The heat is on. About one month has passed since the beginning of the Occupy Wall Street protest, led by a group of activists in what they say is a rally against corporate greed and social inequality. They say that they are a people of many colors and social persuasions, but what they all have in common is they are “the 99 percent that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1 percent.”

Instead of losing stamina during the last few weeks, the protesters are gaining thousands of supporters across the nation, recently hitting home in Seattle. During the last two or so weeks, hundreds of Seattle protesters have lined up their tents from Pike Street to Pine, with disregard for the city’s laws against tents in public parks.

As a result, police officers have taken to circling the encampment at night and waking protestors up in their tents to ask them to leave. Several arrests have been made for criminal trespassing and blatant uncooperativeness of protestors. However, all during the length of the protest in Seattle it has remained peaceful and continues to be pursued through nonviolent actions.

The Occupy Seattle protests also draw a diverse crowd. From families to students, the homeless to the working class, streets are filled with varied participants in this widespread movement. As larger crowds draw together, more families with children are seen holding signs and sleeping outside.

The Seattle Times interviewed Amanda Dorrough, an unemployed web designer, while she held her two-month-old child after an evening spent sleeping outside. She explained to reporters that she came out with her family to represent the rest of the families in our country who are struggling, while her baby shivered in the chilly morning air.

Her commitment to the cause is noted, but the fact that her and other parents are bringing their children, many less than a year old, to sleep outside with them in the cold is ludicrous. This, as well as the many unnecessary arrests, only hits the tip of the iceberg concerning the irresponsibility of these protesters.

Another significant population of Seattle protesters worth discussing is students from the University of Washington. Together they have organized several walkouts, which includes rallying through the streets with signs and chants. The main grievance that students are protesting against is that they are graduating college with thousands of dollars in debt and no available jobs.

Let’s remember that this is the voice of the generation who was raised during a time when everyone on the team was given a trophy, information was found at a click of a button and grades were the teacher’s fault and not their own.

Now, our generation is graduating college and forced to figure out how to make it in the real world on their own – and it is a challenge. Many young adults are now receiving the wake up call that, despite popular belief, life is not always easy. Life is about saving money for college, doing well in school to win scholarships, attending an affordable university, working jobs that pay minimum wage and living below your means.

This not only goes for the bickering college students in Seattle, but the population of unemployed adults as well. Finding out that you are financially unstable does not mean that you reserve the right to blame the government and Big Business for your problems. It means that it is time to sell your new car, not purchase the latest version of the iPhone, and resist the habit of buying Starbucks every morning. The country is without doubt going through a difficult economic period – everyone is aware of that. But instead of complaining, adjust your life to fit the time you live in.

As for the future plans of Seattle protests, at one of the latest Occupy Seattle’s daily “general assembly” meetings, protesters vowed to continue their presence at Westlake Park indefinitely. Only time will tell how the Seattle protests will pan out. But while we wait, it is time that a new message surfaces concerning the Occupy Wall Street protests, which is this: Being a part of the 99 percent is a choice, not a fate. The decision of where you fall is up to you.