t settle for second best; don’t settle for a life of mediocrity. Most of all, find something you have a passion for and pursue it. It is all of us who have to step up, so do it now before it’s too late.

For more columns, read the Jan. 25 article, GOP contest narrows after preliminary primaries.