Youth, Gen Z, Zoomers — we’ve been called many names, but young people around the world have begun developing a collective identity. An identity that stems from the realization that even though the threat to our future becomes worse every day, no one seems to be talking about it enough. Now, even our present is under threat and it’s so easy for us to feel cynical because we are passengers in a world that we never created. It’s not the easy journey that people make it out to be.
It’s not surprising to see that the youth are more prone to mental health issues than ever before. Fear, grief, and hopelessness are obvious causes. We live in a world that is damaged by climate change, overwhelmed with socio-economic inequality, and filled with divisive forces that spread hatred. Not to mention the Covid-19 pandemic and all the problems and uncertainty that it brought. While some had it worse than others, it changed all our lives drastically: we were forced to stay at home during our formative years. The pandemic stole major life moments that we will never get back. But, in my opinion, it provided a unique opportunity for us to recognise our privilege, learn about the injustices in this world, and maybe do something about it. We survived not to just watch as we return to our old ways, but to fight for something better.
Perhaps the worst part of these issues is that they divide us, rather than unify us. Individual differences have overpowered common humanity. While our world became small, our differences became bigger. All this happens as young people watch helplessly due to a disheartening lack of representation in decision-making processes. In India, for example, the average age of our members of Parliament is 54. This large disparity between the youth and the decision-makers prevents issues that matter to the youth from entering political discourse. I often joke that if we could vote from the age of 13, our world would be a better place. Waves of politicians with ideas that are so distant from our needs lead to a widespread lack of faith in the political process. The influence of money and corruption only makes it worse.
We need radical change and we need it quickly. The cost of doing nothing, through indifference and complacency, is one we cannot afford. Young people understand this because we’ll live longer than the rest of the world and bear the brunt of the cost of inaction. While hope is crucial, we’ll need more if we want to effectuate real change. We need to transform our frustration into action and support each other as we work towards saving our future. Hope needs to lead to organising and advocacy, not just wishful thinking.
While our empathy and actions may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, underestimating the power of the youth is, and always will be naive, and foolish.
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