I recently came across an article entitled: "Life's officially harder for today's young people - because we want more from it."
I have to admit it did make me think. My friends and I often talk about the pros and cons of living in a modern world where life is faster. We have better health care, longevity in life, increasing leaps in technology and (arguably) a better lifestyle than our parents and grandparents did. Yet, we couldn't work out why most of us still felt incomplete, lost, unsatisfied and deeply unhappy. It's ironic: to have everything yet feel an impending sense of inadequacy and sadness.
I believe that every generation faces its own type of hardship which is unique to that group of people due to changing political landscapes and varying economic climates.
So, if most generations have had it hard, why is it harder for today's youth? A short answer would be that we've become more consumerist and ideas of what we think we can gain from life are now distorted. We appear to be living in a culture and society where most people think that by having more money and more possessions will equate to happiness. We are currently living in an economic climate where most material things are in short supply, including money. We have insane dreams about money, the lifestyle it promises and wanting more of it purely because we don't have a lot of it at our disposal. The latest phone, more money instantly, increases in salary just by clicking our fingers will apparently make us happier. We expect things to come to us instantly without realising the years of hard work and dedication that are often required for this.
We have higher aspirations, career goals and personal targets that we want to achieve in a set period of time. I encourage everyone to dream big and set themselves that goal, but with our current circumstances we are horribly limited with regards to jobs, financial funding etc. But this doesn't mean that your goal is dead: it's just going take more time. More time = more time to think, perfect and tweak.
For example: some of my friends want to be married with their first baby by the time they're 25 years old and some friends want to make their first £1m and have a family before the age of 30. Frustrations kick in when we realise how limited we are: we feel at a loss, stagnated and most of the time are unable to cope with this. We are so used to such a fast pace of life that we don't really know how to unwind, so most of us turn to booze as a coping method which all too often comes back to haunt us - be it health wise or the consequences that occur from out of control behaviour.
On one hand I think that it's great to set yourself a standard that challenges you because it constantly motivates you to keep going. On the flip side, we don't realise how long it takes for dreams to materialise into what we want. All too often unforeseen circumstances may occur which throw us off course and dishearten us. Pick yourself up, dust it off and keep on going.
We become stressed because we have a fear of 'so much to do, so little time' and the fear of not achieving these aspirations in the next 3-5 years which leads to a sense of failure and soul-crushing disappointment.
It is so easy to get caught up in dreams, a desire for wanting more and even easier to drown in the depths of self-pity. What we all too often forget is that standing up after being knocked down is a sign of true strength, determination and grit. It is important not to tie your dreams and ambitions into the next 5 years: people often worry so much about their life in the next 10 years that they forget to savour their present. We forget that we have time and in order for certain things to reach its natural peak, time is required. The hungry caterpillar didn't transform into a beautiful butterfly overnight.
To make a mistake or not fully achieve something is not a failure - things happen for a reason and sometimes we need to just take things as they come.
I have to admit it did make me think. My friends and I often talk about the pros and cons of living in a modern world where life is faster. We have better health care, longevity in life, increasing leaps in technology and (arguably) a better lifestyle than our parents and grandparents did. Yet, we couldn't work out why most of us still felt incomplete, lost, unsatisfied and deeply unhappy. It's ironic: to have everything yet feel an impending sense of inadequacy and sadness.
I believe that every generation faces its own type of hardship which is unique to that group of people due to changing political landscapes and varying economic climates.
So, if most generations have had it hard, why is it harder for today's youth? A short answer would be that we've become more consumerist and ideas of what we think we can gain from life are now distorted. We appear to be living in a culture and society where most people think that by having more money and more possessions will equate to happiness. We are currently living in an economic climate where most material things are in short supply, including money. We have insane dreams about money, the lifestyle it promises and wanting more of it purely because we don't have a lot of it at our disposal. The latest phone, more money instantly, increases in salary just by clicking our fingers will apparently make us happier. We expect things to come to us instantly without realising the years of hard work and dedication that are often required for this.
We have higher aspirations, career goals and personal targets that we want to achieve in a set period of time. I encourage everyone to dream big and set themselves that goal, but with our current circumstances we are horribly limited with regards to jobs, financial funding etc. But this doesn't mean that your goal is dead: it's just going take more time. More time = more time to think, perfect and tweak.
For example: some of my friends want to be married with their first baby by the time they're 25 years old and some friends want to make their first £1m and have a family before the age of 30. Frustrations kick in when we realise how limited we are: we feel at a loss, stagnated and most of the time are unable to cope with this. We are so used to such a fast pace of life that we don't really know how to unwind, so most of us turn to booze as a coping method which all too often comes back to haunt us - be it health wise or the consequences that occur from out of control behaviour.
On one hand I think that it's great to set yourself a standard that challenges you because it constantly motivates you to keep going. On the flip side, we don't realise how long it takes for dreams to materialise into what we want. All too often unforeseen circumstances may occur which throw us off course and dishearten us. Pick yourself up, dust it off and keep on going.
We become stressed because we have a fear of 'so much to do, so little time' and the fear of not achieving these aspirations in the next 3-5 years which leads to a sense of failure and soul-crushing disappointment.
It is so easy to get caught up in dreams, a desire for wanting more and even easier to drown in the depths of self-pity. What we all too often forget is that standing up after being knocked down is a sign of true strength, determination and grit. It is important not to tie your dreams and ambitions into the next 5 years: people often worry so much about their life in the next 10 years that they forget to savour their present. We forget that we have time and in order for certain things to reach its natural peak, time is required. The hungry caterpillar didn't transform into a beautiful butterfly overnight.
To make a mistake or not fully achieve something is not a failure - things happen for a reason and sometimes we need to just take things as they come.
1 comment:
This is probably my favourite blog of yours; it's written so beautifully! I feel like you've summarised my thoughts- I've seen people in other countries who have much less, but they just seem to breathe happiness...We expect too much.
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