Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

via Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

Cross-posted from Canaan English Ministry blog

September 12, 2013

Dear Canaan EM’ers and friends,

Why is Lucy unhappy? A pretty well-informed blogger says that Lucy, who represents Generation Y (the generation born between the late 1970s and the mid 1990s) is unhappy because reality turned out to be worse than she expected.

[Go here to read the entire blog http://www.waitbutwhy.com/2013/09/why-generation-y-yuppies-are-unhappy.html]

Raised with messages about “following your passion” and earning many meaningless trophies, Lucy has a very high opinion of herself and believes that she is special.

The blogger cites Professor Paul Harvey (University of New Hampshire). Dr. Harvey says that Gen Y has “unrealistic expectations and a strong resistance toward accepting negative feedback,” and “an inflated view of oneself.” Furthermore, “a great source of frustration for people with a strong sense of entitlement is unmet expectations. They often feel entitled to a level of respect and rewards that aren’t in line with their actual ability and effort levels, and so they might not get the level of respect and rewards they are expecting.
The blogger concludes that “Lucy’s extreme ambition, coupled with the arrogance that comes along with being a bit deluded about one’s own self-worth, has left her with huge expectations for even the early years out of college. And her reality pales in comparison to those expectations, leaving her ‘reality – expectations’ happy score coming out at a negative.Until she experiences the reality of work life and career building.”

Furthermore, Lucy feels taunted by the success of her peers. Her social media world shows that “A) what everyone else is doing is very out in the open, B) most people present an inflated version of their own existence, and C) the people who chime in the most about their careers are usually those whose careers (or relationships) are going the best, while struggling people tend not to broadcast their situation.” Of course, this leaves Lucy feeling, incorrectly, like everyone else is doing really well, except her.

If you’re Lucy (and believe me, there are many Lucy’s among Baby Boomers, too), then our current sermon series on the life of Joseph will speak to you. Like Lucy, Joseph’s reality didn’t match his dreams. Yet, he continued to stay connected with God and God’s plan for him. God had something bigger planned for him – and he does for you, too!

Be the church, y’all!

Tim Tseng 曾 祥 雨 :: Ph.D.
Pastor of English Ministries
tim.tseng@ecanaan.org
timtseng.net
canaanem.org